Simple productivity hacks for small businesses
Peak trading season demands peak productivity. Yet this can be easier said than done since you face greater demands with much less time. Luckily, with some simple yet effective productivity hacks you can bound through the busy days of your peak trading season with ease and energy. We have put together four top tips for keeping productivity buoyant in busy days.
The grid rule
Have busy days ahead in your business? Get grinding. You do not need pricey or complicated planning tools. Just take two simple sheets of paper, a pen and a sharp mind. Now you are all set to take control of what needs doing and which tasks take priority. Sheet 1 is your raw to-do list. Scribble down everything you can think of that needs to be done. Sheet 2 is divided into a four-part grid used as follows:
Quarter 1: write down all profitable tasks from your to-do list
Quarter 2: list all those to-do list tasks that support you in making profit, like marketing
Quarter 3: enumerate all essential but non-profitable tasks on your to-do list
Quarter 4: itemise all tasks that could either be delegated or deleted from your to-do list
Standing meetings
We have all seen people switch off during a meeting. But when your business is about to embark on the busy days of peak trading, you cannot afford for your team to disengage during important meetings. Keep everyone engaged and working together energetically by holding standing meetings. You will be amazed at how a simple switch from sitting to standing during meetings will bump up your productivity.
Mute notifications
How often do you hear your own or a staff member’s mobile phone buzz, ring or beep? Most people fly on autopilot, simply jumping to respond whenever they receive a notification of any kind on their phone or gadget. Not only can this habit be extremely distracting but it can also take a big bite out of your productivity during busy days. Set up a schedule for checking phones, tablets and other devices throughout the day – perhaps on the hour. This can be communicated to staff, suppliers, stakeholders and anyone else likely to get in touch with you. Encourage your team to set similar parameters around muting notifications for set periods of time. This cuts you and your staff space to power productively through the busy days of peak trading season.
Realistic deadlines
In the crazy hazy busy days of peak trading season, it is important to know that all deadlines you are working to are real. Say a client puts a rush on their project, order or request. You could devote many valuable resources to delivering this – resources that could be productively invested elsewhere – only to find that the client had much more timing flexibility than they had let on. Naturally, all clients want to know that they will get their requirements met in a timely way. But for the sake of your business productivity, it is important to confidently ask clients to explain how they arrived at their required deadline so you know these are realistic. That way you can offset extra stress and delays to other projects caused by false deadlines.
Power up your productivity in the busy days of peak trading season. Don’t forget you can access fast, flexible and reputable funds when you need them to further enhance business productivity. Capify are the team to speak to in this regard. Why not get in touch today.
Or call 1300 760 930 to speak with one of our friendly Lending Consultants now.
