| Hi Blogger, We’ve all been there… And, let’s face it, I don’t think I know any horse pro that isn’t a bit of a control freak when it comes to their horses and their business. So, how do you move beyond, “If I want it done right, I’ve gotta do it myself?” …And the freedom to stop wasting time doing repetitive tasks that anyone else could be doing??? Yeah, I know, I’ve heard it all before … I can’t trust anyone else to do it right. If I don’t do it, the horses don’t get fed … turned out … ridden … gates are left open … whatever. Your time is valuable, and frankly, you only have so many hours in the day. How many of them are you spending on things that you don’t NEED to be doing? Like scrubbing water troughs or cob webbing the barn? No wonder you’re struggling to find time to ride YOUR horse, go out with friends, or have dinner with your family. I’m going to introduce you to a way that will take these repetitive tasks off your ‘to-do’ list! All right - AND in the WAY you want it done! We’re going to create Standard Operating Procedures or SOPs. If you’re already using these - Great Job - now may be a good time to review and update them. If not, let’s get started - 1. Create a book of the tasks needed to be performed. This can be especially helpful for new members of your team to learn the routine. 2. Be specific. Include every step as you would do it. By listing tasks this way, any member of your team can perform an unfamiliar task successfully without supervision. 3. Include an estimate of how long each task should take. Estimated times are essential for new tasks to let staff know the task has been done correctly. If it’s done in a much shorter or longer amount of time, they can review the steps for accuracy. 4. Create a log where staff can include the date, task, how long it took to perform the task, and sign their name. A signature shows accountability and pride in their work. It also lets you know who did which tasks, in case more instruction is needed or you want to reward exceptionally well-done jobs. SOPs are an easy way to make sure jobs are done as you’d do them, without YOU having to do every single task. Another way to maximize your time is through automation, but we’ll talk about that on another day. As always, I’d love to hear how you’re using these tips and what’s working for you! To your success, Catherine and the team at Red Mare Enterprises | 
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