If a small business is going to succeed, it needs to be move quickly and be productive all year round. So, if your business isn’t doing this, it could find itself in trouble pretty quickly. Don’t worry though, here are some ways to ramp up the speed and productivity of your small business.
Have common goals
Making sure that everyone is pulling in the same direction in the office is vital. If people are too busy doing their own thing and not thinking about the common goals of the business, increasing productivity will be impossible. Setting common goals has all kinds of benefits, so give it a try.
The goals you set for yourself should, of course, be realistic ones. But that doesn’t mean you can’t be ambitious too. These goals should be discussed by the whole workforce. Everyone should be aware of what they are, then everyone will be aiming for the same thing and pulling in the same direction. That can only be a good thing for the long-term future of your business.
Try to minimise interruptions
It might seem like people coming into your office and talking to you isn’t a huge problem. But every time you get interrupted when doing work, you’re missing the chance to get your work done quicker. Those small interruptions will break your flow, and you will take a lot longer to get your task done.
So, how can you go about minimising the interruptions you experience throughout the day? Well, it might be easier than you think. You could simply set particular hours for when you can talk to people. Outside of those hours, you could ask to be left alone. This is something you could try throughout the office.
Set deadlines
When you have a deadline to work to, you tend to feel the urgency of the situation. It forces you to speed up and get the job done. This work brilliantly for some people. Simply by seeing that the clock is ticking down, and they’re running out of time to finish before the deadline makes them work faster. It’s a natural thing that happens; it’s not about trying to force people to work harder.
So, next time you have a project that needs to be completed, don’t just let people get on with it in a slow manner. Tell them when the deadline is, and make it clear that the deadline isn’t flexible. This should lead to the project being undertaken at a much faster speed, so give it a try soon!
Improve connectivity
It’s impossible for your office to run quickly and smoothly if you don’t have a good connection to the internet. Pretty much everything we do in the office nowadays is mediated by the internet. We’re completely reliant on it. So, if your internet connection is slower or weaker than you’d like it to be, it might be time to do something about it.
You should visit www.ai.co.uk to find out more about office connectivity solutions. It’s something you can’t afford to ignore. Think about all the time that could be wasted by having an inadequate internet connection. It’ll cost you a lot of money in the long-term, so get the issue fixed as soon as possible.
Eliminate procrastination
There are so many ways in which we can waste time in the office these days. Of course, there are the classic ways in which you can waste time, such as talking to people and staring out the window. But that’s just the start of it. Nowadays, there’s also technology to contend with. And, as we all know, technology is great at aiding procrastination.
If you’re one of those people who check your emails every five minutes in a covert attempt to get away with doing no work, half your office probably does the same thing. Most of us do it without thinking about it. It’s these small attempts at procrastination that you have to be aware of, and then cut them out.
Take breaks
Telling you to take breaks might sound strange when we’re talking about how to move faster and boost productivity. But there are lots of positive things about taking breaks in the office. Don’t think of it as a way for people to waste time and stop doing work. Instead, you should see the good things.
The first thing that’s good about taking breaks is that it helps to boost concentration. It gives the mind a chance to rejuvenate, and this should make it easier to maintain a consistent level of performance throughout the day. Whereas if people take no breaks, their performance will decline through the day.
Focus on one task at a time
A lot of people think that the best way to save time in the office is to multitask. Surely, doing lots of things at once is a great way of saving time and getting things done quickly, right? Well, not exactly. Some studies show that multitasking actually leads to a drop in productivity rather than an increase.
So, don’t fall into the trap of thinking that just because you’re doing multiple things at the same time you’re saving time. In reality, you’re probably not. Instead, you should focus on doing the key jobs properly and not worrying about doing them at the same time. This will lead to a faster completion and a higher level of quality.
Improve the office
Making the office a more inviting place to spend time and work is one simple way of improving the productivity of your employees. When people feel like the workplace is dull and boring, they’ll be spending the time watching the clock, waiting for the time when they can finally leave the office and go home.
So, how can you make the office a more pleasant place to work? Start by making sure there’s plenty of natural light entering the room. This will make the place lighter and brighter. You can then think about redecorating the office and rethinking the layout. Make it as open and flowing as possible.