Increasing your company’s productivity is one of the most effective ways to overtake your competitors.
Unfortunately, many business owners don’t continue to refine internal systems in ways that help the entire team run more efficiently.
In this article, we will explore some of the best ways to increase productivity in your company and help it grow more quickly than ever before.
Start by Evaluating Your Current Workflow
One of the best ways to determine how you can improve productivity within your business is by evaluating your current workflow. Take a look at what you’re currently doing and why it works or not within your business’s context.
At times, this may mean spending time with employees as well as planning on your own. Take the time to speak with them and find out where they’re frustrated about staying productive.
Create a Plan for How to Spend Time on Tasks and Projects
Create a list of the most important things that need to get done first. Apply this to sales, marketing, product strategy, customer service, billing, and other business areas.
Ask yourself how you need to improve with delegation. Delegating tasks to others is a great way to ensure that the most critical tasks for your business get done. It will also bring more enjoyment to your daily work because you can allocate tasks that you don’t enjoy doing.
Set Up a System to Stay Organized and Focused
Take into consideration what tools you need for work, such as calendars, email programs, and scheduling software. Make sure that everyone knows how these systems can help them get more done in less time without distraction or interruptions from others.
Next, look at how you can best use your time to get the most done each day and week with a schedule that works for you and your employees. A proper plan will allow everyone in your company to focus on tasks without distractions from others or yourself.
Finally, avoid multitasking. Starting on one task or project and switching to another before the first task gets completed hurts focus. Help your employees see the value in finishing product strategy sessions, for example, before switching to checking email.
Find Ways to Eliminate Distractions
When it comes to increasing productivity, you need to do whatever is necessary to eliminate unnecessary distractions. You might need to install a door where none currently exists to remove distracting elements in the workplace. You may want to encourage employees to use earplugs if noise around them becomes distracting.
Use Tools to Help You Be More Productive
We briefly mentioned using productivity and systems software above. Below, you’ll find examples to get you started.
- Unroll.me: Unsubscribe from email lists you no longer need
- Google Drive: Access and share documents and photos across devices
- Toggl Track: Track the time spent on tasks so that everyone understands how much gets done within a day or week
- Dropbox: Centralize files across devices so they’re easily accessed whenever needed
- QuickBooks: Use its electronic invoicing features to make improvements to your invoices workflow
- Wunderlist: Create and share to-do lists within teams
- Asana: Manage tasks, projects, and goals in a single place
- SaneBox: Filter out unimportant emails to keep your inbox organized
Improve Productivity by Tracking Progress
The key is implementing continuous improvement plans to help you get closer to a productivity plan that increases profits. After you start a new time management plan, staying organized, and remaining focused, you’ll want to track the progress for yourself and your employees.
Get Feedback from Employees About Their Experience
Check-in with employees after you make changes to increase productivity. Ask them what worked well and what didn’t. Find out if they struggle with anything and consider implementing different ideas or systems to solve the problem.
Conclusion
Running a business is challenging enough without having concerns about how to improve productivity weighing on your mind. Implementing one or two of the above strategies into product strategy or with the sales department, for example, will help you stay organized and productive.
