When was the last time you took a break from thinking about your business? I've met with numerous entrepreneurs who have a constant dialogue in their head on their business. This often comes as a rite of passage for startups and motivated hustlers. Chances are you eat, breath, and sleep your business. And if you are lucky enough to share your business with your family then you get the added bonus of intermixing complex business and personal relationships leaving people confused whether you are wearing the "mother" or "CEO" hat.

I have some news for you. I want you to take off the sombrero. I'm serious, chances are you are wearing too many sombreros and I will tell you right now that it isn't good for your health. Your neck is going to hurt like it does when you wake up from sleeping like a malformed pretzel.

Here are three thoughts to taking your first step towards freedom as a time-strapped entrepreneur:

1. Simplicity

Yes. Make things simple. KISS (Keep It Simple Silly). I recommend reading The Laws of Simplicity by John Madea. My favorite law that the book provides is the "Reduce". Look for the simplest ways to achieve simplicity through thoughtful reduction. Have you noticed that restaurants are moving away from 100 different menu items to just 10 key fabulous dishes? As a growth agency CEO, we have reduced our menu of offerings to be focused on the tasks that we are experts at and enjoy the most. Instead of doing the most, do the least that can be achieved through thoughtful reduction.

2. Automate and Integrate

The bots are literally coming and they are really smart and can do a lot of things for you. If you are tracking information on paper and pen, chances are you have opportunities to automate your business. Where in your business are there repetitive tasks? Can these tasks be automated? Oftentimes systems can be integrated to share common data. Is your CRM, marketing software, accounting software, proposal software, all able to speak to each other?

3. Remain Present

Freedom is more about a mindset than it is actually being away from your business. You love your business and you may actually like being present with it. Remaining present in the moment while running your business is the key to accessing freedom. Freedom is lost when you turn in to an automatic robot that does mundane things and is resigned from making any real difference for people. Remain present to why you are in business and the difference it makes for people and you will be free.