The reason some of us find we can’t quite find enough time to finish the day’s work is that we often take on too many things, some of which we are not necessarily good at. To make matters worse we allow ourselves to be distracted by those around us which prevents us from achieving our set goals for the day.

The cure lies in effective delegation. But this doesn’t always come easily to us and often requires a considerable act of faith. If, however, you have chosen your staff properly you should be prepared to put your faith in them.

Delegation becomes easier once you begin to establish concrete and measurable objectives with your staff. If these are made clear and specific, people will feel more comfortable about acting on their own. Nonetheless, it’s important to focus on the end results and hold people accountable for them rather than for day-to-day details. Effective delegation means giving staff the tools they need to solve problems themselves. Whilst in the short term this may mean more training, it will save you time and money in the long term.

Get as much feedback as you can from monthly reports and make it clear to staff that you don’t expect them to report back at every stage of a project unless you specifically ask for it. In that case let people know the critical points on which you would like them to focus.

Be specific and clear about your objectives. Offer realistic deadlines that can be achieved but be strict about meeting them. Recognise individual talents and allow people to use their full abilities to help you build your business. Most of all accept that mistakes happen. Even when the consequences are serious try to remember that some great scientific breakthroughs have come from mistakes.