In this day and age, more and more small businesses are finding themselves in a common trap – putting quantity over quality. With an increase in pressure to perform, entrepreneurs take on the notion that if they do not take on more tasks, then their business will fall short.

But, contrary to this belief, increasing the number of tasks you perform won’t necessarily impact your business for the better, but rather, the opposite. Sometimes you just need to practice “business minimalism” in order to achieve your goals.

After all, with more and more tasks, it’s very easy to become overworked and see vital tasks slipping through the cracks. And, knowing where to place your time and efforts is key to succeeding and pursuing your goals. A whopping 97 percent of organizations believe project management is critical to business performance and organizational success.

So let’s look at what “business minimalism” means and how you can use it to achieve more by doing less…

Choose the essentials

These days entrepreneurs are finding themselves with jam-packed schedules, an abundance of tasks to accomplish, and very little time to spare. Not only are small businesses spending a lot of time and energy on trivial tasks but, these tasks may also be hindering their ability to focus on the most crucial elements for business growth.  That is where essentialism comes into play.

As defined by Greg McKeown in his book; Essentialism – The Disciplined Pursuit of Less, “Essentialism is not about how to get more things done; it’s about how to get the right things done. It is about making the wisest possible investment of your time and doing only what is essential.”

For your small business, every move you make is critical, making choosing what tasks to spend your time and efforts on a bit tricky. Not everything is of equal importance, therefore, as a business owner, you must set out your main company goals and prioritize tasks accordingly.

Keep in mind; simplicity is key! You don’t want to overwhelm yourself and your employees by having too much to accomplish. Strip your business tasks down to what is essential and eliminate the small tasks that distract you from your goal.

With apps such as swell you can tackle a never-ending to-do list. Tasks are analyzed for the best well-thought suggestions and tips. Using an app such as this, or another similar platform is the perfect way to organize your tasks and stay on top of the essential elements of your business.

Make decisions that count

Every small business owner has a lot to juggle, from running the sales, accounting, product development, and so on, it’s hard to stay on top of even just the basics. So, taking even more onboard by trying to do too many things at once actually prevents you from propelling the company forward. To guarantee you’re incorporating essentialism into your organization, it’s important to be constantly thinking, reading, and learning from your actions.

Don’t follow the crowd by making impulsive business decisions and responding to everything that comes your way. Be less reactive. Try making fewer decisions – ones that count – and taking a more patient approach. Don’t forget, slow and steady wins the race. A focused, well-thought-out approach to business is the perfect strategy to make it big.

Yes no list

Take a minimalist approach

The minimalist trend stresses the importance of “less is more.” Entrepreneurs that follow this trend strip their business down to the main essentials, thereby removing all time-consuming non-essential tasks and elements.

A common mistake many entrepreneurs make is making their business plans too complicated. By adopting a minimalist strategy, entrepreneurs are more equipped to achieve their goals as they are more focused on fewer tasks.

Also, take a look at retailer Frank and Oak. They have incorporated minimalism throughout their brand from the type of clothes that they sell to their website. They use monochromatic colors and simple fonts to broadcast their message, making it simple and easy for customers to understand what they are buying.

Minimalism allows your company to flourish as it doesn’t impose on your busy schedule. This trend guarantees you’re stripping the company back to its core principles and focusing only on essential tasks needed to grow – meaning you can accomplish more crucial tasks smoothly with less stress, distractions, and restrictions.

Minimalism in design

For example, take a look at the product design company Inked. One of their core strategies when faced with a new design, is to truly define a product and its need in the market. Only after this can they begin working and are able to focus on only the most crucial elements of the product design.

Wisestamp also had to address the issue of minimalist design, since our users showed interest in minimal email signatures. A signature block is such a small component, to begin with, so making it even more compact was not a small challenge for us. But it was well worth it since it increased our user base and broadened our offering.

Conclusion:

When developing your business, you may think that taking on more tasks will impact your business growth for the better, but, in reality, it can cost you your business. Juggling too many tasks, especially ones you may be weak in, means you won’t be able to focus on the business’s most essential tasks.

Having the ambition to try and excel is great, but learning to direct that ambition into your strengths is the key to success. Try to incorporate strategies such as essentialism and minimalism and remember to think before you act. You’ll find that you’re doing less, but accomplishing the right tasks that will efficiently grow your business.

Shachar is a Co-Founder at Ranky. He dreams about growth and startup marketing, wakes up to the Tweets of birds and he’s literally a Social person. He is also a football fan (but don’t ask him anything about FC Barcelona) and gadgets addicts. Stalk him on Twitter.