sjsmith.com.au - blog

Your SWOT analysis

I recently read an article about what you should be thinking about when delegating and outsourcing work and it raised some valuable points about knowing yourself and your own strengths and weaknesses.

It's not always easy to take a critical eye to things we do everyday but doing a SWOT analysis can really pay off.  (SWOT = Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats)

Write out a list of all the things you do for your business, being as precise and comprehensive as you can.  List all the admin you do, as well as all the promotion, marketing, social media management, manufacturing, networking etc.  Once you've got a comprehensive list of what you actually do each day, decide if it's something you're good at or is it something you suck at.  Also consider if you enjoy doing each task.  If there's something you do that you really don't like, mark that down too. Split all of the tasks into two columns.  Column A for things you're good at and like doing and column B for everything else.  

Now consider is there a way you can be doing more of those things from column A and less from column B? Column B may form the basis of your first venture into outsourcing.  The two lists can also form valuable clues about what the opportunities and threats may be to your business.  If you're great at networking and love doing it, set aside more time for these type of events or, start your own group.  If you're rubbish at regular posting to social media (a bit like me) could you outsource this to a virtual assistant or get a part-time assistant?

It's also worth considering when your optimum time is for doing certain jobs.  For me, I'm most alert between 9.00 am and noon so this is the best time for handling complicated documents or learning something new.  After lunch is good for data entry and artistic jobs and evenings are okay for writing.  I also perform better on Mondays and Tuesday so I try to cram these days to get the best productivity I can.  This also allows some time in case something goes pear-shaped!  You'll have your own optimum times for doing a variety of jobs and by working to your strengths, your likes and your best schedule you'll be amazed at how much you can improve your productivity!

Till next time,

Sarah-Jane X

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