If you own a small business, you will know the importance of productivity. You simply don’t have time to sit with your feet on the desk all day. That’s why you need these small business productivity secrets.
Multitasking has been the go-to method for many of us when it comes to staying productive. However, research proves that multitasking actually decreases your productivity levels rather than increasing them. When you’re distracted by more than one task at a time, more often than not you end up forgetting to do something or getting something wrong. You can’t think properly when you are trying to juggle multiple tasks at once, so it’s best to work on one task until it is completed before moving on to the next.
Do you tend to think that all of your tasks are equally important? That’s not true. Some tasks are definitely more important than others, so make sure you assign them a higher priority. If there is some work due in three days’ time, but something else needs doing urgently today, get the most pressing task done first and then work on the one that has more time.
Making lists is vital to staying productive at work. Simply jotting tasks down can help you to prioritize them and plan your day accordingly, so think about making a list at the start of the day.
If you have an established routine, then you can be sure that certain tasks will get done at a certain time. This helps you stay productive by keeping your day on track. Try getting up early each morning so that you can use the first few hours of the day to work on important tasks before any distractions come along. Take a break in the afternoon and then return to work for a few hours in the late afternoon.
You can even improve your productivity in the morning. If you find that you have a lot of tasks to do in the morning, try getting them completed before 9am so you have time for other things throughout the day. Plus, if you’re super productive first thing, your colleagues will be inspired to match your effort.
Many people have days where we are simply overwhelmed by the number of tasks on their to-do list. In order to prevent this from happening, make a plan as soon as you come to work. Prioritize your tasks and then chunk them down into smaller bits of time so that you can deal with one thing at a time. This way, you won’t feel as overwhelmed as you can tick off each task as it gets done.
There are a number of apps and tools that can help you to be productive. For example, Monday.com is a document management tool that helps you access the documents you need much quicker. Another great productivity tool is Trello. Trello is a collaborative project management tool that allows you to keep track of all your projects in one place. So, download Monday.com, Trello, and some other tools before your next workday.
Do you sometimes feel like you are running around all day doing things for others and never getting anything done yourself? Sometimes, we just take on too much and this can be bad for productivity. It’s best to learn to delegate tasks that don’t need your input so you can focus on the most important ones. You could also ask your colleagues to help you with tasks that require too much attention.
We’ve all been there. We work for three hours without a break and then suddenly, we can’t concentrate anymore. In order to stay productive throughout the day, make sure you take regular breaks where you spend time outside doing something relaxing like exercising or spending time with family and friends. This way, when it is time to return to work, you can come back fully refreshed and ready to focus on the task at hand.
Take a few minutes at the end of every week to reflect on how you have been doing. Look through your tasks from the last week days and think about which ones you have completed, which ones have been delayed, and what needs to be done in order for you to complete them by next week. This way, if there are things that need to be done straight away, you can get on top of them and if there are things that still need to be started, then at least you know what they are and can plan for next week.
It can be very hard to stay productive if there are distractions everywhere. A great way of improving your focus is shutting out any distractions that may affect it.
This means turning off alerts on your phone, closing down all browsers and social media sites, and finding somewhere quiet where you can work uninterrupted. It also helps to go into a different room in your office to work so that you aren’t surrounded by distractions.