There is always a moment in every businessman's life when he glances at the clock and the to-do list and wonders where the time has gone. I had mine when I was completely engrossed in sorting through my emails, arranging my calendar, and answering customer questions. It was imperative to remain productive, but these tasksalthough crucial, they weren't making a difference in my business. I was doing my best, but I wasn't getting the results I had envisioned. I was in a constant cycle of low intensity movements and the feelings of heaviness were noticeable.

Then it hit me: I was getting lost in the details of $10 tasks when I could have been growing a $10 million business.

Related: To level up, you'll need to take a step back

The low value task trap

First of all, as business owners, we tend to take over do all the work yourself because no one knows our business better than us. It's natural – after all, business is our baby. But here's the hard truth: It's important to consider that just because someone can do something, doesn't necessarily mean they should. Every dollar spent on a $10 project is a dollar not invested in a $10 million idea.

I'm talking about those mundane, non-strategic activities that can be done by any employee in the company, but we do them ourselves because they make us believe we're being productive. But what is actually being accomplished? Not the big ones, not the priorities, not the plans that can change the entire course of your company. It seems we are just maintaining the status quo without any progress.

1. Delegate the hard work

The first action I took was delegate activities which had consumed most of my time. Answering emails, scheduling my appointments, and addressing some of the customer service related questions were things that could easily be delegated to someone else and probably done much better by someone else.

Just consider what your time is worth in the first place. If you're willing to pay $100 for an hour of your time, why invest it in activities that can be delegated to others for $10 or $20 an hour? It is important to note that delegation is not a sign of laziness; instead, it's about doing your best. This is because delegation empowers you to let go of trivial tasks and instead focus on key business issues, sales and improvement.

2. Automate the mundane

Automation is another game changer. With the advancement of technology, there are numerous tools available that can help reduce the workload common tasks. For example, scheduling appointments can be done by a scheduling software, and you don't have to waste time setting dates.

When I started automating my scheduling, I was able to save hours each week on my own. It's time for me to be able to turn the growth opportunities around – the things that really make the business grow. It's not just time; it's about being able to avoid getting lost in the details and having to think about them all the time while you're making strategic decisions.

3. Transfer the chat

Customer service is the core of any business, but it doesn't have to be done by you alone. The most effective decision I made was customer service outsourcing. I was able to hire a team of people who could take and answer questions, troubleshoot and generally help out as I focused on expanding the business.

The focus here is establishing credibility. You need to trust your team or outsource to convey your brand the same way you would. Once that trust is established, outsourcing customer service is a no-brainer. This allows you to focus on cultivating business with important clients, negotiating contracts and placing in the market.

Related: 7 ways to make outsourcing a success over time

4. Drive creativity

Content creation is another area that leaves many entrepreneurs stranded. Yes, it's important, but it's no use spending hours designing graphics or writing blog posts. I understand that I can write posts, but I'm more effective if I decide what to post when and what kind of message to convey, while the professionals do the work.

Whether you hire a content writer or graphic designer or use content creation tools, this optimization gives you time to focus on strategic planning. This enables you to be constantly visible to your target market without compromising the capacity to manage the company's affairs.

5. Empower your team

Micromanaging is a huge waste of time that many business owners get caught up in without even realizing it. I was guilty of this too. This made me think that if I didn't participate in making every decision, then things would go wrong. But the reality is that by being overly controlling, I was holding my team members back and not making the most of my time.

Delegating decision-making to your team is not only time-saving, but also promotes ownership between members. Your team will go the extra mile, think outside the box and achieve goals when they are trusted. It also creates an opportunity to see the larger perspective of a business and understand that the details are being handled well.

6. Automate workflows

Instead of focusing on individual tasks, consider the overall work process. Which operational tasks can be digitized? What measures can you take to ensure that things are managed properly without your intervention? of workflow automation is a great tool to improve productivity.

For example, you can automate creating invoices, follow-up emails and setting up daily tasks, which helps you save time every week. The more you minimize the time required to perform these manual processes, the more time is available for business growth and development.

7. Prioritize big movements

Ultimately, it's about focusing on the activities that will be most valuable to your business. This means not being able to agree to work on activities that do not meet the objectives and being willing to work on those that do. For me, that meant focusing on planning, building relationships, and looking for additional sources of income.

As a founder, you may find yourself involved in regular business activitiesbut if you want to grow the business, you need to work on the right activities that will bring high profits. This can be anything from creating new products to venturing into new markets or improving existing operations for higher profitability.

Related: 3 Big Time Wastes for Leaders – and How to Overcome Them

The transformation

After implementing these changes, delegating, automating, outsourcing and empowering my team, my business changed drastically. Income started to increase, I was able to sign bigger contracts and, most importantly, I had time to think about the development of my business.

The transition was not easy. It involved allowing others to take on certain tasks. However, the result was more than worth it. Focusing on what was importantI was able to create a company that was not only profitable, but also sustainable.