Productivity is ultimately about stewardship. Every business owner has their own set of goals, key areas of responsibilities, deliverables, and what have you. While these may vary in detail and in execution, the factor that ultimately sets us all on level ground is time. Each of us has the same amount of time on our hands.

It used to be that whoever put in the most hours of work was hailed as the most productive worker, sure. But with all the available literature about effective time management, plus a variety of time management apps and tools at our disposal, productivity is no longer defined by how many hours you work, but by how efficiently you do your work within a given number of hours.

Today’s business owner knows that productivity is the art of properly stewarding your focus, your energy, your skills, your efforts, and your resources to get the most out of your day while catering to all your areas of responsibility. Because a business owner is never just a business owner, right? There are other areas of your life that need your attention too.

All that to say that we understand how real (and exasperating) the struggle can be to get to a healthy level of productivity. Hence, we’ve put together 9 tips and tricks for increased productivity in the hopes that some (or all) of them help you make the most of every hour.

9 Ways to Increased productivity

1. Goals are great, but systems will get you farther

Who doesn’t love a good set of really inspiring goals? Every business owner must have them. However, the systems you put in place in order to reach those goals will have greater value to your business in the long run. Even when your goals change down the line, you can rest easy knowing you’ve set up solid systems that can help you reach them.

For example, create standard workflows for each of your business processes. Far from being robotic, when these systems become muscle memory, they will create room for you to allot more time and energy to other areas that need more of your attention.

2. Here’s an oldie but goodie, list things down

A to-do list is like a paper clip--a plain, basic item in your desk drawer, but an item you can’t do without. Consider your to-do list the paper clip that holds all your many different tasks together. Writing things down saves you from having to spend time thinking of what you’re supposed to do next, or worrying if you’ve missed out on any of your tasks.

If you find to-do lists daunting, you aren’t alone. A change in perspective might just do the trick. Author Steve Maraboli lends some excellent advice on the matter: “Rename your ‘To-Do’ list to your ‘Opportunities’ list. Each day is a treasure chest filled with limitless opportunities; take joy in checking many off your list.”

3. Invest in the best tools for your top tasks

There’s an old adage that goes, “It’s the Indian, not the arrow”, implying that the individual’s ability defines his greatness rather than the tools he uses. This is largely true, but nevertheless, tools are extremely important for increasing productivity in any area of your life. Before you start downloading every promising app, however, be reminded that you don’t need every tool available under the sun. You’ve got to pack your toolbox wisely.

Consider your top tasks and your frequent tasks then research apps that can help you get them done more efficiently and effectively. There is a wide range of apps for practically everything, so read reviews, check ratings, study functions, examine interfaces, and invest in the ones that can truly work for you.

4. Do not be a slave to notifications

In a blog on their website, developer Rescue time recently shared some of their latest screen time statistics: “On average, we pick up our phones 58 times per day. This time adds up to about 3 hours and 15 minutes.” According to the report, 30 out of 58 check-ins happen during working hours (9 am-5 pm).

Not only does constant phone-checking jar your focus, but it also unwittingly robs you of more time than you think. Two minutes spent going through notifications multiplied by several times throughout the day equals the time that you could have spent more wisely.

Set fixed times to check your phone and go through your notifications. If you think it fitting, let your clients and employees know your schedule as well. This way, they’d know when to expect a response and when to flag urgent concerns.

5. Take inspiration from class schedules

There is wisdom in the way things are done in schools. Each subject gets a given block of time a day so that a student has a very well-rounded schedule throughout the week. The same principle can be adapted by business owners.

Set blocks of time in advance for work dedicated to, say, Marketing. Another for Finance, another for Business Development and so on. This practice ensures that you get to focus on all aspects of your business throughout the week and helps you schedule everything else around these blocked times.

6. That being said, make room for things that “just come up”

Don’t fill your day up so much that it paints you into a corner, so to speak. As a business owner, chances are, random things that require your attention will come up unexpectedly. Your schedule should be arranged in such a way that certain tasks or meetings can be moved around to accommodate such spontaneous but unavoidable events.

Yes, have fixed or blocked hours, but have a couple of flexible ones as well. If nothing comes up, great! But if anything does, you can keep calm and carry on.

7. Prioritize periods of rest

Need we say more about the importance of taking breaks? Regard these breaks as pitstops for you to refuel and recharge your mind and body. Rest your eyes from screen time. Have a healthy meal or a healthy snack. Stand up and stretch. Whatever your body needs you to do for it to keep going, take the time to do it.

8. As much as it can be helped, do not multitask

Let’s be real, multitasking simply means dividing your attention and focus between two or more things. This could work for some “autopilot” tasks such as taking a phone call while driving, but it generally isn’t a good strategy to increase productivity.

Every task is deserving of your best efforts and your undivided attention. Not only does it help you work faster, focusing solely on a given task enables you to work better.

9. Reserve an “untouchable” hour

As soon as you wake up in the morning, reserve that hour as a warm-up of sorts. Pray, meditate, do some light exercises, enjoy an unhurried cup of coffee or tea. Whatever this “untouchable” hour looks like for you, protect it and think of it as an investment for all the tasks that lie ahead that day.

