How to Be a Successful Businessman: 5 Tips for Increasing Business Productivity

Business productivity refers to a business's ability to maximize output while minimizing input. Many external factors-such as political landscape, competition, and economic conditions-can affect business performance. However, a motivated and well-organized team is what makes a business truly effective.

For this reason, you have to take great care of your team. If you make your employees look like happy business people from Depositphotos, chances are they will be more productive. To make it happen, learn what kills productivity in the workplace and how you can improve it with these five helpful tips.

Productivity killers you should avoid

Before we jump to productivity boosters, let's first learn about what often hinders people's productivity.

1. Unnecessary meetings

Too many meetings are a typical source of productivity loss in employees and, by extension, in business, which every businessman would want to avoid. This phenomenon is so common that it has even been given a name: meeting fatigue. In fact, 64% of employees say that never-ending meetings are the main cause of their fatigue.

Many employees are dealing with the issue using humor. On the Internet, you'll find many different postcards, cups, and award ribbons that say, "I survived another meeting that could have been an email." However, this issue should be solved with structured meeting agendas, emails instead of online meetings, and smaller groups of people attending meetings.

2. Noisy office

If you want your employees to come to the office, you should pay attention to the noise level in it. Since office workers are 66% less productive in a noisy environment, moderate or no noise is key to improving productivity in business.

To reduce noise in the office, you must first ensure that employees use meeting rooms when needed. The next step is to identify the people who have the most phone calls during the day and give them a personal workspace away from other employees. Lastly, get enough noise-canceling headphones that people can use when they need to focus on the task at hand.

3. Micromanagement

Sometimes micromanagement is even worse than a noisy working environment. All because it not only slows down employee performance, but also leads to a decrease in motivation and creativity.

The need to send constant progress updates, answer messages, and sit through one-on-one meetings distracts from the actual work. In addition, a person who is constantly micromanaged can develop doubts about their professional abilities.

5 top business productivity tips for the businessman and businesswoman

1. Automate time-consuming tasks

If you're not using automation in your work yet, what are you waiting for? 88% of small business owners report that they can compete with larger companies by automating processes. But we can name a few more advantages of automating labor-intensive and tedious tasks.

In addition to saving more time and money, you also allow your employees to stay focused on one task for longer. Since switching between tasks can disrupt one's workflow, outsourcing tasks to machines is sure to improve your team's productivity (aka business productivity).

2. Encourage flexibility in the workplace

Many would agree that work is done best when employees have the freedom to work as they see fit. Let them do their work early in the morning, late at night, or with a midday nap, and you'll see productivity grow.

A flexible schedule makes people happier, and happy people tend to work better. If you don't have to stress about when to go to the doctor or pick up your kids from school, you are more likely to be focused and productive during work hours.

3. Invest in professional growth of your employees

Monotonous routines and the absence of professional challenges can make work seem dull. The best way to prevent this is to provide your employees with opportunities for learning and development. But don't worry, it doesn't have to cost a fortune. There are many cost-effective ways to develop your colleagues.

To begin with, give your employees the opportunity to take on new professional responsibilities. Or, ask them what tasks they'd like to do more often and make sure they have the chance to do so.

Another approach is to ask your employees which skills or areas they would like to improve. If you have experience in the field and some spare time, offer mentoring. In other cases, offer to attend workshops, online courses, seminars, or conferences.

4. Develop a wellness program for your colleagues

The state of physical and mental health of your employees directly affects the productivity of your business. Studies show that physically and mentally strong people are more resilient when it comes to facing challenges at work. As a result, they are more productive.

According to James Clear, author of Atomic Habits, people are more likely to adopt a healthy habit if given the opportunity. So offering your colleagues free therapy sessions, health checkups, or yoga classes is a great strategy to engage them in a healthier lifestyle and boost productivity.

5. Use productivity apps

While technology can be a great distractor, it can also help people be more organized and productive. A simple walk can boost one's mood, sharpen reaction, and improve decision-making. So if your employees forget to take a break during the day, set up a work break timer, such as Stand Up.

However, there are many other business productivity tools that you can use for better outputs.

Tools to boost productivity in business

1. Notion

An online-only organizational tool for data and project management with ready-made to-do list templates, financial tracking, and more.

2. Asana

A collaborative platform for tracking tasks and ideas, as well as managing projects and deadlines.

3. Calendly

An online scheduling platform that automates meeting schedules and reminders to create a smooth workflow.

4. Slack

A corporate messenger that makes it easy to communicate, collaborate, and manage projects with remote teams.

5. Grammarly

Personalized AI-powered writing assistance that helps you improve the quality and accuracy of your writing.

In conclusion

Increasing business productivity is a task that should be approached from more than one angle. It requires a combination of practical strategies, from automating labor-intensive tasks to creating a flexible work environment. By balancing them, businesses can boost employee morale and maximize efficiency.