Would you like to increase your business productivity? If you're self employed, every wasted minute is lost income for your business. Can you really afford that not to be as productive as possible? It's easy to get distracted if you don't have a structured environment to conduct your business activities. Here are some ideas for improving your business productivity and your profits:
- During hours you've dedicated to working, don't answer the phone. Let your trusty voice mail do the job for you. You can choose a designated time at the end of the day to return any necessary phone calls. A constantly ringing phone is a major distraction and a big productivity waster.
- Set your morning alarm earlier. If you can add an extra hour to your day, your productivity will increase significantly. Chances are, you sleep more than is really required. Try setting your alarm 15 minutes earlier the first week and incrementally set it back until you've shaved off an hour of sleep. This will give you body time to adjust to a new sleep pattern so you don't experience unnecessary fatigue from the change.
- Remove distractions from your work environment. Your designated workspace should be off limits to children and pets during your established work hours. Make it clear that you're working during this time and will spend quality time with them once your work is complete.
- Resist the temptation to check your email repeatedly during your designated work time. This is a very common time waster for the home worker. Set some time aside at the end of the day to answer your emails.
- Use a timer to designate a set period of time to complete a particular task. This will prevent unnecessary dawdling and procrastination. Once the timer goes off, move onto another project with another established time limit. You'll soon learn to stay focused enough to complete the task within the established time frame..
- Set an arbitrary time for meals and stick to it. Frequent trips to the refrigerator to get a snack or prepare a meal will zap your productivity quickly. Once you're in the kitchen, you're sure to be distracted by any number of other time wasters that can be put off until the end of the day.
- Establish your goals on a weekly and daily basis. Have an established list of tasks that you update ever 24 hours. When you complete your tasks within your established time frame, give yourself a small reward for a job well done. A "to do" list will help to keep you focused and eliminate confusion regarding what to do next.
- Take the time to organize your workspace at the end of the day. You don't need to waste excess time looking for a paper or a phone number. Make sure everything you need to complete the next day's tasks is easily accessible.
Put these ideas into practice and watch your business productivity improve. It will also build your personal self esteem knowing you completed the tasks you set out to do. It's a great way to help your business grow.
