Small business owners are famous for working hard to build their dream, but without effective systems in place, these dreams often turn into nightmares. Life becomes an endless, overwhelming to-do list -- daily running ever faster on the proverbial gerbil wheel to catch up and keep up. Theyâ ™re headed for burnout, yet taking time off can be tough.

If you had to take time away from your business, could someone step in and take over without facing confusing challenges and wasting time figuring everything out? Would the business falter or fail? Putting systems in place will free you up to step away when needed. In addition, when you want to sell or hand your business over to others, stepping in to run it will be easier, significantly increasing its value to a potential buyer.

Creating systems for your business can be a challenge -- the larger and more complex the operation, the bigger and more time-consuming the project will be. But resist the temptation to put this off until a quieter or more suitable time in the future -- that rarely happens. Instead, put a plan in place now to create systems that free you to take time away, to work on instead of in the business and to grow it in the way you want to, rather than being a slave to it.

Six Steps to Create Systems for Your Business

One: List every task, however small and seemingly insignificant, you typically perform as you run your business.

Two: Prioritize these tasks and, starting with those most critical to your success, schedule regular times to document the detailed step-by-step process you follow to complete each task. It may not be easy to make time in your busy day to do this, but be assured, it will save you time and stress over the long haul. Aim to address one or two tasks each week in this way.

Three: With the desired outcome in mind, carefully analyze each task. Examine how you approach and complete the task. Ask yourself if the way youâ ™ve been doing this is really the easiest and most efficient way to achieve your goal. Can the process be shortened, simplified, improved upon or made more efficient? Maybe test different approaches.

Four: For each task, write down a detailed step-by-step description of exactly what you do. Ask several others, including one or two who know little or nothing about your business, to read your directions and give you feedback. Does it make sense? How easy would it be for someone else to follow your directions? Next, watch someone complete the task using your instructions. Be ready to answer questions and make notes to clarify vague or misleading instructions.

Five: Using the information gained from your observations and othersâ ™ feedback, further enhance or rewrite your step-by-step directions for the task.

Six: Consider who else, now or in the future, could do this task well. What kind of skills would he/she need?

Creating systems for everything you do in this way will, over a period of time, produce vital content for a usable operations manual. This will simplify your life, build value into your business and free you to take a vacation!