Using the adjective “small” to describe your business just doesn’t do it justice. There’s nothing small about it! Making sure that your small business productivity levels are as high as they can go at all hours of the day is beyond exhausting. When you combine social media demands, website upkeep, trying out new marketing techniques, and making sales, how can you keep up?
At Tradepay, we know how hectic the office can get. That’s why we’ve put together some of the top small business productivity tips (all which we’ve personally used) to ensure you’re making the most out of every minute and giving you back some time to relax. The next time you feel frazzled, implement at least one of the following productivity hacks at work.
Top Small Business Productivity Tips
Outsource
Everyone’s great at something. But no one’s great at everything. If you’re not amazing at something, that’s okay. But spending too much time trying to complete a task that you don’t have the skill set for can have you throwing small business productivity out the window.
Outsourcing tasks that are either too time consuming or simply not your cup of tea is a great way to boost productivity. Try Tradepay, where you can search for help (marketing, website design, accountants, and even office cleaning staff) on a safe B2B platform designed to connect businesses and help them grow.
The best part is that you’ll pay less than market value for these services. With a 60% cash and 40% virtual currency payment system, you’ll be saving time, frustration, and money!
Prioritize
Are you accomplishing your to-do list in the right order? Before you leave the office or wrap up work for the night, make a to-do list for the next day. Highlight or mark your top three tasks that can’t be put off.
When you sit down at your desk the next morning, you’ll know exactly what you need to focus on first. If you want to improve your day even more, tackle the most difficult or most dreaded task first. With it out of the way, you’ll be able to focus on getting ahead and working on tasks that are more personally enjoyable.
Try making priority lists for quarters and months as well. Nothing will ever slip through the cracks again.
Time Audit
Small business productivity is all about making the most of your time. If you don’t know where your time seems to go each day, it’s time to conduct a time audit. Here’s how. Grab a timer and set it for one hour. Start it, write down what you’re working on, and then go about your work. When the timer goes off, write down what you’re doing and restart the timer.
It helps to start at an odd time, like 9:17, instead of the top of an hour. Do this for the rest of the day. If you do your first time audit on a Monday, do another one the next Wednesday and another the following week on Friday.
Once you have your data, go through each task and mark it as either very important, somewhat important, or not important at all. As a general rule of thumb, working on very important tasks at least 75% of the time is great. But if you’re spending most of your time working on somewhat important or, even worse, not important at all tasks, it’s time to rearrange your schedule.
Wondering how to measure employee productivity? Have them all conduct a time audit to see how you can improve employee productivity along with your own.
Stay Focused
It sounds so easy, doesn’t it? Just stay focused on your work and everything will get done! But if you’ve spent more than five minutes in a business atmosphere, you know how difficult it can be to boost small business productivity.
With so many distractions, try these tips to keep distractions at bay. First, make sure that your immediate workspace provides you with some sort of privacy. Even if you have a very literal open-door policy, sometimes you need to shut the door for an hour to tackle whatever is on your plate.
If you can’t physically block out noises and distractions, try rocking a pair of ear buds for a bit. Turn on some soothing nature music or classical tunes as lyrics can make it difficult to concentrate.
Finally, make sure all your needs are met before you sit down. If you’re hungry or uncomfortable, you won’t be able to focus for very long.
Take a Break
Taking a break when you’re trying to be productive might sound counterintuitive, but a quick break can make a huge difference in your day. Schedule yourself a morning break, lunch break, and afternoon break (or as needed based on your schedule).
When you do take these breaks, remain present. Don’t sip on your coffee or eat your salad while thinking about that email you need to send or how busy your weekend is going to be. Take time to tune out everything, both work and personally related, and give your body and mind some time to decompress.
Clean Up
Your environment should inspire and calm you every day you come to work. If there’s clutter on your desk, take care of it. Keep a small plant on your desk for a bit of scenery. Put your favorite scented lotion nearby for a quick pick-me-up or display a picture of your family so that it’s always in sight.
One perk that comes with working in a small business environment is that you usually have a little more freedom to express yourself. As long as you keep your space professional, making it your own can have a positive effect on your productivity levels.
Small business productivity doesn’t equate to stress, headaches, and unhappiness. As the saying goes, be productive instead of busy. Once you learn the difference, you’ll see where you’ve been going wrong and can start improving productivity right away.
Don’t forget that Tradepay can help you with your business productivity solutions, all in a matter of minutes. If there’s too much on your plate, it’s time to learn more about Tradepay services!
