Work Smarter, Not Harder: How to Invest Your Time Like a Pro

You didn’t start your business to work 14-hour days.
You started it because you had a vision, a passion, a problem you knew you could solve.

Yet somewhere along the way, most business owners fall into the trap of wearing every hat — until their schedule is full, their energy is drained, and their joy is gone.

It doesn’t have to be that way.

The Smarter Way to Build

What if you approached your time and energy the way an investor approaches money?
With intention. With strategy. With design.

That’s what I call:

Thinking by design.

And here’s the framework I use — the same one I teach to clients:

🚦 1. Automate First

If a system or a tool can do it better, faster, or with less risk of human error — automate it.

🤝 2. Outsource Second

Don’t build internal complexity when someone outside your business can get the job done.

👥 3. Delegate Last

Once you’ve stripped away everything that can be automated or outsourced, delegate what remains to someone on your team (or better yet, a VA — more on that soon).

Most business owners try to do it all themselves — and burn out in the process.

But you don’t have to.

“If you don’t design your time, someone else will.”
— A lesson that’s cost many entrepreneurs their freedom.

So, What’s Stealing Your Time?

Ask yourself:

• What do I love doing and want to do more of?
• What gets me the highest return on time — financially, energetically, emotionally?
• What drains me and distracts me?

Use your answers to begin reshaping your day.

Start by asking:
“What would this look like if it were easy?”
Then make it easy — by design.

Want the Real-World Version?

I recently sat down with my wife and business partner, Andrea Lagrou, to unpack all of this — and more. We talked about clarity, burnout, and how to reclaim your time before your business swallows it whole.

🎧 Listen to the interview here
🎥 Watch the interview here

This is just the beginning. In the next post, we’ll dive deep into the power of automation — in business and in life.

Stay tuned.

Bram Lagrou
Author / Speaker / Trainer / Coach