Sponsored by Telco Depot:
Most business owners are like Santa Claus. When they are looking for a service provider, they make a list and check it twice. However, that’s not good enough anymore. For example, if someone needs new telecom equipment for an office, the whole process of researching options can be mind-numbing. People can look anywhere from a local provider that sells more traditional systems to award-winning cloud companies that operate nationwide. Eventually, it’s easy to end up overwhelmed.
The thing is that some business owners need to convince themselves to stop making every decision alone. They need experts to help them. Particularly when it involves new hardware. Otherwise it would be Groundhog Day forever. This is where effective time management is absolutely crucial. If someone is getting their own business up and running, they may feel as though there aren’t enough hours in the day to get the work done, and that’s because they might be having a hard time delegating.
Business owners need to delegate. They need to trust their staff. And to do that, they need to make sure their team is not only knowledgeable but productive as well.
According to Chron, “Increasing employee productivity is a key component in growing company revenue.” A recent survey revealed that employees use only 60% of their working hours doing actual work. This is nothing new. The fact is that time is easily wasted. It will go by really fast, unless there’s a plan in place.
Check out these clever tips that can be used in order to enhance small business productivity:
1. Set Goals
To make the most of out every hour, set goals with specific milestones. Break large goals into simpler steps so that they can be accomplished effectively. Once one step has been completed, that will be extremely gratifying and motivating. For example, when buying new telecom equipment, start by asking a staff member to make a list of 10 phone system providers in your area. That is a simple task, an achievable goal.
2. Ignore Emails
Don’t be a slave to email updates! Set aside time periods during the workday and reply to all messages only during that time. This takes serious discipline and motivation, but when done correctly it will allow everybody in the office to use their time more wisely on tasks that are constantly interrupted. Make sure to set up an autoresponder in order to make people aware that these emails will be answered as soon as possible.
3. Focus on One Task at a Time
Not many people can effectively multi-task. Time management specialists have explained that focusing on one task at a time doubles productivity, performance and work output. Small business owners must keep in mind that this is the difference between failure and success. Focus on one task at a time by setting a timer and working on it until it’s done.
4. Organize Your Space and Time
Organization specialists have explained that clearing and organizing your space is the first step to boosting productivity. Get rid of everything that is not needed and come up with a system for the things that are crucial. Use a file folder for urgent tasks and another one for those that can wait. To organize time, use a time-increment system, allocating a specific amount of time to complete tasks. And for the more competitive people, setting a timer and racing against the clock to meet a goal is also a great motivator!
5. Make a Plan
By making an action plan for the day (that includes minor goals), business owners can arm themselves with a written schedule that will carry them effectively throughout the day. There is something about a written plan that solidifies it in people’s minds. Even if people get distracted, they will still have an understanding of what needs to be accomplished for that day, getting them back on track in no time, instead of drifting from one task to another.
Last Thoughts
The easiest way to increase profit is to focus on spending time effectively and delegating the right tasks to the right people. If this is not happening, start making adjustments—remember that time is money!
If there are any other ideas that might have been overlooked here, please don’t forget to leave a comment below.
