So many hats, only one head. How do we wear them all without obscuring our vision?

Working solo means you take care of all the things. Big things. Little things. Things you love to do. Things you hate to do. Things you have no idea how to do. They’re all yours to handle.

Talk about overwhelming.

If you must do something new, you must either learn how or find someone to do it for you (hence solo leaning into the first choice rather than the second.) Time spent learning things that don’t grow your business but are necessary to stay in business can feel like a waste of time at most or a burden at a minimum. What’s a solo to do?

Unfortunately, there’s no magic wand to wave, no matter how much the influencers will try to convince you otherwise.

There are dozens of tools out there promoted with the intention of “wearing” some of those hats for you. While helpful, they still can’t completely replace your involvement in the process and execution of your work. Each tool takes time to learn, to implement, and to manage. Is that time that could have been spent doing the thing that needed doing?

Ironically only time will tell.

As a technology and productivity coach one of the most common things I see solos as well as small businesses struggle with is division and prioritization of work. We evaluate work to be done based on how it drives the bottom line, often missing the impact the work has on the short- and long-term operations of our business. Process documentation is a fitting example of this.

So often, the process necessary to accomplish a routine task includes multiple steps and a miss on any of them could derail the task completely. A process can vary over time as requirements and methods change, so the importance of process documentation never goes away.

When I bring this up to solos sometimes there’s pushback: “It’s my business, I know how it’s supposed to run.” While that may be true, how much time are you willing to waste recreating a process you may do only once a month or twice a year? Isn’t your time better spent? The impact to your business in this case is high when it comes to the potential of future wasted time and effort.

There is another facet to the world of the solo…the “I want to do it” approach. Many of us, me included, would rather do things ourselves. Sometimes it’s misguided thinking the only way something will be done right is if we do it. Other times we honestly enjoy learning new things, growing our skill set, and becoming more comfortable in the scope and requirements of our business. In any case, help will still be needed as knowledge doesn’t magically appear no matter how many YouTube videos you watch.

Solos can struggle deeply with the, “You need to do (the thing) this way or else it won’t be right” approach that many consultants and coaches will take. A good, effective coach will work with you to find out how you want to work and then aid in finding the ways to reach that goal. Let’s go back to our many hats for example.

Picture you wanting to purchase a hat. You need a hat as part of your business. You know what hats you like, but you aren’t sure you have the best one for your needs. You don’t want to spend too much, you want it to look good, and you want it to last.

One hat shop (not taking a shot at hat shops…this is just for example purposes) has racks and racks of baseball caps with all kinds of logos and colors. They can sell you anything you want, so long as you want a baseball cap. They will go out of their way to help you understand you really want a baseball cap.

Another hat shop has a huge variety of hats, from beanies to bowlers and more. Your eye catches a top hat on the shelf with all its splendor and you’re sure you would look amazing in it. You’re not wrong, it would be a great look, and all the really successful hat wearers have one you’re told. The price tag is large, and the upkeep will be a lot, but still, if this is what the successful people are wearing, why not?

While struggling with your decision, someone leans over to you and says, “you know, it’s supposed to be rainy and windy coming up.” You wonder why that matters and then it dawns on you. You came in looking for an all-weather, comfortable hat. The top hat, while stylish, can’t handle the wind and weather. The baseball cap, while durable, doesn’t make the impact you want. You’re back to square one. But are you?

You strike up a conversation with the stranger who asks you about where you want to wear your hat, what kinds of hats you’ve had in the past, and what you like about the top hat and baseball cap. The discussion goes back and forth, taking time you didn’t think you had, only to wind up in a place where you have a much better understanding of what you need and want. You reach over and take the wool newsboy hat from the rack, place it on your head, and immediately feel like this is the right choice. The stranger remarks, nodding, “now that’s a hat.” You leave, confident with your purchase, proud you were able to come to the decision on your own. But did you?

At this point you may be wondering what any of this has to do with process documentation, and you’d be right to. If you capture the process you went through to buy your hat, you don’t have to repeat that process blindly again. Referencing the past to apply to the present means your time spent the first time has a much greater impact in the future.

As a solo we need to always be aware of the ways we can help our future selves. Whether we simplify, streamline, optimize, or proceduralize parts of our operation, changing hats doesn’t need to be the challenge it is for so many of us. Take time to study what is required of you in all the ways, determine the courses of action that work best for you, and then make them part of your operation. Now is the time to get yourself a hat rack.