Hot Tip: Lighten That Workload

Overachieving entrepreneur Shawne Kleckner found himself doing too much. He was running three companies at once, including fast-growing Right Stuf International, a Japanese-animation-video distributor in Des Moines (#369 on the 1999 Inc. 500). Seeking sanity, Kleckner drew up a list of everything he does and vowed to eliminate one item per month. So far, so-so: his success rate is 50%. But Kleckner thinks even half helps. "If I don't let go of those things, it all will consume me," he says. When it comes to tasks such as following up with vendors, "I used to work 24 hours a day," he says. "Now I can actually go home and read and eat and spend time with my family."

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