Top 5 Productivity Enhancing Ideas For Busy People

Due to my workload starting to reach a critical mass in the last few weeks, productivity and increasing my efficiency has been a hot topic for me recently. There are always different aspects in life, whether it be personal or business, that can be optimised to result in more free time if we only did things ‘the most efficient way’. Of course I’m not talking about those creative processes (such as web design) which shouldn’t necessarily be rushed - in many instances creativity will decrease if you worry about getting it done more quickly. The kind of productivity increases I’m talking about are for the day-to-day tasks which you’ve got to get done, such as answering email and ironically surfing the web. Find out 5 productivity enhancing ideas that won’t change the world, but will help you get things done more quickly…

• Idea 1 - Install the Google toolbar and make use of the bookmarking system it offers. I personally log onto about a dozen or so websites every day, from checking my bank account to logging into website control panels. Instead of typing in a web address every time, clicking “log in” and then entering your username and password, when you’re next on the ‘log in’ page, bookmark the page using the Google bookmarks (or any other web-based bookmark tool of course). Not only does this allow you to access your bookmarks from anywhere on the Internet, but with a click of a button you can be right at the log-in screen for each website you need to check.
• Idea 2 - Are you victim to inbox obsessive compulsive disorder? In other words, do you waste time checking your inbox too often? Unless you’re a support representative that would need to have a very quick email response time, try setting aside a certain portion of your day for answering emails. Don’t even look at your inbox until the time you chose in advance, and when you are answering emails make sure you’re not doing anything else. Basically work when your working and email when your emailing. Duh?!
• Idea 3 - If you regularly check news feeds and the like on the Internet then try using a feed-reader to bring all the news stories together in one place. Rather than having to surf between sites the feed-reader will present them in a single location for you to view whenever you like. Again, set aside a specific time to keep upto date. Google Reader is one such free feed reader where you can enter your favourite RSS feeds and it will bring them together in one place. This will also help you keep abreast with industry developments if you choose to subscribe to feeds related to your industry. Some of you will start thinking I’m paid by Google for all these recommendations I keep making, (I wish!) I’m just grateful for a useful free program when I see one!
• Idea 4 - When working offline, actually work offline and don’t be tempted to go surfing! From my experience if I’ve got to do some paperwork offline, especially when it’s quite menial (eg: tax returns, sorting bank statements etc!) I’m always thinking of new ideas to try with my business and I’m a victim of distracting myself by having a ‘quick’ look online to see if the idea’s viable. Frequently this quick look turns into a longer look! So if you need to work offline and to concentrate doing so, turn off your computer, Internet connection or Wi-Fi to give the task your full attention.
• Idea 5 - Get the systems in place early. With business ambitions, always ‘thing big’ - if you’re aiming for growth in your business (which most new small businesses are) you’ll need to set up systems to cope with this growth. Time invested in automation and setting up labour and time-saving systems is well invested. This allows your business to be more ’scalable’. As an example, rather than manually creating invoices, look for an automatic invoice creation and CRM system. Once you’ve found one, then integrate it into all your other business processes to avoid duplication, unnecessary typing and flicking back and forth. Lack of capacity and the resultant decline in business performance from stretched resources is a significant business killer that shouldn’t be overlooked. Aim high and get the systems in place.

Okay so there you have it, like I said the ideas above won’t exactly change the world, but they’re definitely a step in the right direction to helping you reclaim back some free time and/or work more effectively. You might also notice a common theme (no, not my affinity for Google applications!) but the theme of COMMITMENT and FULL INVOLVEMENT in a task. Only when a task has your full concentration will you perform your best and will you feel truly happy in your work.

I hope this article has provided some food for thought, feel free to send me a comment if you’ve found it useful or have a question.

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Tags: productivity enhancing, business efficiency, productivity, personal development, full commitment