The opinions expressed by Entrepreneur authors are their very own.
Fifteen years ago, Paul Graham from the startup accelerator Y Combinator published his essay “The Creator’s Schedule, the Manager’s Schedule” describes the alternative ways developers and bosses use their time. People in the creator role – including Graham, himself a programmer – “prefer to use time in at least half-day units” because “they can’t write or program well in hourly units,” he explained.
Managers, on the other hand, have tons of meetings, so “the default is to change what you’re doing every hour.”
The schemes are still valid. As president and CEO of the company Trade fair clubsoftware company specializing in CRM solutions, I have watched the creators I hire excel when they have long periods of time to create and contemplate, while managers thrive by switching between meetings and topics.
Where do I fit in? Even though I’m also a programmer, as the head of my company I have to spend time not only producing for my company (in creator mode), but also running its day-to-day affairs (in manager mode). If you are also a small business owner and operator, you could find something for yourself here.
Context switching is burdensomebut if done consciously, it might stimulate the growth of the company. Here are three reasons.
Do what you like, but higher
Some people say: “Do what you love and you will never work a day in your life.” This joke rarely works with owner-operators. Yes, most of us love our business, but ensuring it continues to generate value is exertions – and we think it is. To maintain momentum, we must repeatedly switch between creator and manager modes, while accepting that we’ll not necessarily feel equally good in each cases.
Over the years, I’ve noticed how many founders and CEOs get stuck in creator mode. After all, we founded our business on the premise of selling something we are passionate about creating or delivering. This production process has not only proven to be profitable enough to start a business, but it is also our personal comfort zone. Therefore, it seems natural to cultivate our passion through work ON business.
Starting a company ipso facto implies that we work ON business. However, we also need to find time, space and a long-term vision to perform the work IN business. This includes accounting, bookkeeping, performance reviews, hiring and firing, and other administrative activities that call makers are not necessarily good at but are vital. Completing these management tasks allows us to improve processes and plan future directions that may enable improvements and innovations for the next project or client. This is what leads to higher business.
Adjust your time management
Do you reserve specific times of the day for specific activities? Have you ever kept a journal before starting your work day? Are you a member of an entrepreneur group? Even if you do not label your schedule as creator vs. manager, there’s a good probability you will instinctively use such categories.
By answering the above questions affirmatively, I can confirm that the sort of methods constitute a function that enforces time management between work in the company and work in the company. Time blocking, for example, ensures that before a latest release, the producer in me has an uninterrupted window to fix bugs and update documentation. This method equally empowers my president to evaluate business development and next steps, whether I do so through self-reflection or discussion with colleagues.
That said, time spent in one mode versus one other is rarely 50/50. In fact, the gear ratio itself is dynamic and requires constant tuning. At the starting of a company’s life or during its breakthrough period, we’ll probably spend the majority of our hours on production. However, as an organization’s staff grows, there are simply more people and projects to lead, so the two hours a week we once spent working on the company may have to be multiplied to two afternoons.
Prevent burnout, build resilience
As a small business owner, it is easy to overwork yourself. Some studies show this entrepreneurs are more susceptible to burnoutwhile other research suggests that despite all the work, we may have built-in protection against this phenomenon. Either way, we wish to stave off the feeling of doing the same thing over and yet again and not having time to breathe.
The antidote to burnout is to adopt the two mindsets that come with being an owner-operator. In my experience, just the act of switching between creator and manager responsibilities allows me to blow off steam. This puts me in a healthier mental state, which builds resilience when I hit a plateau and feel tempted to stay in one zone to avoid the pain in one other.
Moreover, each role informs the other. During production, sometimes I focus too much on recurring problems, so I am unable to see the forest for the trees. Manager mode helps me zoom out, reminding me of the greater goals my work contributes to and giving me ideas on how to avoid getting into trouble. Conversely, sometimes I get carried away in analyzing the vision and worrying about what if. Maker Mode brings me back into contact with specific solutions that increase profits and prospects.
Context switching is an inevitable a part of a small business owner’s job. Sometimes we do this several times a day, or as the business becomes more advanced, we may change the schedules every few weeks. Regardless, consciously identifying when, why, and how we engage creator mode and manager mode can assist us achieve personal resilience and business growth.