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Being productive gives a company an opportunity to increase and utilize the capacity of human resources. Although the main driving force of a successful company is people, it goes without saying that a productive team makes a company even more prosperous.
The big question is how to increase productivity in the workplace? With the rise of off-site work, many employees find it difficult to concentrate and minimize interruptions throughout a work day, but the truth is there are many ways to boost performance, even when you are working from home.
Let’s discover some practical ways of how you can improve business productivity and reach prominent results!
How Do You Improve Business Productivity? Apply These Easy Tips!
1. Track time spent on tasks
Employees may think they are pretty good at completing tasks on time and do not need to track time spent. However, according to studies, only around 17% of people are able to manage their time accurately.
One way to solve this issue is to introduce a task tracker into the workflow, which will let employees know exactly how much time they spend on each task, ultimately increasing their productivity at work. It will also help them to identify the bottlenecks in project progress and come up with solutions to eliminate them.
2. Organize an efficient project management approach
Another way to improve company productivity is to organize an efficient project management approach. Many of the top companies use the agile planning process to manage all of their business processes and daily projects effectively.
Agile is a planning approach that estimates work with independent work units, which are called sprints of iterations. In case of proper implementation, this proven technique will lead a company to greater achievements and open new doors in the business world.
3. Quality over quantity
Productivity is not about completing many tasks in a given timeframe. Instead, employees should focus on creating value for the end clients. Thus, the key to increase productivity at work is to accept that quality should never be compromised for quantity.
In fact, completing a single task that will meet clients’ needs is far more preferable than pushing out multiple tasks without meeting their demands. It will be costly in terms of resources and energy, and it will also lead to an unfavorable task of rework.
4. Take breaks
Some may think taking breaks is contrary to being productive, but the truth is it’s one of the most powerful ways to boost performance at work. Try working in 90-minutes intervals.
Take short breaks in between tasks and try to vary what you are doing during those breaks. This means after another 90 minutes, you don’t simply scroll on social media. Instead take a walk, listen to music, go outside and breathe fresh air, etc. With the right breaks you will see a huge improvement in your daily productivity.
5. Group similar tasks
Employees may have a variety of tasks to complete throughout the day, but if some of them are similar, working on those tasks first will lead to improved productivity. It’s not a big secret that if you have several tasks that are completely different from each other, switching from one to another requires time for the brain to adapt to the new tasks. So, giving employees an opportunity to group identical tasks will certainly help them achieve results faster.
6. Complete short tasks right away
Although some may think prioritizing tasks is the most important key to productive workflow, completing short tasks right away will influence productivity as well. Let’s firstly define “short tasks” to see if you can fit some activities into this category.
Entrepreneur Steve Olenski recommends the “two-minute rule” as one of the best ways to improve business productivity. The idea of this rule is if you see a task that can be done in less than two minutes, do it immediately. According to Mr. Olenski, completing these short tasks right away takes less time than getting back to them later.
7. Quit multitasking
Oftentimes, multitasking is considered a positive professional trait, but the opposite may in fact be true. According to psychologists, attempting to do several tasks at once can result in reduced efficiency and productivity. Especially when a person is not good at multitasking, forcing them to do so will result in poor outcomes.
It’s important for employers to understand that not everyone is good at this skill and expecting each employee to perform several tasks at once will later result in more time spent on revision and correction. Instead of thinking about how to increase productivity at the workplace, the HR department should motivate employees to commit their time and energy to a single task before moving to another.
8. Leave the idea of perfection behind
It’s common for entrepreneurs to aim for perfection, but sometimes it’s a serious obstacle to improving company productivity. Imagine a task completed with a minor error or flaw. Rather than wasting time re-doing the job and chasing after the illusion of perfection, the most preferable decision would be to move on to the next project.
In fact, it’s better to complete the task and move it off the plate if there are unimportant errors. In case of major mistakes, you can always come back and improve it later.
9. Set deadlines for yourself
The key benefit of a deadline is that it can prompt a person to take actions in a timely manner and reduce likelihood of poor workflow management. Although supervisors are the ones who usually set deadlines for their teams, employees can put deadlines for themselves as well. It will be a great way for them to manage their time properly and prioritize tasks more accurately.
For instance, knowing that the actual deadline is due Sunday, but convincing yourself it’s due Friday, will ensure you don’t spend more time on it than necessary.
On the other hand, “creating urgency” should not affect the quality of your work. When setting deadlines for yourself, you also need to keep in mind that at the end of the day, quality is what matters most.
10. Minimize interruptions
Spontaneous interruptions such as checking your email or scrolling on social media for a minute can seriously affect productivity and the overall quality of your work. As we have already discussed, switching from one task to another requires some time for your brain to adapt to changes.
One way to minimize interruptions is to turn off notifications for certain things such as emails. Unless you are waiting for an important email, you can set aside specific time throughout the day to perform this task.
Nowadays when the majority of employees work from home, distractions are a growing obstacle for a productive workday. So following some of the tips to create a quiet work atmosphere will positively affect your productivity.
11. Unlock full potential
Lack of motivation and energy can seriously affect productivity at work. When supervisors realize that the team does not invest maximum effort into the work, they should ask themselves, “What am I doing wrong?” Most managers from smaller to larger companies use different techniques to measure their employees’ engagement and dedication to the work.
There are many tips that team leaders can follow to boost employees’ motivation, some of which may include monetary praises or even just thank you letters. Although someone may think love and dedication towards work has nothing to do with the sense of responsibility, it actually plays a huge role not only for a company’s increased productivity, but a person’s career growth as well.
Summing Up
While there are a variety of ways to increase overall productivity at the workplace, it always requires both sides: both team leaders and employees should put their maximum effort into creating a successful company. Consistently assessing your team’s work, motivating them, and creating a flexible working atmosphere are among the most powerful techniques. Employees, in turn, can set deadlines for themselves, complete short tasks right away, or group similar ones to boost productivity and improve the quality of their work!
Author Bio
Lily Roberts is a senior digital marketing specialist with over 10 years of experience in corporate branding and product management. She’s a passionate tech enthusiast spending her spare time on sharing professional insights.
