10 Ideas for Increasing Productivity in a Tough Economy

Posted by Laddie Blaskowski on Nov 12, 2009

Many business owners and professionals today are finding themselves in a dilemma. On the one hand, they could get more accomplished, free up more of their own time and maybe even bring in additional customers if they had more staff. But in today’s economic environment, people are also reluctant to take risks on hiring new people. So what’s an entrepreneur to do?

Using the staff and resources that you already have more effectively can be the key to increasing your productivity. The following are ten key questions to consider:

1. Is it “Good Enough?” Some things don’t have to be absolutely perfect to be effective. Perfectionism can be detrimental if it detracts from your ultimate goal. Re-writing an email or letter ten times to make sure it’s it perfect is probably not the best use of your time. Re-recording a voice mail message to someone multiple times to capture every nuance is a time waster. At some point you need to decide it’s good enough and move on to more important things.

2. Am I doing things at my peak levels? As the business owner, you set the example for the company’s culture and your employees look to you for guidance. If you have a very casual business attitude, so will your employees. On the other hand, by having an attitude of “let’s get it done” and operating at peak levels, you will motivate the rest of your staff.

3. Am I clear and direct in making expectations known to my staff? The old saying, “You don’t know what you don’t know” is especially true for your staff. They aren’t mind readers and can’t be expected to operate more effectively if your expectations aren’t clearly communicated to them. Everyone needs to understand their jobs and success measurements.

4. How effective are our systems and controls? As the business owner, the buck ultimately stops with you. Do you have good systems and controls in place to ensure that things don’t fall through the cracks? Everyone in your company will operate more productively if they understand the policies, procedures and systems for their jobs, and if they know that someone is tracking their progress.

5. Am I too accessible? One of the biggest hindrances to productivity is wasted time. Interruptions are often the worst culprits—people stopping by for a chat, emails, phone calls, pages, etc. Every time you’re interrupted, it breaks your train of thought and wastes precious time. No one should have unlimited and unhindered access to you all of the time, and your staff needs to understand when it is and is not okay to interrupt you.

6. Am I blocking my time? Time blocking is an extremely effective tool for getting things accomplished. By this we mean blocking out time on your calendar to work on certain things, just as you do for appointments. You can also block time for the express purpose of reading and returning emails, and returning phone calls. For time blocking to work, you must train your staff to hold their non-emergency questions until you’re free, and discipline yourself to use that time for its intended purpose.

7. Should I track my time? Time tracking is another valuable tool for increasing productivity. It’s frequently used by companies that bill by the hour, but can also be extremely valuable for determining how time is used. You may find that some tasks should be eliminated, where other tasks could be streamlined for greater efficiency.

8. Do I say “No” often enough? While great volunteer and social opportunities abound, too much of a good thing can be a huge hindrance to productivity. You have a limited amount of time and much to accomplish so there are times when it’s truly best to just say “No, but thanks for asking!”

9. Am I focusing on my Natural Business Abilities™? Natural Business Abilities™ are things you’re gifted at doing, that come very easily to you, and contribute the most to your business. These are the things you should spend most of your time doing if you want to operate at peak productivity. For example, if you’re great at sales and terrible at technology, it’s not a good use of your time to try to fix computer glitches. Your company will benefit far more by bringing in an IT technician and freeing your time to go out and sell. The same is true of using your staff’s Natural Business Abilities™ to their best advantage.

10. Is my business organized? I recently met an organizational expert who shows before and after photos of offices she’s reorganized, and the differences were amazing. Looking for lost files or papers wastes valuable time and productivity. If your office or staff members’ offices are out of control, you are not operating at peak productivity. Bring in a consultant to help you if necessary, but take the time to get organized!

Productivity fuels your business. It provides the services and products you offer your customers, promotes your company in the community, and brings in new clientele. Increasing your company’s productivity will ultimately make it run more smoothly and profitably, which becomes even more important during a tough economy!