Why Is This So Hard?
If you’ve ever tried writing your own business policies, procedures, and other documentation, you may have found yourself getting discouraged and eventually giving up.
Writing down what you know seems simple enough, yet how can something so simple be so hard?
Because simple isn’t always easy.
Here are the top five reasons why business owners struggle to document their processes.
1. It takes time.
Yes…time out of your day. Something business owners rarely have enough of. Depending on how complex your business is, it can take a lot of time.
2. Writing is not your strength.
We all have strengths. Writing may not be one of yours. It’s not enough to capture all the knowledge, wisdom, and details from your head. It must be clearly written and well organized.
3. You’re not sure where or how to start.
There’s so much to document. Figuring out how to get started and which business area to document first can feel overwhelming. Documentation is not just about capturing content. It’s also about applying a structured approach that will help you create and maintain good content.
4. You’re in too close.
When you know a lot, it’s hard to remember how much you know and how it all fits together. You just know it. So, it’s easy to leave out important steps or forget to provide the context to make the documentation useful to someone besides yourself. That, my friend, is the curse of knowledge.
5. It’s not fun.
At least not for most people. It’s fun for me, and that’s why I help businesses write their documentation.
But, most business owners would rather do anything else besides carve time out of their busy day to write a lot of content, starting from scratch, on something they know way too much about. Not fun.
So remember, simple is not necessarily easy. Don’t be so hard on yourself, and don’t give up.
Clear and user-friendly documentation is key to running your business efficiently.
If you’d like help getting started, need in-depth support, or just want to find out more, schedule a free consult today.