In a business climate where everything is about saving costs, improving your productivity has never been more important. Whether it’s you or your team that needs a boost, here are 7 tips for improving your productivity.
 
1) Identify Your Peak Time
There are times in our day when we are much more productive than others. If it’s the morning, plan in difficult tasks then so you can approach them with the most energy, including tasks you’ve been putting off for a while. Work with your team to understand their most productive times too, make the most of them and delegate where possible!

2) Review Your Processes
Review processes within your business to see whether there are improvements that can be made. For example, you could be spending too long on chasing customers for payments, when you could be out there chasing business! There are many different tools online and job management software such as Okappy that can lift the burden of a heavy admin workload.

3) Get Some Rest
Taking a break is essential for improving productivity. Simply getting away from the task at hand refreshes the mind and ensures you have more energy to tackle it. Getting enough sleep is important too, as you know yourself, there’s no time you’re less productive than when you’re worn out!

4) Ask Yourself a Question
Try to get in to the habit each day of asking yourself “is what I’m doing productive?”, as it will really help you identify your vices! It could be a little Facebook scrolling that turns in to 30 minutes of wasted time or perhaps reviewing paper job sheets that could be done electronically. Asking yourself this question really helps you to understand where time is being wasted.

5) Prepare for the Next Day
At the end of each day it’s well worth taking the time to prepare for the next one. Take a few moments to consider what is happening the following day and what you need to prepare for. This will help you switch off for an evening, enjoy some rest and also ensure that you face the next day with renewed productivity and a clear idea of what tasks you need to complete first.

6) Don’t Overload Yourself
One of the biggest barriers to improving productivity is a workload that is simply unachievable! Take a look at your workload to spot what could be delegated or saved for another day and encourage your team to do the same. Letting a client down is obviously not an option in the trade, so realising what’s actually achievable and finding a solution is really important.

7) Incentivise!
Often there’s nothing that makes you more productive than knowing there’s a great reward waiting for you! You know that it’s important that you deliver an excellent level of customer service, so you don’t want your team rushing through their jobs. However, offering an incentive, such as an extra holiday day or a small bonus, can really motivate people to achieve more. Don’t forget yourself too!
 
Improving productivity isn’t easy, but if you can understand the barriers and put incentives and technologies in place to help things run smoother then you’re right on track to a more productive and happier workforce!
 
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