Remember Why You Went Into Business
(Hint: It Wasn’t to Run Payroll)
Let’s be honest. You didn’t start a business because you could hardly wait to run payroll, manage invoices, and populate spreadsheets. Yet somehow, those are the tasks that fill up your days.
You started with a bigger vision. It could be about owning your time, your life. A passion project may have blossomed into something significant. Or you just wanted to earn more by doing what you love.
However, as your business grows, freedom tends to slip away. Suddenly, you’re working 60 to 80 hours a week, answering emails at midnight, and you realize you haven’t taken a vacation in years. The business you were supposed to run has morphed into a company that runs you.
It’s Time to Reconnect With Your “Why”
Running a business can feel like juggling flames—fast, risky, and nonstop. With endless to-do lists, tight deadlines, and constant surprises, it’s easy to forget why you started in the first place.
So, hit pause for a second. Take a breath. Remember that big idea? That spark? The inspiration that made you dive into this crazy adventure?
Ah, yes, there it is: Your Dream.
Would you like to know the secret to making your dream come true? Protect your time by eliminating small tasks and focusing on your bottom line. Here’s a top tip to tip the scales:
The Skill–Will Matrix
A Skill–Will Matrix is a simple chart that helps you look at what you’re doing and focus on what you should be doing instead. You’ll find an excellent example at Bitesize Learning’s Skill–Will Matrix.
- One axis represents what you like to do.
- The other shows what you’re good at doing.
Ideally, you want to spend most of your time in the top-right quadrant—the work you enjoy and excel at. That’s where your impact is highest and your energy strongest.
If you’re the face of your brand, your strength might be recording videos, meeting clients, or leading strategy. The goal is to make those activities as easy as possible by removing unnecessary steps or finding support.
Now, look at everything that falls into the “hate doing” or “not good at” sections. Those are the tasks that drain your energy and slow your growth. Start delegating, outsourcing, or automating tasks whenever possible.
Align Your Work With Your Purpose
Let’s do a quick mental audit of your typical week. Be brutally honest. How many of your waking (and even sleeping) hours do you actively spend on activities that drive you toward your purpose—the reason you started this wild ride?
Now, how much time do you spend on tasks that, while necessary, actively distract you from that purpose?
The gap between those two numbers? That’s your opportunity for a revolution.
Identify Energy Vampires
Grab a notebook and track your time for a week. (Hate journaling? Send yourself texts instead.) List every task. Be precise. Which ones energize you? Which ones drain you? The drainers are your targets.
Ever wondered what an hour of your time is worth? Consider this: if you earn $50,000 a year and work a standard 40-hour week, your time is worth approximately $25 per hour. That two-hour “quick trip” to save $5 on avocados just cost you $50 in time.
Once you know where your time goes, you can see exactly what’s worth outsourcing. Is it really worth spending your entire Saturday assembling that flat-pack bookshelf (while trying to keep your sanity), or could you pay a local service less than what your hours are worth?
The “Delegate or Die” Mantra
Your time is worth more than the cost of delegation.
For those draining, non-core tasks (payroll, social media scheduling, email management, customer support FAQs, and even some content creation), ask yourself if someone else can do them better, faster, or cheaper. If the answer is yes, consider exploring virtual assistants, specialized software, or even hiring an intern.
That’s where a Fractional COO or Operations Manager comes in. Imagine no longer feeling alone with your strategic planning or getting complex projects over the finish line. It pays to have an execution partner by your side.
Someone like me steps in to take all that off your plate—HR, scheduling, people management, tech setups, and even the complex, strategic projects that keep you up at night.
You thrive on creativity, big ideas, and building relationships. But who has time for the details, systems, and follow-through? That’s where I come in. I’ll take your vision and turn it into a real, measurable plan that gets done so that you can stay in your zone of genius.
Automate Ruthlessly
Tired of being a robot stuck on repeat? Technology can handle a huge chunk of your daily grind.
For nearly every boring, repetitive task you can think of, there’s a tool designed to do it for you. It’s time to explore these digital sidekicks and automate your way back to the creative, strategic work your job requires. Go on, reclaim your time and your sanity.
How do you find the tool you need? Start by identifying the specific problem you’re trying to solve or the task you want to accomplish. Use search terms like “best tools for [specific task/problem]” or “top [type of tool] for [purpose]” on Google to explore options.
Tools like OneCal can help you automate everything from scheduling to reminders.
Research by reading reviews, comparing features, and checking recommendations from trusted sources. Consider your budget and look for tools that fit within it while meeting your requirements.
Finally, test out free trials or demos whenever possible to ensure the tool is a good fit before committing to a purchase.
“But wait!” you say. “Doesn’t that take too much of my time?”
Yes, finding the right tools takes time, but it’s time well spent. You can also ask someone for help—or use AI to do the first bit of research.
When You Need More Than Automation
Automation is powerful, but it can only take you so far. Many entrepreneurs need help not just with tasks, but with entire processes, systems, and people.
That’s where I step in. I help entrepreneurs clean up or build out their back-end operations:
– Tech setups and buildouts for new campaigns and products — from checkout systems to landing pages, email funnels, SEO, and software connections.
– Process and system creation — including building canned responses for customer service, cleaning up messy workflows, switching to new software, or building out your Asana so it finally makes sense.
– Hiring, training, and onboarding — I post job ads, screen candidates, and manage the interview process, so you only need to join the final interview. I also implement a robust onboarding plan to train and retain new team members.
– Strategic planning and execution — taking your big ideas and getting them across the finish line, tracking performance, and identifying what’s worth your investment (and what’s not).
I’m the partner who takes on everything you shouldn’t be doing, whether I handle it personally or find the perfect person to do it.
Batch It Like It’s Hot
You can’t delegate every task. Some require your personal touch, such as building relationships, making key decisions, or bringing a creative vision to life.
Ever tried to write an email, text your friend, and watch TV at the same time? It’s chaos, right? That’s called “context switching,” and it makes your brain feel like it’s running a marathon in flip-flops.
Batching is the superhero that saves you from this madness. By lumping similar to-dos together, you let your brain stay in one groove, get more done, and avoid that frazzled feeling.
To manage priority tasks effectively, try batching them by setting aside blocks of time during your week to focus solely on each task. For example, you could dedicate one hour every Tuesday and Thursday afternoon to handling can’t-delegate emails.
Quick tip: Before diving into a task, jot down your goal or picture it in your head. Maybe you’re building your empire, crushing a big project, or carving out time for yourself. Whatever it is, keeping that goal front and center helps you stay on track and skip the time-wasting stuff.
Eyes on the prize, always!
It’s Time to Unleash Your Inner CEO
When your work aligns with what you love, you stop feeling chained to your business and start leading it. Because running a business isn’t about doing everything—it’s about doing the right things.
Reclaim your vision, protect your time, and lead with purpose.
Because let’s be real, running a business isn’t about doing all the things. It’s about doing the right things—the things that build the life you dreamed of (and maybe even time for a hobby).
So go ahead, unleash that inner CEO—the one who gets to lead. As you recall why you entered the business world, reclaim your vision and steer your company forward with confidence and purpose.
About the Author
Kaitlyn Spinney is the Founder of Dynamically Done, where she serves as a fractional COO for creative entrepreneurs who want senior-level operations without the full-time hire. She helps business owners build profitable and sustainable companies without burning out.
Kaitlyn believes that systems should serve people, profit is a design choice, and growth is intentional.