Almost every business owner vows to boost his/her productivity. But, since there are only 24 hours in a day, only so much can be done. Therefore, ensuring each hour and every minute of the day is spent doing something that matters – whether it be for business or for personal satisfaction – can help.
The ultimate goal is to be more productive during the waking hours and do more with less so time can be spent on the things that really matter.
So, if you are looking to be more productive in your business, consider these four ways to boost your productivity, which will help you spend your time wisely.
- Automate. Think about ways you can automate processes that may be simple, but tedious. For instance, have you set up direct debit or direct deposit options for your bank account? These automated processes are incredibly valuable when managing your cash flow, but they also eliminate the need to write paper checks, log online and pay bills, and/or actually go to the bank to deposit funds. And there are other functions that can be automated – expense reports, email campaigns, and other means of communication. Review your daily business responsibilities and determine if there are tasks that could use simple technology or software platforms to automate.
- Consolidate. Bring information or processes together so they are in one place. So, what are things you can consolidate? Consider your banking and your communication. Do you have multiple bank accounts – either at the same bank or through different banks? If so, are these accounts necessary? If not, maybe you can consolidate and bring your finances and banking into one platform. When it comes to communications, do you have multiple email accounts? If so, consider ways – such as Office365 or Gmail – to bring them into one space that allows you to quickly switch between accounts. This idea of consolidating is based on bringing everything into one space – onto one platform – and having access to whatever you need without clicking around. This increases productivity by freeing up the time it takes to consult various spaces.
- Streamline. One-click processes are incredibly valuable. If you can move data from one platform to another with a click, that is streamlining a process. For example, if you are looking to launch an email campaign and want to export addresses from your CRM platform, use two programs that “communicate” and through a one-click process, you could export and import your customer data and then create a campaign. There are other one-click options including exports for financial data and sending reports from your expense tracking or accounting systems.
- Declutter. Just do it. Look at your spaces and consider the amount of paper, useless items, and “clutter” taking up valuable physical space – and for that matter, psychological space. Clutter causes chaos and if you are working in a chaotic environment, you will waste time trying to find things and eventually get frustrated and distracted. Grab the paper clutter and digitize it. Remove useless items that do not serve a purpose. And get rid of or recycle items that are simply collecting dust. Once you declutter, you will have a clearer space and mind.
While there are plenty of other ways you can boost your productivity, start with implementing these four strategies. As you notice your productivity increasing, search for other ways to improve processes and functions. And then use the time you save to grow your business or yourself.
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