5 Ways to Stop Procrastination at Work and Start Productivity

Many business owners and team leaders often try to hire more employees when they feel like there isn’t enough work being completed. However, what most leaders don’t know is they can increase their productivity significantly without hiring more help. They simply have to adjust their process and create a system in which their employees are as efficient as possible while at their workplace.

Here are 5 amazing methods any business owner can follow to get their team producing as much work as possible.

1. Stay organized

The first factor to try and implement when looking to improve one’s business productivity is to stay as organized as possible. When files, supplies, and records are not labelled and organized properly, the most trivial tasks can end up taking hours.

Online data should be dated and organized in relevant folders, as well as all paperwork should be labelled clearly and located in a convenient location. Employees should be encouraged to keep their desks as neat as possible, so they don’t end up wasting time sifting through paperwork every time they are assigned a new task. Clutter can build up in the office, and the administration should make sure they go around and declutter at regular intervals, instead of letting it all build up over time.

Tasks should also be delegated to the correct employees according to their skill and current workload. Putting all the work on one person and failing to give the others an appropriate workload can also create a lot of confusion and lead to work not being completed in time.

2. Complete each task before moving on

After organizing all the online and offline data, refraining from multitasking is also integral to improving productivity. It can be tempting to jump from one project to the next without completing them due to the large workload a person has. However, multitasking may seem like a good idea now, but in the long run, it only causes more confusion and creates higher chances of missing deadlines.

Each task should be completed fully before moving on to the next one. If a person has a large workload, they should create a schedule of daily tasks and organize them according to what is most important and urgent first.

It may seem hard to spend hours on one task, but the best way to stay focused is to allow oneself to take small five-minute breaks after completing a long stretch of work. Keeping aware of breaks will help a person continue working on a single task without getting bored or distracted, which brings us to our next point.

3. Remove distractions

Another vital component to keep in mind when trying to increase business productivity is to remove unnecessary distractions from the workplace. This includes keeping employees further apart, so they are not tempted to keep socializing.

Another important way to keep distractions at a minimum is to have a clear, no social media policy during work. Employees should be discouraged from keeping their phones on while working.

To encourage employees to stay off their devices, a simple points system can be put in place where the admin keeps track of those employees who go the entire day without their devices. The employees who do the best can be given additional benefits at the end of the month for their ability to follow the rules.

4. Automate

There are many tasks that a person can switch to computer software to ensure they are done faster and more efficiently. Bookkeeping and marketing are good examples of tasks that take much less time when the proper software is used to carry them out.

Most business owners do not even realize how much time they are wasting on calculating and posting when these tasks can easily be automated with the right software. It may take some time to set everything up the first time, but this one-time cost will eventually result in many saved hours in the future.

Some software can also be used to organize and keep track of the tasks that are assigned to employees. Instead of manually checking up on each employee and asking about previous tasks, the right software can be used to keep track of everyone’s progress.

5. Fix your process

Lastly, individuals should try to get a professional to fix their overall business process. There are many business improvement programs out there — such as Lean Six Sigma — that use a very practical and measurable approach to maximize the efficiency of one’s business procedure, and in turn, increase profits as much as possible. Getting a trained professional to come in once and get the wheels turning on a new work structure can help immensely in the long run.

It may feel like organizing one’s business is simple and something a person can do without professional help, but it is always best to get in touch with the experts. A business owner will most likely not be able to catch all the excess baggage their business process contains. A trained individual who has experience and knowledge in helping create an efficient business process can easily point out the flaws in the working system and help put a better system in place.

To improve productivity in the workplace, it’s in every business owners’ best interest to change their workplace to encourage employees to work faster and more efficiently. Staying organized, avoiding multitasking (no matter how tempting it is), getting rid of all distractions, and fixing the process using an already-created system are the best ways to make it happen.

Instead of spending more time and effort hiring employees who are not necessarily required, a person should try to implement the above 5 methods into their workplace. Doing so will lead them to see an improvement in the profit they make and the amount of work that is turned in at the end of the day.

For more information on ways to stop procrastination at work, call Amsaxum at 905-315-6847 or contact us here.