14 Productivity Tips For Small Business Owners To Get More Work Done

A small business owner is on the constant run to better their business and secure a profitable run along that line. As a great man once said, “if you know to prioritize your needs, success is just a step away.”  A small business owner works with their team to reach their target. Reaching target needs full use of the owner’s and the team’s potential, so here are some productivity tips that would help in that regard:

1. Identify and delegate tasks:

Once you have identified and set the tasks for the day, make a list to whom that work can be delegated and how much time should be taken by the employee to complete the task. Once this is done, handover the job with the time constraint. Isolate the nonproductive or extra tasks and the employee connected to that task and try to invest their potential somewhere else.

2. Structure your to-do list:

While identifying the current and potential work log and make sure to structure them as per the deadline or the timeline of the task. Once your to-do list is set, classify them again based on the importance and the priority of the task. This differentiation helps to prioritize your work and in achieving maximum efficacy from you and your team.

3. Complete the tedious job first:

Finish your bitter food first and then enjoy the sweet that trails behind it. Complete any overbearing or dreary task first and then get to the simple work. You have to finish the dull task at a certain point, you cannot avoid it forever, so it is better to finish them entirely so that later you do not feel the stress of it.

4. It is better to be single than a multiple:

Sometimes focusing on a single job unreservedly can yield better results than doing various tasks at a time. Recent studies show that doing two or three jobs at a time can potentially slow you down, so try to focus on the thing in hand and fulfill it according to its requirements.

5. Set a deadline:

To increase productivity quotient of you or your team, set a deadline for lengthier tasks or try breaking them into components and time each of them so that you have the push of completing it in the said time. Set a time goal for yourself and use a stopwatch to achieve that goal.

6. Finish the small tasks:

Finish off small tasks like making phone calls or answering emails which are on your to-do list. Once these are out of the way, you can concentrate on the more important work at hand. This helps in saving your time and energy for the remaining work.

7. Automate your business:

There are automation tools available for different areas of business, and they help in securing your team’s attention to the required solutions. You can use them to focus on the tasks that do not need your attention like updating the expenses sheet or sending reminder emails to clients, scouring for new clients and so on.

8. Be sure of no communication gap:

The productivity of business largely depends upon the communication between you and your team. Make sure to bridge that gap. Ensure that even while conducting meetings, you do not miss out the crucial points that are to be discussed and give value to your team input on that front. If there are no miscommunication or lack of communication, the productivity of business will be on a meteoric rise.

9. Stretch your legs:

While working is essential for productivity, so are the time-outs. Take a time-out session at least twice or thrice a day, instead of working away like a machine. Stretch your legs, walk around the working space, have a jam with your team, boost their spirit in the process. Return to your cabin feeling refreshed and work to your potential.

10. Ban social media:

It is better to stay off your social media accounts during your office hours as tend to pull in a person for hours using engaging content or stories.  Seeing other persons pictures or status is not going to help your productivity, but it would instead make you waste it. It is human tendency to be fascinated with other’s lives rather than theirs, which affects the output. So, staying off social media during working hours is a good idea.

11. Stay healthy:

According to the English proverb “A healthy mind lives in a healthy body.”. Keep yourself fit and healthy to gain a productive output. Ensure that your team is also on the same page regarding health. Do not go for binge eating. Try to satisfy your cravings by keeping healthy food around the office.

12. Be in ground zero as and when needed:

If you have accepted an assignment whose deadline is fast approaching, it is time to switch off the world around you and plunge into your assignment head-on. Focus all your attention is finishing the work in its best terms and satisfy your client because a client’s patronage is vital for your business.

13. Keep your workstation neat:

While working to grow a business, it is normal for your workspace to be cluttered, but this is a huge minus for productivity as a cluttered desk will run you haggard of not knowing where you placed the files or the documents. De-clutter your workspace and make it neat so that you have accessibility to any information as and when you need it.

14. Do not panic at changes:

Change is the norm in business, and it should not affect your efficiency to complete a task. If the client wants a change in the work or wants to revamp your work, don’t panic. Try to make the client understand your hard work and ask them to point out the areas which they feel are inadequate. Work with the client to change or alter those points calmly and achieve your productivity.

These are some of the ways, where a business owner and its team can achieve maximum efficiency in their line of work. When these techniques are applied, the business owner would have gained a lot more than productivity, they would have earned an all-round development.