Especially if you're the owner of a small business, sometimes there just isn't enough time in the day. Early to work, late to home, your family starts thinking of you as just a voice on the answering machine. But there's so much to do!

There are ways you can rectify the situation without throwing in the towel and getting a “nine-to-fiver.” Sam Carpenter on Startup Nation blogs has a few tips for increasing your productivity so that you can do more in less time.

The first tip seems easy enough, but can be incredibly difficult. Basically, you have to delegate. To delegate, you have to trust people. To trust them, you have to realize that they can do the job as good as you, if not better. Sometimes, that is a pill way too large to swallow for some people, and there are a lot of failed or stunted small businesses to prove it.

Another tip is seemingly simple as well: have company documentation. Where is your employee handbook? Where is the to-do list for opening or closing the shop? Where does it describe exactly what employee number 52 is supposed to be doing? If you don't have documentation, then the only way someone can know what to do is to ask you. If they ask you, you have to stop whatever you're doing and deal with them. These delays, though some short, add up to hours or even days of delay.

Embrace technology. That's as simple as it gets. We no longer send letters when an email will do, so finding other places that technology can increase efficiency should be no problem. Try using webinars to connect your employees. The before and after of meetings are incredible wastes of time as people are moving around, talking, and basically not working. If all anyone has to do to attend a meeting is pick up the phone at their desk, how much more work do you think will get done?

Think about your personal time as well. How many times have you been pulled back to the office from home? Next time, use video conferencing to look someone in the eye, tell them what to do, then go back to the sofa and your family.