How to Increase Productivity – 10 Quick Tips to Explode Your Small Business
The Internet, along with technology as a whole, are some of our greatest assets for almost any company.
But, if used incorrectly and with little discipline it can leave you spinning your wheels, decreasing your productivity and profits for your small business.
Have you ever wondered what the successful network marketing pro does to increase his daily productivity?
Below you will find 10 hard-hitting strategies that will help increase your productivity leading to greater cash flow and creating the life you’ve always dreamed of.
10 Ways to Improve Productivity in the Workplace
Let’s Begin…
1. Time Management
Time management is one of the most crucial disciplines to increase productivity in the workplace.
To properly manage your time requires persistence, will power, diligence and goal setting along with consistency.
It’s not an easy task staying away from the onslaught of distractions lurking around every corner.
It’s simple… either you control the time you have or it will control you.
2. Avoiding Distractions
Removing all distractions from your daily activities is a powerful method for improving productivity.
The Internet has become one of the main distractions for people in small business. To increase your productivity, make an attempt to work offline as often as possible.
Write your articles offline using Word or another text format, then transfer it to your blog when complete.
Another leading distraction is your phone… turn it off or leave it in another room.
If you have the tendency to have multiple tabs open in your browser window, it is suggested to only have those open that are vital to your business.
Facebook and many email platforms have an active number count on the tab that can lead to the temptation to open them to check out what’s going on. This WILL cause disruption in your work flow.
If you have email notifications set to inform you when a new one arrives, turn it off.
These simple strategies can eliminate the likelihood of you dividing your attention among meaningless, non productive tasks.
3. Take a Break
If your mind is starting to wander or you are feeling tired, take a break. In order to remain at your optimum productivity, you must stay focused and alert. It doesn’t work too well if you are fighting fatigue.
If you had a lack of sleep the night before, take small breaks… work in short bursts.
Even if you’ve had plenty of sleep, or are at your optimum, you still need to take a break every once in a while.
4. Prepare the Night Before
Planning out your day the night before has its benefits. Create a To-Do list for the following day. Keep it short and simple with the daily tasks that you know you can complete.
When you make this To-Do list the night before, you will already have a plan in your mind for what needs to be accomplished the following day.
You will be starting your day with focus and purpose because it has already been laid out for you. This will help you ignore the onslaught of distractions that seem to arise each and every new morning.
Without your to-do list, you will get sidetracked with the everyday hustle and bustle… life happens!
Not taking your control back or the inability to remain focused will prevent you from accomplishing anything constructive.
Everyone has a certain time of the day in which they are most productive… optimize your work schedule accordingly.
5. Do Least Desired Task First
When you first get started in the morning, you will usually have the most energy. It is recommended to complete your most dreaded tasks first thing in the morning.
The activity that you are dreading to do will likely be the most important task for you to complete for the day… just get it out of the way.
6. Exercise Does a Body Good
It’s a fact that a healthy body usually means a healthy and clear mind.
To help with your focus and productivity, fit in some exercise before you go to work, or go for a walk at lunch time.
Research shows that exercise can boost productivity and morale in the workplace.
7. Ask Yourself a Question
As you go throughout our day, ask yourself this simple question, “Am I currently making the best use of my time?”
This may sound silly, but this one simple question can be an excellent boost to your productivity.
8. Don’t Open Your Email Until After Lunch
It sounds simple doesn’t it? There seems to be an overwhelming desire to open my email account, but I realized that there is nothing so important there that it cannot wait for a few hours.
Nobody is going to email you about an urgent matter, so use your morning time to do what is most important for your business.
9. The Power of Early AM
Are you aware that the most wealthy and successful people start their day in the early A.M.? There has to be some logic for it. Here are a few reasons why:
- There is Less Distraction in the AM
- It’s Quieter in the Morning
- You Have MORE Willpower in the AM
- Your Mornings Can Set the Tone for Your Entire Day
10. Make Positive Daily Choices
Making positive choices each and every day, no matter how small, can create healthy and good habits that will pay off in the long run.
“Simple disciplines repeated over time will create success, while simple mistakes created over time will create failure.” ~ Jeff Olson – The Slight Edge
Much of the dismal success that has plagued many business owners is the result of small decisions that have added up over time through the creation of poor habits.
