10 Ways Growing Companies Can Be More Productive

However, staying productive is the key to success. If you’re never looking for ways to improve your processes, you’ll be stuck standing in the same position for years. In order to see real growth, your business is going to have to make some changes that boost productivity and improve overall business operations.

Here are 10 tips to help you increase workplace productivity so you can finally start to see growth where it matters.

1. Create a Weekly Strategy.

The 26-year-old owner of The Media Captain, Jason Parks, says he creates a strategy before each week begins. Sitting down to create a plan for the week can help productivity by keeping you focused and on track. The strategy should include everything you want to accomplish for the upcoming workweek. Parks says he comes up with proactive ideas for the company and that the key to success for this strategy is having a clear mind. Perhaps you can take a page out of his book and create your own weekly strategy to help you increase overall productivity. Write down exactly what you expect to accomplish in the coming week, including any tasks you may have left behind from the previous week that still need to be accomplished.

2. Create a Knowledge Base.

A knowledge base is a collection of information stored online (usually on a company’s website) that provides detailed information about the company’s product or service. It also includes other commonly asked questions, problems, and concerns. A knowledge base can give your employees and customers access to a wealth of information about your company and products so they don’t have to go searching the website (or any other company documents) to find the information. With a knowledge base, the information is completely searchable so people can find it with ease. A knowledge base helps improve customer service as well as the overall customer experience because employees and customers waste less time looking for important information and can spend more time engaging with customers and prospects.

3. Learn to Delegate.

If you’ve been in business for a while, you know that managing every aspect of the business yourself isn’t easy. You can spread yourself too thin quite easily and burn out much too quickly. That’s why it’s important that you learn to delegate some of the least important tasks to lower level staff that can handle it. If you know your strengths as an entrepreneur, you can easily determine which tasks to delegate and which to do yourself. Here’s a tip: Delegate menial tasks to a virtual assistant or freelancer. Find someone competent and reliable that you can count on to complete tasks properly and in a timely manner.

4. Find the Best Collaboration Tools.

Collaboration is key in any organization and without the proper resources to collaborate, your team won’t soar to its highest potential. A centralized, user-friendly conference calling platform is a must for maintaining productivity in collaborative projects because it allows you to conference call at any time and even screen share if you need to. Conference calling software can help you collaborate with people from all over the world and you can manage online meetings instantly or schedule them in advance. Many providers offer toll-free and international calls to make collaborating with your teams worldwide even easier.

5. Use Time Blocks.

If your problem is keeping your focus on time-consuming tasks, try to schedule time blocks for certain important activities. For example, you might schedule a time to answer emails between 8 and 8:20am. Scheduling time blocks for specific tasks that require focus can help you improve overall productivity because you’re not wasting time reading emails when you should be doing something more important. Many people are more productive in the morning so if you’re one of those people, you might consider scheduling the tasks that take the most brainpower in the morning, such as important meetings and conference calls. During each scheduled block of time, avoid doing anything other than the task you scheduled time for.

6. Use Technology to Your Advantage.

Technology has advanced far beyond what many have expected and entrepreneurs are using it to help them improve business operations and manage customer relationships. Using technology, you can manage your time better as well. Applications like Time Doctor can help you accomplish more in less time. You can also use apps to help you track your workouts, what you eat, and how much sleep you’re getting. These can all help with productivity because the more well rested and healthy you are, the better you can manage and run your company. So remember to take care of yourself.

You can also use technology to help you become more productive in the workplace as well as on-the-go. For example, Microsoft’s suite of programs (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, etc.) can now be accessed right from your smartphone. So if you need to make any last minute changes to a presentation or update anything before an important meeting, you can do so without the need for a computer. Other helpful productivity apps can keep important passwords for you, help you create and keep work schedules, and store your important documents in the cloud (Google Drive).

7. Avoid Multi-tasking.

Contrary to popular belief, multitasking isn’t as productive as we’d like to think. Yes, we’re doing two things at once and it seems like we’re getting a lot more accomplished, but in reality, the brain is working harder to split time between the two activities, and in actuality, it’s making you less productive. Steve Jobs made it a priority to eliminate multitasking for both himself and his employees and instead gave everyone just one task to focus on — the one task they were best at. So the next time you think you’re getting more done by multi-tasking, think again. And instead, focus on one task at a time, giving it all of your attention. Also, delegate tasks to employees based on their strengths and you’ll see amazing results.

8. Make To-Do Lists.

If you’re really having trouble keeping track of what tasks need to be completed, a to-do list can help you note what needs to be done. Having a new to-do list each day gives you a clean slate. You can always carry over what didn’t get done from yesterday to today’s list. You can opt to write a traditional to-do list using paper and a pen, or you can use a a note-taking application on your phone or computer. A to-do list can help you stay prioritized and on track throughout the work day because  tasks can easily be forgotten or overlooked if they’re not written down.

9. Limit or Eliminate Distractions.

While it may not be possible to completely eliminate distractions in the workplace, you can certainly limit them. Try to create policies that limit or eliminate distractions. For instance, you could implement a no-phone policy so that employees can remain focused on their job duties and won’t be distracted by their smartphones.

Try to eliminate any distractions on work computers by limiting access to certain sites. Block any external sites you think might cause productivity problems, such as Facebook, Buzzfeed, and similar sites. Make sure to inform your current employees about your policy and inform new hires of the policy during the interview so that they know what’s expected of them in the workplace. Also, make sure that your employees have a clean, quiet environment to work where they won’t be distracted by external influences.

10. Take Frequent Breaks.

You may think you need to power through your day like the workhorse you are, but even the fiercest workaholics need to take breaks to refuel and recharge. You need to replenish your energy. So make sure you’re taking frequent breaks throughout your workday, especially if you’re doing time and energy-consuming work. So stand up, stretch, take a walk around the block or around the office, and give your brain a breather. Some people take the liberty of scheduling their breaks, while others take a break whenever it feels natural. Do whatever feels right for you. Go grab a fresh cup of coffee or tea and take some time to recharge and think about something else other than the task at hand. You can be a lot more productive if you’re rested and alert.

Being more productive is essential to any company’s success because time is money and if you’re wasting time on outdated processes and technologies, you’re only stunting your company’s growth. Now that you know what it takes to be productive, you can think about what steps you need to take for your business to see real growth. You can put yourself in a prime position to succeed at every level because when you’re more productive, more is accomplished, which leads to an increase in revenue. With the right productivity tools in place, your company can truly thrive. So, if you’re looking for significant growth, think about which of the above productivity tips would help transform your business into a well-oiled machine that runs effectively and efficiently.