What's for dinner? What gift should we get for that birthday party? When's the next dentist appointment? What are we doing for the holidays?* The list goes on, doesn't it?
Even if we have help at home - spouses, partners, or kids - we're still the ones having to ASK folks to do things. Sometimes more than once. (Anyone else with teenagers in the house? We feel your pain!)
But here's the kicker - this doesn't just happen at home. It's sneaking into our businesses too!
Think about it. How much of what you 'do' each day falls into this invisible workload category? These are things that aren't obvious and can't necessarily be checked off a to-do list, but boy, do they eat up time and energy!
We're talking about:
- Thinking about what needs to be done - when, how, and by whom
- Delegating tasks - even if we're not doing the work, passing it along still takes time
- Following up on tasks - "Hey, what's the status on this?" (Especially when things are falling behind)
- Making decisions - big or small, it all requires brain power (and decision fatigue is real, folks!)
Now, we get it. To some degree, this invisible workload is part of the gig. As business owners, there will always be thinking and decision-making to do. It's like peanut butter and jelly - they just go together!
But as your business grows, you simply don't have the capacity - or let's be honest, the desire! - to keep all of this invisible workload on your plate. Trust us, we've been there. It starts to show over time through exhaustion, frustration, or a lack of progress as things sit waiting for your input and decisions.
So, what can you do when this invisible workload becomes too much? We've got a few tricks up our sleeve:
Hire an OBM (that's us!) to take some of the load off your shoulders- Once you hit the early to mid 6-figure range, there's simply too much going on to keep it all on your own shoulders. Our expertise is taking your vision and goals and turning those into actionable plans, getting the right folks in place, and ensuring that the work gets done correctly and on time. (We're like your business's fairy godmother, minus the wand!)
Lead your team to take more ownership- Where is your team relying on you to make decisions or tell them what to do? Work together to clarify their roles and lay out expectations of where they can take more ownership and make decisions on their own. It's like teaching your kids to do their own laundry - painful at first, but so worth it in the long run!
Simplify where possible- Are you trying to do too many things at once? We get it, as visionaries it's easy to fall into the "let's do all these things and do them now!!" trap. But what if instead of trying to do 3 things this month, you focused on doing only 1? Sometimes, less really is more.
We're curious - where do you feel the invisible workload showing up in your business? What would be possible if you had someone (ahem, like us) to take more of that load off your plate?
This is how we help get results for our clients and what it means to work with a Certified OBM in your business. We're not just task-doers, we're load-lifters!
If your workload, invisible or otherwise, is feeling like too much, let's connect. We're here to help you lighten that load and get back to doing what you do best - being the awesome visionary your business needs!