By Aunice Reed
A few years back, I took a week long vacation to Maui-one of several small islands in the south pacific that I’ve practically made a second home of ever since. Maybe it’s the quiet, serene atmosphere and the rainforest hiking trails that keep me coming back. I haven’t quite found a place yet so close, that is so peaceful and beautiful.
But previous to every vacation, I often worried about who would take care of my business while I was gone. At the time, I could get anywhere from 100-300 emails everyday and I knew that my email provider’s server couldn’t store them all until my return. So here is what I did: I left my computer turned on with my email program open, hoping that I would automatically check for new messages every few minutes and empty the server.
Upon returning from my trip, I found that my anti-virus program blocked one suspicious message and just stopped checking new messages. Nearly half of all messages were sent back to the senders. And you can probably imagine that I had a mega customer support problem.
In the years to follow, I began searching for remedies to this problem: auto responders, message forwarding, even checking my email at a local library while I was vacationing. Finally, I realized that if I truly wanted a work-free vacation that I was going to have to have someone check my email for me. So a month before the following vacation, I hired a temporary assistant for a week; she checked my messages and replied to customers as needed.
This gave me peace of mind and I could actually enjoy the time with my family.
Then I got to thinking, “What else can I delegate to someone else that will free up time for me to do something more productive permanently?” I made a very long list and instantly realized ALL the administrative tasks could be delegated to others. I did just that, freeing up little more than 5 hours each day.
So, if you feel like you are living in the same kind of “rat-race” you once experienced as an employee, it’s time to ask yourself a few questions and come up with some definite answers:
What can I do to get my business to operate, but without me?
What can I do to get my team to work efficiently, but without me?
What can I do that will allow me to be able to spend more of my time doing the work I love doing, instead of the “stuff” I have to do?
The key to creating your ideal lifestyle business is to be focused upon and completely dedicated to living your dream.
Aunice Reed is a Professional Success Coach for Women. Visit her blog: http://www.aunicereedonline.weebly.com
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