Simply stated… your choices, negative or positive, will be reflected in your results.
Closing Comments for How to Have a Productive Day
If you have had less than productive days in your past, there is hope in your near future.
The good news is that this can be reversed through some simple disciplines. By consistently making positive daily choices, you will begin to receive exceptional results.
For your business, there is nothing more important than how you work your daily routine.
The way you start your day is often a reflection for the way you will finish your day, so create a To-Do list and make some positive choices and habits in your routine.
It is the daily choices that we make that will determine the life we live and the future we create.
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Hi John,
I gotta admit, opening e-mail after lunch takes a lot of discipline. Lol. I know that checking e-mail’s can be a big distraction, just like checking your Facebook news feed.
There are some coaches out there that preach about checking email, first thing in the morning, handle anything outstanding that you’ve been working on, and don’t check it again until the next day.
With that being said, some have even preached to hand your email to someone you trust, and have them give you the password of the day when you’re ready to check your e-mail. Once you’re done, they will change your password so that you don’t check your e-mail again for the rest of the day! Pretty extreme if you ask me!
Thanks for the great post!
Hey Nate,
I have to admit that checking emails after lunch is a bit extreme, but there must be something to it. The research that I did for this article stated many times over about doing it this way for those that get distracted easily.
My opinion is that a home-based, network marketing type of business might be able to get away with this, but other businesses like brick and mortar or an attorney would need to check their emails when they first walk through the door, and most likely throughout the day. I’m sure that these businesses will have someone, other than the owner of the company, checking their emails.
I am one who checks emails first thing in the morning, and then doesn’t check again until late afternoon, so I only access my email account 2 times a day… this is what works for me.
Thank you for your comment…
John Engle
Nice Information.Thank you.
your website is good
Very useful information, thank you John!
You are welcome Petar!
I’m glad you found some value from the article.
John Engle
“Eat that frog” aka do least desired task first is my favourite. Once you are done, it boost your energy for the whole day. John thanks for the all the tips! I
With business software, the decisions made by company leaders are as educated as possible.
Good read. I have my own (offline business as a tattoo artist and tattoo shop), so I know all about the struggle! But after 4 years I know employ 5 people and the business is going from strength to strength! Marketing at every chance you get is great advice
Hi John,
I also believe in these tips and some others too. Setting up the night before, I feel, allows one to check their emails after lunch. The “take a break” point is also vital and can severely increase productivity and even if you’re not allowed leaving your desk for that ten-minute break, simple breathing exercises work just fine.
Great post.
Business is really risky. A lot of things to be considered and sometimes you get confused. A good way to avoid this is hiring a good business adviser.
Business advisers help you know and be more intellectually inclined on the business you wish. This will help you to be more independent.
These are all great tips to increase productivity for small businesses. Taking multiple small breaks and exercising can really help! Having a clear mind is so important.
Hi Kaitlyn,
So very true… taking small breaks and exercising is something that I need to remind myself often to do.
Thank You for stopping by and taking the time to comment… I welcome your comments anytime.
John Engle
More tips can be learned form business advisers too. They are knowledgeable and able to write plans for a business you want that is specific.
A small business growth depends on it’s productivity. The more you produce, the more you earn. So, you must be aware of things that will improve your business productivity.
Haha, “avoid distractions”, it’s so easy to say! I wish it was so easy to do. However, I agree that time management and to-do lists are important. My little secret to make it work is using a tool. Fortunately, I found a tool that can serve both purposes. It’s called kanbantool.com and I think it’s fantastic. It helps me to stay more productive, saves my time and makes me better at managing my time and tasks. Definitely worth a try, in my opinion.
With all the temptation of social media out there today, it is very difficult to “Avoid Distractions”… totally agree.
Kanbantool… it’s worth a look.
Thank You for letting us know…
Some factors can rapidly increase your productivity. Just think about what is mostly important for yourself! You will find the right way of solving the issue!
i am a ugandan aged nineteen. Thank you for the information.
most importantly, you talked about asking myself a question and to also spend less time on social media.
iam looking forward to put them into action so that i can see myself succeed in life.
keep it up JOHN !