Productivity is a key issue for any business owner. As a small business, much of the survival of your enterprise comes down to you and possibly a handful of staff. A lack of productivity can end up having a disastrous effect on your business bottom line, and can even lead to its premature demise.
Many businesses are constantly striving to find measures to increase their productivity, and there are plenty of ways to do this – from hiring a business coach, to making use of various software packages and smartphone applications.
Sometimes all it takes is a bit of creative thinking, and an attitude shift, to get your business running more productively. Here are my favourite four ways to increase productivity and benefit your business:
1. Work smarter rather than harder. Being productive is not about doing more, it’s about getting more accomplished with less time and/or effort. Think about efficiency, and cutting out unnecessary tasks rather than putting in longer hours. Working more will just make you more tired and less motivated. Working more productively means that you can get more achieved for less effort, and feel like you’re actually getting somewhere. Don’t confuse the two!
2. Keep it simple. Simplifying your business processes and procedures can save a lot of time and energy, by making everything run more efficiently and making it easier and quicker for staff members to learn the ropes. Having simple rather than complicated systems also reduces the risk of something going wrong, and taking time and effort to fix. Less chance of errors means less chance of customer dissatisfaction, and an overall impression of efficiency and professionalism.
3. Wherever possible, delegate and outsource. Are you spending time on tasks which aren’t your forte? It may make better business sense for you to hire someone else to handle the aspects of your business which aren’t your speciality – yes you will have to pay them, but chances are they can get it done in a fraction of the time it will take you, leaving you with a few more hours a week to focus on bringing in more money doing whatever it is you do best.
4. Keep it specific. Targeting one particular sector of the market and catering exclusively to the needs of those people can be a good way to reduce wasted time and effort. If you can focus your attention on one specific niche and target your entire business towards this, you save on unnecessary expense and energy and cut right to the chase of why your business exists in the first place. Keeping the message consistent throughout your business systems and customer service is also a great way to reinforce brand identity.
By adopting a more productive mindset and constantly thinking about how you can make better use of your time, you can save energy and money and hopefully keep your business growing and thriving. Work less and earn more by increasing your productivity.
