Productivity bottlenecks stand in the way of you being as efficient as you want to be at work. If you’ve already gone through the most common suggestions, it’s time to look at these problems in a different way.
Work Fewer Hours
Are you working productively during the time that you’re at the office, or do you have long stretches where you can’t seem to get anything done? You may need to shift your schedule to accommodate the hours that you’re most productive.
In some cases, you actually accomplish more when you have a shorter workday. One way to figure out when you’re doing the most is by using a time tracking solution that gives you insight into what you’re doing at any given time. You can evaluate the data and figure out the schedule that works best for you.
Speed Up Document Access
Poor information architecture can lead to a lot of wasted time searching through databases, cloud storage, hard drives and network locations. Speeding up document access may seem like a small change, but it ends up making a significant difference in your overall productivity. If you don’t already work with a centralized solution for all of your company’s data, then that’s the first step to making this process better.
Related: Understanding the Business Benefits of Virtualization
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Look Into Agile Methodology
Do you find yourself locked into long-term projects that seem more filled with meetings than actual work? You may need to shift the methodology that your organization uses. An agile methodology could be exactly what you need to improve things with your project schedules.
Everything from the way you communicate about the work to the stages end up being a lot faster. You do need a project management system that supports agile so that you can optimize everything at the same time.
Stop Doing Everything at Once
Multitasking is actually the enemy of productivity.
If you’re splitting your attention to two entirely different tasks, then your brain has to keep switching back and forth between them. You may not be able to achieve a good flow. If you have a really hard time focusing on a single task, software is available that eliminates distractions or blocks access to resources that are drawing your attention. Some time management practices, such as the Pomodoro technique, create a structured timeframe for working on a single task.
Maintain Your Devices
Are your computers and mobile devices hopelessly out of date? Do you spend 10 minutes waiting for your machine to boot up before you can get anything done? All of these delays make it hard to stay productive and create a security risk for yourself and your organization. Proper PC maintenance and upgrades are essential to achieving your productivity potential.
Understand the Right Technology for the Job
Sometimes the technology solution that you have in place isn’t the best one for the job. In many cases, companies choose a setup when they get started and then take a long time to update it. During that period, the business grew and expanded, but the technology didn’t change. Critically evaluate the solutions that you have in place to see whether they’re truly meeting your needs.
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The tried-and-true methods for improving productivity don’t always work if you encounter other underlying problems. Use these tips when you’re troubleshooting your efficiency and you’re not sure what else you can do to improve it.
Want more productivity tips? Contact us to learn about the technology that can make your business more productive as a whole.
