How to Reclaim 10 Hours a Week in Your Business

Running a small business can feel like a nonstop cycle of managing clients, chasing invoices, and putting out fires. For many owners, the dream of freedom quickly turns into long nights and early mornings, wondering how to keep up. The truth is, you don’t need more hours in the day; you need to use the hours you already have more effectively.

Here are three practical strategies that consistently give business owners back at least 10 hours a week.

1. Automate the Repetitive Tasks

Think about how many times you’ve sent the same type of email, reminder, or invoice. Those repetitive tasks eat away at your time, often without you noticing.

• Invoices & Payments: Use software that automatically generates and sends invoices, tracks payments, and sends reminders.

• Scheduling: Replace the back-and-forth of setting appointments with an online scheduling tool.

• Follow-ups: Automate standard email sequences for quotes, onboarding, or reminders.

Even automating one or two of these areas can save you hours each week and reduce mistakes.

2. Standardize Your Processes

Every job you take on should follow a predictable path. If you’re reinventing the wheel each time, you’re wasting valuable time.

• Create a checklist or template for recurring tasks (like client onboarding, project setup, or job closeout).

• Document your workflow so you don’t have to “remember” every step.

• Train your team (or yourself) to follow the same system every time.

Standardizing doesn’t make your business rigid, it frees you up to focus on the parts of your work that truly need your attention.

3. Delegate or Outsource Low-Value Work

As a business owner, your time is most valuable when it’s spent on high-impact activities: serving clients, closing deals, or planning growth. If you’re spending hours doing tasks someone else could do at a lower cost, you’re slowing yourself down.

• Hire part-time help for admin tasks, bookkeeping, or customer service.

• Consider virtual assistants for remote, flexible support.

• Outsource specialized tasks (like marketing or design) instead of struggling through them yourself.

  
  

Even a few hours of help each week can free up your time and mental energy.

The Bottom Line

You don’t need to hustle harder to grow, you need smarter systems. By automating, standardizing, and delegating, most small business owners can reclaim 10 or more hours a week. That’s time you can use to focus on growth, serve more clients, or finally enjoy the freedom you started your business for in the first place.

At JLYL & Co., this is exactly what I help business owners do: create clarity, save time, and build businesses that work for them, not the other way around.