That one hour encourages you to approach your day from a place of calm and peace, thereby affecting the way you think, work, and respond to whatever the day has in store.

Were any of these tips helpful? What are your best practices for increased productivity? Do share! Come thru here to have a conversation with us.

Which Strategy Will Help Your Team Improve Business Productivity?

Since each business owner has their own set of goals, the whole team must learn to become productive as well.

The efficiency with which company tasks can be finished in a given amount of time is known as business productivity. Business productivity can be influenced by a wide range of factors, both favorably and adversely. To improve operations, a company needs to be completely aware of these elements.

Take into account how the elements influencing company productivity interact with other elements of the workplace while assessing them.

To attain maximum efficiency, a corporation must strike a balance between goals, earnings, and employee morale.

Here are some strategies you might want to consider using:

Use technology and automation

These days, productivity apps can help tremendously in any business. Not only does it help conserve time but your energy as well.

Invest in automation and technology to help optimize your business process, remove repetitive tasks, and ensure that your employees are focused on the tasks at hand.

Some productivity apps that you can use are Slack, Asana, Teamwork, and Todoist, just to name a few. Look for apps that will fit your needs.

Cut down time-consuming activities

Many things might divert our focus from our work, whether you are at home or the office. Because of this, organizations created a strategy to avoid them:

Here are some typical productivity killers to stay away from:

Emails:

there are many ways to share information or send important documents aside from email. Additionally, checking emails every day can also take a lot of time. Make sure to automate your email and set them to remove emails that are not important. Consider sending a message to your teammates if there’s an important document or topic to talk about.

Meetings:

minimize having too many meetings in a week or a day. If you really need to have a meeting, ensure that it will not last long, 15-30 minutes will do, and it should have a precise and clear agenda to avoid wasting a lot of your time.

Social media:

research shows that people these days spend nearly 2.5 hours every day on different social media platforms. You may want to set some regulations about minimizing the use of social media so the team can focus on their task.

Procrastination:

we are all guilty of doing this. However, there are ways to prevent it and as much as possible avoid it. Consider setting realistic goals or timelines and ensure that all your targets are met as per schedule. Be focused and remove all types of distractions.

Employee Development

Employees are most productive when they are happy and active. Our employees will become discontented or unhappy when their work becomes monotonous and they are unappreciated.

Hence, it is best to keep them engaged and give them work that will challenge them. Provide opportunities that will help them develop their skills or take on a new role. Give recognition or incentive when your employees did a great job.

Stop multitasking

Although many people think they can multitask rather well, it's usually preferable to focus on one activity at a time.

Numerous studies have demonstrated that multitasking can have a 40% detrimental impact on an individual's productivity.

Make sure that your team is essentially doing the same amount of work. Assign work according to their ability or willingness, instead of their role or title. Furthermore, having reasonable expectations reduces the need to multitask or exert more effort than usual.

Install a Workflow System

Simplifying and improving operations can be achieved by putting in place an organizational structure for monitoring employee tasks and workloads.

These kinds of solutions can facilitate regular and efficient team communication regarding long-term objectives or projects.

Furthermore, you'll save time and money by having your teams work together internally and regularly, especially if you have remote workers. This time and money can then be used to finish projects and cultivate positive client connections.

Additionally, workflow structure lessens redundant effort and overlapping duties. Employees can concentrate on strategic activities requiring advanced thinking when a workflow is automated.

Improve Productivity with SmartVAs

Having a business can take a lot of your time and energy. Many business owners or entrepreneurs have a hard time achieving work-life balance.

If you feel overwhelmed and losing productivity, let SmartVAs help you. We can help bring back productivity while growing your business. Come here and let’s have a chat today. We will be waiting for you!

Frequently Asked Questions:

How I can stop procrastinating?

We are all procrastinators at one point in time. However, excessive procrastination can have a negative impact not just in our personal lives but even in work. Here are some ways to stop procrastination:

Try different techniques to improve your productivity such as the Pomodoro technique, the Pareto Principle, the ABC method, or the Eisenhower method.
Avoid distractions such as social media, TV, games, and the like. Minimize their usage and set a time.
Minimize using your smartphones as well. Research shows that many people are spending about 4 hours a day even if they are still working. This may cause a reduction in productivity and an enormous amount of distraction.
Learn to take a break. Sometimes being overworked can make you procrastinate even more as you may lose your will to become productive. Have time to rest for a while and gather your thoughts.

Why should we increase productivity?

Productivity is the key to ensuring that your business will grow and become successful. An increase in employee productivity will result in cost savings and higher income since more output is produced in less time and with fewer resources.

Furthermore, as higher production is met, quicker delivery times and better-quality goods and services are provided increasing customer satisfaction and more future consumers.

What is the key to higher productivity?

Time management is one of the keys to having higher productivity. It is a way of planning and organizing how to divide your time between the tasks at hand.

If you execute your time correctly, you will find that even under time constraints and pressure, you will work smarter rather than harder, enabling you to do more work in less time.

Here are some of the benefits of proper time management:

Increased effectiveness and productivity.
Reduced stress and anxiety.
Greater recognition in the workplace.
Increased potential for growth.
Greater chances to fulfill your personal and professional ambitions.

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9 Ways to Improve Productivity