It’s been said (quite often, in fact) that there are two things we could all use more of: time and money. So we all go around blocking social media, hustling our services and products to our email lists, and crowdsourcing our decision making so we can come to a conclusion thatmuch more quickly.

But I have a secret for you: finding more time (and money) isn’t in the big picture. It’s in the details. Creating processes (sometimes called workflows or systems) can streamline your business operations and save you hours each week. The magic in it all is that when you create processes to save time, you can use those magical minutes to go out and make money!

Look, I know that you’re probably thinking “That’s fine, Val. But I don’t have a company or a team. It’s just me. I can keep it all in my head and I’m pretty clear on how it all works anyways.”

That’s true — and I’ve had that exact same thought. But what happens when you want to take a week off (like I did with my honeymoon)? Or you have a major life event that forces you to step away for an extended period of time (like when I had my baby)?

There’s no better time to set up process docs than today

Setting up your process documentation now, as you go, saves you from having to hustle and set it all up when you want or need to step away. Better yet, there may come a day when you want to hire some support in your business. Imagine handing over those process docs in your onboarding process and never wasting a minute (or dollar) with your new team member. Now that’s efficient!

[Tweet “Save yourself from the hustle by setting up process docs today.”]

Here’s what you need to know: your processes already exist — they’re the things you do every day/week/month in your business (typically behind-the-scenes) that make it run. It’s those CEO tasks that really make your business a business; not just a hobby. And since they are things you already do, it takes (almost) zero extra effort to craft your ideal process documentation and start to streamline the way you run things.

Want a simple hack to nailing down your processes in no time at all?

Here are the three simple steps to get it done:

1. Record a video of you doing the task and talking out the steps while you do it (here’s a list of some of my favorite video recording tools to make it easy)
2. Hand that video over to your VA or a contractor and ask them to make the checklist from the video. If contracting this out isn’t possible, have a friend or colleague do it for you and offer to trade them the same favor — you’ll both get your processes nailed down together!
3. Review the final checklist for gaps or missing pieces and complete the documentation in your favorite project management tool (like Asana)

Boom! Not only do you have a set of process documentation done, you are on your way to building out a Company Operating System. (Well, aren’t you fancy!)

[Tweet “Build your Company Operating System in 3 easy steps.”]

The best part? In just a few extra minutes each week, you can complete 1-2 process doc recordings and have your documentation for your entire business up and running in a few short weeks. Be careful, though. Making process videos gets addictive so you might find yourself with documentation sooner than you thought!

Start streamlining to get those lost hours back

Questions? Let me know in the comments below — and tell me which process you are headed off to document this week. Oh, and I’ll even get you started with a blog posting checklist you can build off of for the rest. Grab the free PDF download by entering your email address in the box below.

Don’t forget to take a moment to pin, tweet, and share with other creative business owners you love. And be sure to follow along as I share my answers to the top questions I’m asked every single day.

(This post was originally written for and published by One Woman Shop – an incredible resource for female business owners who run things on their own or just happen to be growing a team in the process. If you are, well, a one woman shop, click on over there and grab everything they’ve got.)