Running an MSP means wearing a dozen hats. You're the technician, the salesperson, the accountant, and the project manager—all before lunch. Here's how to stop drowning and start swimming.
After 12 years running an MSP, I learned the hard way that working harder doesn't mean working smarter. The MSP owners who scale aren't the ones putting in 80-hour weeks—they're the ones who figured out how to make their time count.
Batch Your Reactive Work
Stop letting tickets interrupt your entire day. Set specific windows for ticket work—maybe 9-11am and 2-4pm—and protect the rest for proactive tasks. Your clients won't notice a 2-hour response time, but you'll notice the extra hours you get back.
Automate the Remembering
Your brain shouldn't be a calendar. Every recurring task—maintenance checks, contract renewals, quarterly reviews—should live in a system that reminds you automatically. Mental overhead is exhausting and expensive when you forget something important.
Standardize Your Client Onboarding
Every new client should go through the exact same process. Document it once, use it forever. A consistent onboarding checklist means nothing falls through the cracks and new team members can run it without hand-holding.
Single Source of Truth
If you have to check three places to answer "what do we do for this client?"—you've already lost. All customer information should live in one place. One dashboard. One click. Done. The time you save adds up to hours every week.
Say No (Or at Least "Not Now")
Not every opportunity is a good opportunity. That client who wants 24/7 support but only wants to pay for basic? Pass. The project that's outside your expertise? Refer it out. Protect your time for work that actually grows your business.
The Bottom Line
Time management for MSP owners isn't about squeezing more into your day. It's about building systems that work for you instead of against you.
The best MSPs aren't the busiest. They're the ones who figured out how to run a tight operation without burning themselves out.
Quick Wins to Start Today
- Block 2 hours tomorrow for proactive work—no tickets allowed
- List every recurring task you're tracking in your head
- Count how many places you check to find client info