14 Productivity/Team Building Tips for Startups & Small Business to be successful.

We have limited Time & $$$, so we need to learn the best way to use it.

Set Priorities. SMART Goals & Deadlines, Track, Delegate, Focus, say NO, Meetings, Distractions, Persistance

Limited Time. For startup & small business entrepreneurs, with strictly limited budgets & increasingly distractions, making the most of 24 hours is essential. Such leaders have to juggle between a lot of different things ranging from being the company’s IT to Marketing team and everything in between. This can be very demanding and that makes productivity a necessity to be engrained into the daily lives of these people. 24 hours is what everyone gets, but what differentiates the successful startups from the rest is how they manage their time and organize themselves better – as they are Team Building.

These 14 Productivity Tips are taken from some of the best minds and those who have put their time to best use and achieved success in both their personal & professional lives -as they were Team Building. These productivity techniques – when implemented into your businesses’ day-to-day activities – could drastically improve your productivity.

1. Set Priorities. “Most of us spend too much time on what is urgent and not enough time on what is important.” ― Stephen R Covey

The famous best-selling author of “7 Secrets of the Highly Effective People” writes that it is in the “prioritizing” of tasks that differentiates highly successful people from the rest. Learning to “prioritize” what is more important & essential right now, is crucial for a successful business. Write down what is essential for your personal progress & the growth of your business and get it done first. Create urgency for the essential work & “prioritize” these tasks over the ones which are urgent, but don’t contribute to your long-term goals.

2. Focus on SMART Goals. (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, Timely) While nothing should stop you from dreaming big, having a strong foothold on the present day realities is essential to keep yourself from un-realistic expectations followed by bitter disappointments later. SMART goals save you the dismay caused by your illusions of how the results should be. Although a sun-glasses view of the business is a good way to stay optimistic, that shouldn’t result in you losing your foothold on the your SMART goals which are essential to the sustainability of your startup. Break down your long-term goals into shorter, achievable milestones and focus on the here & now.

3. Set & stick to Deadlines. An organization with deadline tends to be more disciplined is one factor to achieving better productivity & success. Set strict deadlines for your tasks and see to it that they are realistic and are being met. Use SMART Goals.

4. Track & analyze your efforts. If you are not keeping track of key statistics & analytics, you are missing out on a lot of opportunities to improve & grow. Track & analyze your significant efforts that go into the growing of your organization thru the use of technology. This makes sure that you are fully aware of what is working & what isn’t – to steer better.

5. Make use of the Pomodoro technique. Francesco Cirillo, the creator of the Pomodoro technique, has helped a lot of people to break themselves away from the urge to multi-task & focus better. The Pomodoro technique encourages people to work in short intense periods of 20-30 minutes without any distractions. By doing so, the Pomodoro technique ensures that you work undistracted and are full of focus and energy in the session. Take short (ie, 5 minute) break after each session to clear your mind of that subject and you will be energized for your next session.

6. Learn to Delegate more. Highly successful people don’t do all the tasks themselves. They have mastered the art of delegation. With advancements in technology, remote working is very productive and you can now easily delegate or out-source your mundane & time-wasting tasks in order for you to focus on what’s essential to your company’s growth and only you can do.

7. Do < things, with > Focus. “Pick one thing and do that one thing—and only that one thing—better than anyone else ever could.” – Jason Goldberg CEO of Fab.com Productivity in starting or growing a business is one key factor that differentiates that business from its competitors. Focusing on your core strength and exercising it to the best of your ability is far more effective than taking on too many things with undesirable side effects. Do not try to multi-task, if you can avoid it. Instead, focus on one thing at a time and get it done better than anyone else could do. Allocate smaller amounts of time for specific tasks and see that you are focusing on the task at hand – instead of multi-tasking with other tasks, which can be counter-productive.

8. Say NO to a lot of things. “People think focus means saying yes to the thing you’ve got to focus on. But that’s not what it means at all. It means saying no to the hundred other good ideas that there are. Innovation is saying no to 1,000 things.” – Steve Jobs.

Every once in a while you will be compelled to say Yes to everything that comes your way, but realize that it is not a smart way to achieve better productivity. Most of them will turn out to be ‘time bandits’, stealing Time -your very precious resource from under your eyes, & yield you less in return for your efforts. ‘Less is the new more’. So learn to say No to a lot of things that you do not believe will serve you or your business better.

9. Limit the number of Meetings. For a business, both internal meetings with your Team & external meetings with your Clients or Customers are indispensable and you ought to be as productive as possible when it comes to each & every single one of your meetings. With the advent of technology and online meetings & productivity tools, many entrepreneurs are taking internal meetings online while being away on meetings with Clients or Customers. This way you can make sure that meetings are not making you waste time.

10. Block out all kinds of Distractions. We all want more time to do the things we love, but what we are truly seeking is to be more focused in our tasks. It’s not always easy to control our mind & focus our attention. Even the slightest of distractions during its peak productivity can lead to undesirable outcomes. Try to block out all kinds of distractions that you or your Team might be facing in your facility – to get the most out of everyone. You not only need to manage your time better; but also you need to manage your distractions better. Eliminate these distractions from your workplace and you will find more time & energy to do what you do best.

11. Make the best use of your most Productive hours. If you take time to understand what works best for you, then you will have greater insights into when are your most productive hours. While some people are early risers and get most of their work done in the wee hours of the morning, others are night owls. Whatever works best for you, follow that diligently and make the most of your highly productive hours.

12. Persistence. “Be like a postage stamp— stick to one thing until you get there.” — Josh Billings  The most successful people are those who have endured hardships and still stuck to their beliefs till they saw daylight. There will be days when you won’t feel like showing up and instead escape in sleep or despair. But you need to put all of it aside, regain focus on your priorities, & show up to work. Be it any a leader, entrepreneur or anyone. Showing up and doing what’s most important – even when you are not in the ‘mood’ – is the only way to achieve better productivity & success.

13. Reduce Email, simplify Team communications. What is the first thing most people do when they wake up or are free? We check our Email. The constant buzzing of Email notifications for seemingly harmless time-sensitive info, is the cause of a lot of distraction & less-productivity in small businesses & startups. This tool is limited for internal team communications and you should make use of other tools that make the entire process of team communications better & more productive. Take tools like Slack or Asana, for example, and try to utilize the benefits of such tools rather than Email to boost collaborative work, improve communications & increase productivity amongst your team members.

14. Never neglect your Health & Relationships. When you are sick or very tired, you can’t expect to complete much work, because your physical condition simply won’t let you do so. Avoid ‘burnout’ by setting aside time away from work for yourself and doing what makes you most happy. People often make sacrifices & compromises despite their health & personal well-being, which is not desirable. Keep yourself in good shape and your mind & soul will stay in tune with your personal & professional life.

Comments: What do you think of these Productivity tips for startups? Share your thoughts & comments below.

from Miko Go Go 15 April 15 enhanced by Peter/CXO Wiz4biz