5 Simple Rules to Boost Your Productivity as a Business Owner

Productivity can be the downfall of a business. You may have the best business idea in the world, but lack the discipline and know-how to remain focused and work productively. This doesn’t come naturally to everyone but we have listed five simple tips below that will help boost your productivity!

 No social media or internet during work hours

Social media, the internet, and smartphones can be detrimental to productivity. How often do you check your phone as you work? How long do you spend scrolling through social media feeds, or looking at recommended YouTube videos? 

If you want to be productive, you must try to reduce distractions like these. A simple way to do this is to put your personal phone away during work hours, and only keep essential items/apps on your work phone. You could also request that your team members do this also. However, to keep a great level of morale, your team should be permitted to use their personal phones and the internet during breaks!

Stick to a consistent work schedule

Having a regular work schedule greatly helps boost productivity. If you know exactly when you need to work, you can plan what you can get done during those hours.

We recommend creating a work schedule including days and hours. For example, you may decide to work 08:30 am to 16:00 Monday to Thursday, and 08:30 am to 12:00 on Fridays. A work schedule plan gives consistency and helps productivity as a result.

Use workflow platforms to plan work effectively

There are many platforms you can use that help organize your work and tasks. Examples include Trello and Asana. Using one of these platforms you can create a work schedule for both you and your team. This can include individual tasks on a daily basis.

By doing this, everyone understands what they need to do, and you can manage your available time more effectively.

Use free tools as opposed to outsourcing

Oftentimes, business owners outsource a variety of tasks to third-party businesses. This is often costly and can reduce productivity because you are waiting on another business to complete the work. This is out of your control and there is no guarantee they will deliver on time.

Therefore, you can look at using various free tools yourself instead of outsourcing. For example, LogoCreator is a free platform anyone can use to create logos for branding. Also, Buffer is a social media management tool you can use to schedule social media posts and automate the process instead of hiring someone to do this for you!

Make sure your team understands their roles clearly

Lastly, to boost productivity, your entire team must think as you do. They must have a proactive attitude and have a clear understanding of their role within your business. You should communicate regularly with them, and make sure they are aware of their expected workload for each day.

As mentioned above, workflow platforms like Trello can help with this. Also, you may want to hold a weekly meeting each Monday to discuss the plan for the upcoming days. A simple meeting like this is also a great way to bond with your team members.

Productivity can be incredibly difficult for a business owner. It is easy to get distracted or to get bogged down with unessential tasks. However, as you can see from the above, it doesn’t have to be like this! You can easily boost your productivity using these five simple tips and take your new business to the next level.

Guest post by Theodore Burke