Believe it or not, it took 3 days for these very bright executives to realize the answer was not in working harder, but rather in working from a carefully chosen set of priorities around what is most important in their life at large.

One of the highlights at the end of these trainings was when a top executive from HP said to me, "I came here to be a better manager, and I am going home to be a better father."

For many entrepreneurs the greatest joy is having your own business. And often the greatest trap is working harder and harder in your business and experiencing diminished returns. The real JOY comes when you can set up the game to build your business geometrically WHILE creating more free time and more exciting adventures for yourself!

So how do you do that? Here are 5 steps to strategically build your business while expanding your free time:

1 - Strategically design your business to perform following the 80/20 rule. The 80/20 rule means that in anything a few (20 percent) are vital and many (80 percent) are trivial. Spend your time on the things that are vital, NOT on the trivial.

2 - Determine the tasks that keep you busy, but fail to grow your business. What 3 tasks fill up your time, but make little progress in your business results? After identifying them, get ride of them!

3 - Find a personal/administrative assistant who can handle the important administrative tasks, freeing your time to do the most important 20% strategic actions. If you think you can't afford one, get creative - and consider what it is costing you not to have one!

4 - Automate your marketing, so you are building relationships and adding value often - even if you happen to be lying on the beach in Mexico. What systems can you set in place to communicate consistently with your audience and build your list of new prospects?

5 - Stop more often to sharpen your saw to create more strategic success. Take a daily mini- break, plan a vacation, take a class to improve your skills. Taking time away from your business allows your brain to create new and better ideas for building your business and balancing your life.