Any successful business owner knows the essence of productivity. Yet, due to a long task list small business owners have, handling it all is incredibly difficult to achieve. However, there is a number of ways in which small business owners can make their days as efficient as possible. That is why we give you these productivity enhancement tips coming from experts themselves to help small business owners make the most of their valuable time.
Delegate non-core tasks
One productivity enhancement that I can share is that I assign scheduling meetings and events to my assistant so that I have one less thing to worry about. You’d be shocked at how much time I have saved by getting that one task off my plate. It’s not common for small-business owners to hire an assistant, but it can help boost productivity.
Sep Niakan, Managing Broker at Condoblackbook
Work-life balance
As an expert, I would say that if you want to be productive every day, you must recognize that you are a person and not a robot. Extremely successful business owners prioritize their mental and physical health by obtaining sufficient rest, eating nutritious meals throughout the day, exercising, controlling their stress, and enjoying their time with loved ones. Many individuals strive to be more productive so that they may accomplish more in the same period of time. But if you do not give yourself time to relax and recover, you will experience burnout, constant tension, and strained relationships with your loved ones.
Josh Pelletier, Chief Marketing Officer of BarBend
Leverage productivity technology
Small business owners’ life is tough since they have numerous responsibilities to fulfill, and productivity is what matters to them every day. Today’s most powerful productivity enhancement advice, in my opinion, is to use productivity tools. These technologies are extremely useful since they allow everyone’s tasks to be coordinated. It is simple to visualize and achieve if the activities are organized.
Dan Belcher, CEO at Mortgage Relief
Prioritize your most critical tasks
One productivity enhancement tip is to make sure that each team member is concentrating on the assignment that will have the most impact on your company. Each workday, that task should be the first item accomplished. Continue to work on the most vital things. Small businesses don’t have the resources to become bogged down in non-essential chores.
Edward Mellett, Founder/Co-Founder of WikiJob.com
Work in batches
Working in batches means I will carry out a full task instead of jumping from job to job. For example, I will answer any emails I have all in one go in the morning and have an empty inbox, any messages received after that batch of emails have been answered will be actioned when I access my email account in the afternoon. This prevents me from constantly checking messages or being interrupted when a new email has arrived.
Leona McGillivray-Jones, Owner of Nostalgic Drift
Set realistic goals and deadlines
By knowing what they need to achieve and by when business owners can focus their efforts on specific tasks and avoid becoming overwhelmed. This can also help them better plan and organize their time. Setting realistic goals is one productivity enhancement tip that can help boost morale by providing a sense of accomplishment as business owners check items off their to-do lists.
Nathan Richardson, Founder of Bariatric Journal
Be mindful of your mornings
Mornings have been proven to be the optimal time for people to be most active and energized. Scheduling your mornings accordingly and putting your energy to use during this period can help you become focused and get tasks completed faster. Try to tackle your thought-intensive work in the morning and then move on to the mundane tasks for the rest of the day.
Isla Sibanda, Cybersecurity Specialist at Privacy Australia
Plan your day
As a small business owner, planning out my day the night before helps with my productivity. Before closing down for the day, I make a list of things I need to do and update my calendar. Then when I arrive in the morning, I know instantly what I need to do for the day. I have also discovered this tip increases my productivity and saves me time leaving me with more time to write.
Christina Queen, Writer/Owner at Quills & Typewriters Writing Services
Don’t think about it, do it
A Pink Fairies lyric inspired my golden rule for business, but it works, and if something works, there’s no need to fix it. One of the everyday problems that we’re all beset by is procrastination. We talk about what we’re going to do tomorrow instead of just doing it today, so stop talking and start doing it. The idea might work, or it might not, but you’ll never know if it will or not until you actually try to do it. So don’t think about it, just do it.
Michael Rose, Founding Partner at Hach & Rose
Organizing your office space
I can’t stress enough that clutter is not conducive to a productive office space. Clean up your desk, trash, and extraneous clutter daily before sitting down for work. It simplifies the work you have to do, makes your office feel more breathable, and benefits your mental state and focus. Clear space, clear mind.
Kevin Miller, Entrepreneur and SEO Expert at Angel Investor
Taking breaks
Taking scheduled breaks as well as taking time off is really beneficial to becoming more productive when at work. When we do not take breaks, we become tired easily which slows down the amount of work we could get done. It can also lead to things like burnout which will hinder your productivity for weeks or months.
Jake Rheude, Vice President of Marketing for Red Stag Fulfillment
Turning off notifications
Create packets of uninterrupted work time for yourself. During these periods, turn off your phone, close your email, and log out of social media. Work on a task for a set amount of time, then take a five-minute break before starting another packet. You can use certain apps to block certain websites and apps for a set period of time, so you’re not tempted to check them during your work packets.
Harriet Chan, Co-founder and Marketing Director at CocoFinder
Work on time blocks
One productivity enhancement tip is to organize their tasks by Time Blocking. Time Blocking is the strategy of time management where you organize your tasks by blocks of time. In my case, I usually do my meetings all in the morning, the time of the day when my mind is fresh and alert. Then, in the afternoon, I allot at most two hours for email correspondence. Then I leave an open hour for any unplanned things that need my attention.
Luke Lee, CEO of Palaleather
Takeaways
As a small business owner, maintaining your productivity is crucial to your overall success. Whether you delegate your tasks to others, remove distractions, organize your office space, or take any other steps for productivity enhancement that can reap benefits, the key is to consistently look for new ways to make the most of your valuable time.
Read more from Stealth Agents:
- 6 ways on how to develop a good work ethic
- 17 common traits of successful entrepreneurs possess
- Understanding the top virtual meetings’ pros and cons
- The best places to sell products online to make money
- 6 keys to creating happy customer service agents
