In this dynamic business climate, productivity is paramount if you want your company to grow. Productivity is all about how efficiently your inputs can produce a desired output. Ideally, your output should be much greater than your input for you to be making progress. Luckily, there are a lot of things you can do to increase the productivity of your business, no matter the size. But specifically for small businesses, the following tips will be useful if you’re looking to get more from what you put in.

1. Strive for efficiency

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Efficiency has got to do with the highest level of performance that uses very little input to achieve maximum results. For a business, this will mean reducing the number of resources wasted, which include time and energy. So, instead, your business can look into investing in activities that limit the number of resources that would be wasted. One thing to do is to consider all the factors that come into play when it comes to getting work done and find out ways to maximize them. For example, if you have a team, you must know work schedule types so that you can manage your team better to get them working more efficiently.

2. Invest in the right tools

You cannot be efficient without having the right tools to get things done. You will be wasting a lot of effort if the tools you use are not the right fit for your business. Fortunately, there are a lot of tools and resources that can make any process easier and faster for you. For example, the various hiring platforms such as LinkedIn reduce the time and money that you would have used hiring the conventional way. Also, if you’re into health, it will help to have the latest equipment to make your work easier. If you need to hold meetings, you can use virtual video conferencing platforms if the topic of discussion doesn’t require face to face interaction.

3. Embrace change

It can be challenging for a business to be productive if there is little room for innovation. New ideas are an opportunity to see things in a different light and solve issues in a different way. Also, without change, a business will be stagnant, which is a recipe for possible disaster. So while change may be intimidating, it is not a bad idea. So once in a while, be willing to tweak processes, products, and services a bit to accommodate productivity. You can include team members and staff by engaging them in conversations about how to improve the way of doing things. Another way to also embrace change is by listening to your customers’ feedback.

4. Create an enabling work environment

Another threat to productivity is an uncomfortable work environment. This has got to do with a lot of factors such as temperature, design of the space, safety conditions, and working hours. When employees are put in an uncomfortable situation, the chances of lowered productivity are high. That’s because they spend resources trying to deal with everything else going on in their environment in an attempt to make it better for themselves. To avoid that, you should invest in creating a safe space where everybody, including you, can work without worrying. Improving workplace conditions will also save you from legal consequences, which might even cost you more.

5. Set realistic goals

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Every business comes with its goals for certain durations, and that is a good thing for tracking progress. But the problem arises when the goals and objectives are unrealistic and too difficult to achieve. These types of goals do not offer a clear picture of whether you are meeting your targets or not. To be an effective boss, you need to evaluate your staff based on a fair assessment scale, and you can start by setting realistic goals. Once they are achieved, you can then increase the stakes and move on from there. Choosing to go above and beyond at the start will only be discouraging, and there will be little to no enthusiasm about reaching them. In addition to setting realistic goals, you should also have a system for rewarding those who meet their targets to serve as motivation for them and others as well.

Running a business is not easy and you must put in the work required. To maximize your efforts, you should look into being more productive about your work processes. The tips discussed here are just a few to consider to make sure your small business does not fall off even before it takes off.

About the Author: Garlak Theodorakis

My name is Garlak Theodorakis, I am graphic designer with almost 10 year experience in the field. Founded Tooft.com in january 2010 with idea to share my knowledge with the world.