Running a business can be a rewarding and exciting experience, but it doesn’t come without its challenges. Especially in today’s economic climate, it can be difficult enough just to help your business survive, much less thrive. That doesn’t mean, however, that growth is impossible. It just requires a change of strategy and plenty of determination to make it happen. Finding a productive strategy takes time, patience, and flexibility. If you are looking for new ways to increase your productivity, consider these tried and tested strategies for helping your business grow.
Have the Right Tools
In order for any business to be productive and efficient, they need to have the right tools. The right tools and equipment make it easier for you to get your job done quickly and effectively. On the other hand, not having the right tools can complicate your job and slow down production. As more and more people begin working remotely, these tools are vital in order to achieve seamless online functionality. Start by providing employees with the best hardware, systems, network, and infrastructure. You will also need things like updated accounting software, communication software, and task management software. These tools are fundamental to increasing productivity for your business.
Set Daily Tasks and Goals
Setting daily goals is one of the best ways to increase your productivity. At the end of each work day, decide what your goals are for the next day and what tasks need to be completed in order to reach these goals. That way, when you walk in the next morning or sit down at your computer you will know exactly what needs to be done that day. You can use a task management program to help you keep track of your tasks and mark them off as you complete them.
Minimize Time-Wasting Activities
Whether you are working at home or in an office, you are bound to face a number of distractions throughout the day that pull you away from your task at hand. Here are some of the most common time-wasting activities that are sure to kill your productivity:
- Meetings: Try to limit the number of meetings you have and who attends them. Make sure that you have a real purpose before calling a meeting and only ask those people who really need to be there to be present. When you do have a meeting, be mindful of time and keep it short and to the point.
- Emails: It can be very distracting to be inundated with emails throughout the day. If you have a question for a coworker or important information to share, try communicating through a Slack message or DM instead.
- Office Chatter: For those who are working in an office, you can easily get distracted when you stop to talk to a coworker. Managers should try to limit in office conversations and provide opportunities for chatting during lunch, scheduled breaks, happy hours, or other outside activities.
- Social Media: These days social media can be a huge distraction and employees can easily get sidetracked if they are scrolling through social media. Have a policy in place restricting the use of social media during working hours.
Automate
Why spend much of your time on repetitive tasks like data entry when you can automate them instead? Automation is a fast and efficient way to boost your productivity levels. There is tons of affordable automation software available that can help you free up your time to work on other tasks.
Delegate
So many people pride themselves on being multitaskers but it’s almost always better to put all of your concentration into one activity as opposed to many. In fact, studies have shown that multitasking can negatively affect individual productivity by as much as 40%. Instead of multitasking, delegate tasks to team members who are well equipped and willing to take on the work.
Check in With Your Team
As a manager, it’s up to you to know what’s happening within your team, especially if you have employees working from home. Check in with your employees regularly and revisit individual goals for each team member. Check their progress, offer support, and maintain regular communication. These regular check-ins not only hold your team accountable, but it will alert you to any problems right away.