There are many ways to improve the bottom line of your business but none more satisfying (IMO) than making yourself and your business more efficient. Becoming more efficient will also improve other areas of your business without you even realising. Here are a few ideas to help you get more out of your employees and stop wasting precious time throughout the day.
Open communication
Having an open communication policy within your business will save you and your employees hours of wasted time every week and makes everyone feel like they are part of the overall success of the business. This could be as simple as making sure you copy the relevant people into emails or having one big meeting instead of lots of little ones. Having an open floorplan in your office and encouraging staff to take lunch together (where possible) will also promote this culture. WhatsApp groups are also another great way to keep everyone up to date and feeling included.
Processes
All processes take time to develop for each individual business and there is no one fits all solution. It’s important to develop a framework of processes for each department in your business and let your staff develop their own processes around this framework. This will encourage openness in your business and show your staff that you trust them. Once you have established the processes, write them down in bullet point form, so you can always reference them whenever you need to.
Automate
As businesses become more and more automated it’s crucial to spend the time figuring out which software will improve the efficiency of your business. Software can be painfully slow to implement into your business, can slow you down in the short term, but the long-term benefits should be enormous. There is generally no one solution that will fit all your needs, so make a list of your 5 most important requirements and start doing your research. If you can fill at least 4 out of 5 requirements the solution should be a good fit.
Focus
This is easier said than done as I see the effects of loss of focus regularly, mostly due to stress. If you can keep a clear head and focus on fewer tasks at a time, you make better decisions, and better decision making will lead to completing tasks quicker and more efficiently. Having a hobby outside of work can help greatly with your focus. Personally, I’ll always go for a 20-minute walk at lunchtime and try to go swimming at least twice a week. Not having the time is not an excuse, you must make the time.
Say no
It’s not a bad thing to say no! If it’s because your too busy it’s usually a good thing. So long as you do it in the right way the vast majority will understand. If they don’t understand the relationship probably won’t last long anyway. Learning to say no more often will also improve your focus, as you will have fewer menial tasks to interrupt your day.
Whenever I write something like this, I’m always thinking about how possible it is to implement these suggestions. I’m aware that it’s not possible to implement everything. I’m just writing from my personal experiences. Even if you get a handful of ideas that will get you started in the right direction it’s worth it.
