When you own a home business, productivity and efficiency rest solely on your shoulders. You’re the boss, which means you’re responsible for managing and growing the business. No one else—not your partner, kids, or employees—will dictate how you run your business or improve its day-to-day workflows to increase leads and profits.
To help you manage this business path most effectively, we’re providing an arsenal of tips and tricks you can use immediately. Read on to learn the ten easy ways to increase your home business’s productivity. These methods span everything from how you think about work to how you manage invoices and reports.
Before you start a home business or very early in the process you should determine your work personality. Some people roll right out of bed, ready to hit the ground running. Others need to ease into the day with a cup of coffee and the morning news. Besides examining your work style, assess if you work well in quiet or with white noise. Some people get a lot done at home with no one else around, while others need the background noise found in public places like coffee shops. Figure out what setup works best for you, and focus on completing high-intensity tasks in those environments.
While you work from home, you want an environment that aids, rather than impedes, productivity and efficiency. Begin by defining your workspace, which could reside in your home office, breakfast nook, or other area of your house. Supply the space with necessary work materials so you don’t lose time looking for a pen, paper, or laptop cord. You might also consider adding a set of quality speakers so you can listen to music if that will help you settle into the work and get it done.
In addition to creating a physical workspace, you should set work limits. It’s easy to work all the time when you have a home business—don’t. Give your mind and body a break by setting a daily quitting time so you can maintain optimal output every day. Your health will thank you, as will your family, friends, and employees. Take regular breaks throughout the workday, too. Stepping away from your computer to stretch or get some water every hour or so, will rest your eyes and grant you the spark you need to dive back into a project.
Remember to communicate your work hours with family, friends, and neighbors. You are working from home, and people need to respect this boundary. If they wouldn’t contact you while you were at a traditional office, they shouldn’t contact you when you work from home. Minimizing potential interruptions will keep you sharp and on task.
If you want your home business to be more productive, look at your daily and monthly schedules. Some activities are critical, while others can be reordered. Figure out what those critical activities are to increase productivity and motivation. For example, a vital priority for you could be attending your kids’ weekend dance recitals or soccer games. If it is, arrange work around those emphasized activities. Doing so will compel you to work hard the rest of the week so you can enjoy yourself and be fully invested at these events.
To know which projects eat the most time out of your day, monitor how much time you spend on each one. RescueTime, a time management tool, assesses your online activities and identifies the places where you lose the most minutes or hours. Once you know your “time destroyers,” develop action plans for them: outsource administrative tasks, decrease the time spent on social networks, or set aside your smartphone during certain periods of the day.
Don’t forget to look for networking groups and meetings that strengthen and help grow your business. These events introduce you to people who could become business partners or mentors—people who’ve likely learned some well-kept productivity secrets. If anything, the networking events will deliver interesting ideas, trends relevant to your home business, and opportunities to practice business skills like public speaking.
No matter how self-disciplined you are, invest in some organizational and productivity tools. Most productivity tools offer free subscriptions or trial periods, so begin by trying out different applications to see which ones work best for you. Asana, Basecamp, and Trello, for example, all operate in the project management realm but typically serve different purposes. Trello often works for smaller teams, but Basecamp or Asana may be a better fit if you’re managing many people or needing greater project oversight.
DSL internet might work for personal browsing and email, but you need a strong, steady, and fast internet connection for a home business. Most communication with employees and clients will occur online, so examine your business internet options and select the one appropriate to your enterprise and its needs. Higher speeds and increased reliability will reduce the time you have to wait for pages to load, enhance regular and ongoing communication, and mitigate worries about losing connection in the middle of that vital video call.
No home business owner enjoys tax season, but you’ll like it even less if you inconsistently file invoices, reports, receipts, and quarterly taxes. You should develop business document practices and adhere to them to create a habit for yourself and employees. Instituting the documentation processes will save you hours each month and year. If it helps, work with an accountant to set up best filing practices for your home business.
If you desire to be a more productive business owner in 2017, decide on where to start with the ten strategies listed here. Whatever steps you choose, take them today so you can see increased efficiency, productivity, and financial health for your home business.
