March is here and Q1 of 2026 is almost up. Time moves so fast! So let me ask you something: remember those goals you set back in January? The plans you made for this quarter? Is your reality matching your expectations? 

If you’re like most business owners I talk to, there’s probably a gap. And it’s not because you weren’t working hard enough. You work very hard, I’m sure! The question is whether you’re working on the right things. 

According to Aflac’s 2025 national workforce survey, 72 percent of entrepreneurs are experiencing moderate to very high stress at work. Entrepreneurs aren’t just busy. Too many are just flat-out overwhelmed. 

Pull Up and Look at Q1 

So, before you rush into Q2, you need to know where your time went. 

Pull up your calendar from January through March. Look at every meeting, every task, every commitment. Ask yourself: did this move my business forward? Did it generate revenue? Did it build my team? Did it strengthen client relationships? 

Be honest. 

In our business, I’m the implementer. My husband is the visionary. He has all these great ideas. I’m the one that has to process it and get it all done. And there were times early on where it was overwhelming. I felt like I couldn’t move. And as you build a team, how do you stay on top of what everyone else is doing, too. 

My team does close-of-business reports at the end of each day. And if you’re not doing this already, consider implementing them. Everybody on my team, whether US or Philippine-based, does these reports. That really helps me keep a pulse on how busy people are and where they’re spending their time. I can pretty easily go through and see who’s good, who’s chugging along, who might need help. That regular feedback loop means I’m not waiting until something breaks to find out there’s a problem. 

Find What You’re Doing That You Shouldn’t Be Doing 

And check out this list of 47 things CEOs should not be doing. If you’re doing any of those 47 things, you’re working in your zone of excellence instead of your zone of genius. 

Zone of excellence is work you’re good at but that someone else could learn to do. Zone of genius is work that only you can do, the strategic thinking, the vision, the relationships that only the CEO can build. If you haven’t read The Big Leap by Gay Hendricks, I highly recommend it. That book will enlighten you. 

I came from a tech background. I know a lot about technology. Technology comes easily to me. I used to fix our servers. I used to go wire stuff. And Mark looked at me one day and said, “I’m firing you as the IT department.” I said, “But I can save us money by doing it myself.” He said, “You’re actually costing us a ton of money by you doing it yourself. We need to outsource this. We need people who are better at it than you are. That’s not the role you need to play in the company.” 

He was right. There’s a story in that book about an attorney who bills at $800 an hour who spent two hours installing a $400 printer. It cost him $1,600 to install that printer. We looked at our business and went, “Okay, what should we not be doing?” 

Most business owners spend 80 percent of their time in zone of excellence work. That’s backwards. 

Protect Strategic Time First 

Most business owners go wrong with Q2 planning by starting to fill their calendar with meetings and commitments before protecting time for strategic work. 

Do something different. Before you schedule a single client meeting or team check-in for Q2, block out your strategic time. Dedicate your hours for business development and growth planning. Look at team building and delegation, systems improvement and process documentation, personal development, and industry learning. 

I’m a firm believer in time blocking. I have calendar spots that are available for anybody to book at any time, but I also have time blocked off for meetings, time blocked for planning, time blocked for quarterly strategy. Mark and I do road trips for strategic thinking. Windshield time is some of our best time together. He drives, I get a notepad out when we get in the car, and we talk. We’ve come up with some of our greatest ideas that way. 

If you’re an executive, make sure you’ve carved out about two to three hours in a month just for you to think and reflect. Get out of your normal environment. If you try to do this on top of everything else, it never happens. Get out of the office, do something different, change up your routine, but have it as part of your quarterly planning. 

We’re an EOS company: “Entrepreneurial Operating System.” We think in 90-day sprints. We have quarterly rocks, which are the goals and objectives we commit to accomplish in the next 90 days. It’s hard to plan 10 years out with how fast technology is moving. Even a year out can be very different. But you can plan 90 days. 

We block out two to three hours with our leadership team where we go through our quarterly rocks. What are we trying to accomplish? What do we need to change? We’re looking at it. We’re evaluating. We’re looking at numbers and impact. 

Set Clear Boundaries 

The biggest time-management mistake business owners make is being available to everyone, all the time. Your clients can reach you at 9 p.m. Your team can interrupt you during focused work. Emergencies become the norm because you never defined what actually qualifies as urgent. 

Q2 needs to be different. 

Set boundaries around your time and communicate them clearly. Make yourself available at the times that you’re available, and also make sure that you prioritize the things that will feed the bus. You’ve got to put gas in the machine. You can’t just run, run, run! 

Setting boundaries doesn’t mean you care less. It means you care enough about doing good work that you protect the time you need to do it well. Burnout happens when we’re trying to be all things to all people. 

I keep my phone face down during the day, and I’m not paying attention to it at all. Everybody who knows me knows if you really need me during the day, don’t use that phone, because I’m not on it. I pick it up at lunch and I pick it up at the end of the day, and that’s it. When you really can carve out even 20 minutes of uninterrupted time, you’ll be amazed at what you can accomplish. 

How HireSmart Helps You Reclaim Your Time 

When you’re spread too thin, the solution isn’t working harder. It’s working smarter by building the right team. That’s where HireSmart Virtual Employees comes in. 

We connect you with highly vetted, full-time Filipino virtual employees who handle the time-consuming tasks that keep you from your zone of genius. Only one percent of applicants pass our rigorous screening process, which includes verbal and written tests, personality assessments, background checks, and problem-solving evaluations. This translates into a 98 percent successful placement rate. 

Your virtual employee undergoes 40 hours of intensive training with our team before working directly with you. This isn’t just orientation. It’s certification that ensures they’re ready to contribute from day one. We educate them about U.S. work culture and communication styles, setting the stage for successful long-term partnerships. 

We handle all the legal complexity. We understand Philippine labor laws, including the unique thirteen-month pay system. Employee taxation happens on the Filipino end, not yours. 

But here’s what really sets us apart: we invest in our virtual employees so they can invest in you. Your VE receives health and dental benefits at no expense to you. We provide educational scholarships for their children through HireSmart Cares, our nonprofit arm. When you take care of your team, they take care of your business. 

We’re not just a staffing agency. We’re your partner in building a team that gives you time back. You get evaluation tools, daily report templates, and assistance creating Key Performance Indicators tailored to your business. If your VE doesn’t work out within 90 days, we replace them at no charge. 

Make Q2 Count 

Q1 is almost over. You can’t get that time back. But you have nine months left in 2026, and what you do with Q2 will set the tone for the rest of your year. 

The business owners who thrive aren’t the ones who work the most hours. They’re the ones who protect their time for work that matters. They’re the ones who build teams instead of trying to do everything themselves. They’re the ones who look at their calendar and see a tool for success, not a prison sentence. 

The first quarter taught you something. Maybe it taught you that you’re spreading yourself too thin. Maybe it showed you which tasks drain your energy without producing results. Maybe it revealed that you’re better at some aspects of your business than others. 

Take those lessons into Q2. Make different choices. Protect your time like the valuable resource it is. Work on the right things instead of just working on everything. 

If you need help figuring out what to delegate or how to get your time back, I’m happy to talk. Click here to schedule a free consultation. 

 

About the Author 

Anne Lackey is the Co-Founder and CEO of HireSmart Virtual Employees, where she helps businesses scale with full-time, highly trained remote staff. With decades of experience in business operations and systems, Anne is a recognized expert in virtual staffing, process efficiency, and team building through her work with Forbes and industry publications.