As women leading a business in Aotearoa, we know our days are often full — client work, delivery, emails, admin, family, and everything in between. It’s no wonder many brilliant businesswomen feel stuck in “busy mode.”
The shift from busy to impactful isn’t about working harder. It’s about intentionally focusing our time and energy where it actually grows our business.
Global research reinforces this. McKinsey reports that leaders spend up to 60% of their week on low-value tasks, while HBR shows context-switching alone can cost 2–3 hours a day. For solopreneurs and small businesswomen (like us), that’s a huge drain on headspace — and a major blocker to growth.
A trusted model, adapted for solopreneurs
Before diving in, credit where it’s due. The thinking behind this approach comes from the classic Eisenhower Matrix, later popularised by Stephen Covey. I’ve adapted the intent for NZ BW as I believe a number of us are often teams of one (or very small) — where delegation looks very different.
The Simplification Lens (A Solopreneur-Friendly Version)
Instead of four quadrants, think of a single guiding question:
“Does this grow my business, grow my clients, or grow me?”
Then sort our tasks into four simple buckets:
- Do Less (Reduce or Delete)
Ask: If I stopped doing this, would anything break?
Often the answer is no.
Examples: over-polishing proposals, tweaking social posts for hours, maintaining systems we might not need.
- Do Later (Schedule with Intention)
Some tasks matter — but not today.
Protect a weekly “CEO Time” slot to park anything important but not urgent. Even one hour a week creates strategic breathing room.
- Do Differently (Solopreneur Delegation)
Delegation isn’t just hiring. It can look like:
- Automation (booking systems, templates, invoicing tools)
- Tiny outsourcing (a VA for 2 hours a week, AI, bookkeeping)
- Skill swaps with another businesswoman (genius move in this community)
- Batching instead of multitasking
The goal is to free our brain, not our entire task list.
- Do What Matters (Our Impact Zone)
Covey’s “important but not urgent” zone — the real engine of growth.
For most businesswomen, this includes:
- Strengthening client relationships
- Building our network
- Creating content that brings opportunities
- Thinking and planning ahead
- Looking after our wellbeing so we can perform at our best
A small, powerful experiment
Open your diary. Claim one hour this week as CEO Time.
Use it to scan your tasks using the four buckets.
Then choose:
- One thing to stop,
- One thing to outsource or automate,
- One thing that truly grows your business, and prioritise this.
Busy is familiar. Impactful is where our business moves, grows and becomes easier to run.
And when we lead with clarity, focus and confidence — the ripple effect is extraordinary.
I’m Josette Owen Executive & Organisational Coach, founder of Elevate Leadership. I partner with senior leaders to create clarity, unlock potential and build healthy, high-performing teams.
I’d love to connect — reach out anytime josette@elevateleadership.co.nz
