5 Smart Ways to Get More Work Done Every Day

March 27, 2018 by Guest Post Leave a Comment

“If only I had more time,” you may say to yourself every day. You might feel like you are just a little bit behind on tasks at work. You have a full schedule that demands you to be on point throughout the day, multi-tasking and keeping ahead of your workload. Using these 5 smart ways to get work done every day will help remove the pressure of your workload.

The silver lining here is that you’re in good company. Business owners, executives, and managers overwhelmingly share in the desire for more time. The truth of the matter is that lack of time sometimes results from lack of quality time management.

You might think that you’re doing all the right things to manage your time, but the truth is that everyone needs to constantly add to their repertoire of time management tools. This is because of the double-edged sword of today’s ever-changing technologies. Technology has become more interruptive than ever. Emails and cell phones constantly alert you to impending tasks. On the other hand, there are more technologies than ever before to help you, in the form of handy apps and time management tools.

5 Smart Ways to Get More Work Done Every Day

Cut the Spam

Spam emails are a common complaint of almost all companies. Managers and employees alike are bombarded with unwanted emails and waste valuable company time making heads or tails of which emails are actually important.

In fact, I bet your email box is stuffed with shopping advertising and unwanted newsletters on a daily basis. In fact, you might wonder how you are receiving so many daily emails. The fact is that you may be unknowingly added to email lists. Unscrupulous marketers find email addresses of executives on their own websites and add names without permission. While this is reprehensible, it happens. Cut the spam using a couple of techniques.

First, opt-out of those spammy emails. Yes, this takes time. Break it down by opting out of five or six unwanted mailing lists daily. It will take you less than 5 minutes but cut down on time wasted on sorting your emails in the future.

Second, remove every reference to your email address from your website. Replace your email address with a contact form that will mask your email address but alert you when legit customers are trying to reach you. This will reduce future unwanted emails from arriving in your inbox and save you from wasting more time on spam.

Set a Timer

The chances are that you use a calendar, but you can’t figure out why you still deviate from your schedule throughout the day. The simple fact is that you may not have clearly established time limits. Here’s an example. You plan a 30-minute conference call, but it takes 45 minutes. This pushes your next appointment or task back by 15 minutes. Throughout the day, you get further behind until it’s impossible to get back on track.

Solution? Set a timer. Use a timer app on your phone or even an old-fashioned egg timer. It will send you an audible signal to interrupt that call (or any other task for that matter) so you can bring it to a timely close.

It’s human nature to respond to an audible cue to “shift gears.” As an added benefit, you will start to send the message to your employees that you are embracing a more productive culture in your workplace.

Turn Off the Cell Phone for One Hour

This sounds shocking…but give yourself permission to be cell phone-free for one hour every day. That’s right, for one hour you will be free of distractions like phone calls, calendar alerts, text messages, and social media messages.

Cell phones cause constant interruptions. In addition, when your phone is on you are always multi-tasking because it demands your attention. When multitasking, you are more likely to get distracted from the main task or make mistakes. Worse yet, you’re less likely to completely finish the main task!

Think of the things that you can accomplish in 60 minutes of uninterrupted time. You can return text messages, phone calls, and look at your social media stats at the end of that time period.

Delegate

Do you shoulder the load alone? Do you think that the only way a task will be completed on time…and correctly…is if you do it yourself? Look to your employees and start to delegate tasks to them. Remember that you hired them because you need help, and trust that they have your back.

If the thought of delegating makes you nervous, here are some tips. Identify which employee is the most capable of handling the task at hand. Charge that employee with the responsibility and set clear expectations. Mentor that employee and give feedback on improvement when appropriate.

You may be surprised to see that your employees will flourish under your guidance and to whom you can delegate even more responsibility to in the future.

Set Achievable Goals for Yourself

Here’s food for thought. Are you trying to accomplish more in one day than feasible? Perhaps you’re getting bogged down by work because you’re placing too large of a workload on yourself.

This can lead to feelings that you haven’t accomplished anything, when in fact you accomplish more than you realize!

Take inventory of your own expectations. Set daily workload goals that are achievable. If you can take on more at the end of the day, you can. But if you feel mired down day after day, it will eventually lead to more stress than you need.

Summary

“Lost time is never found again,” Benjamin Franklin famously once said. This is sadly true. If you wish each day that you had just a few more minutes to complete tasks, look to these 5 smart ways to get more work done every day.

If you make these a habit, you will begin to accomplish more each day, feel back in control of your time, and alleviate the stress of not having enough hours in your day.

About the Author

Deborah Tayloe is a freelance web content writer. She’s a consulting writer with EmailMeForm and loves learning about technology. She’s a native of Erie, Pennsylvania and now lives in Bertie County, NC with her husband and an energetic toy fox terrier.

Nightly Routines for a More Successful Tomorrow

March 17, 2018 by Guest Post Leave a Comment

At the end of the day, you can feel so tired that you simply just want to fall in bed. Yet going to bed without properly ending the day could be a grave mistake. Even famous business people create a bedtime ritual.

Discover a few ways that you can

Gratitude List

It sounds cliché, but making a gratitude list can actually make you a happier person. Sometimes we don’t even know what we’re grateful for until we get it down on paper. Make a list of four things you’re grateful for. The first gratitude item should be about your day. The second gratitude item should be about your past. The third gratitude item should be about your life. The fourth gratitude item should be something about yourself. The more you remember reasons to feel grateful, the more you’ll actually feel grateful.

Evening Bath

Most people need a way to wind down after a tough day. An evening bath is a great way to relax and remove any lingering tension from your body. Draw a warm bath and fill the water with some of your favorite luxury items. You might want to include bubble bath, scented oils or Dr Bronner castile soap. Take a few moments to relax before performing some self-massage or scrubbing a way the dead skin cells from your arms and legs. Evening baths are a great way to remind yourself that you care for your body as much as your mind.

Worry List

Sometimes our worries can take over our lives. Worries can prevent us from falling asleep and cause us to wake up in the middle of the night. Try to rid your body of your worries for a good night’s sleep and a more rested morning.

Write down anything that troubled or upset you about your day. Write down anything that you’re worried about for the following day. It’s okay to feel upset and worried, but it’s not good to carry these worries around. After you’ve written down your worries, tell them that you release them. You may want to tear up the list and throw it away before bed to drive the point home.

Meditate or Pray

Some people find prayer a great way to set an intention for the following day and close out the current day. Both meditation and prayer are a great way to rid yourself of worries and ask for help for your problems.

If you prefer prayer, you might want to try to say thanks for both the good and bad things that happened during the day. You might also want to ask for things in your life. You may also want to pray for others.

If you want to meditate, simply sit still with your eyes slightly closed for about five or ten minutes. You can concentrate on a problem you want to fix or simply feel thankful for your life. Whenever thoughts arise, notice them before letting them go.

Get Ready for Tomorrow

Sometimes the best way to end the day is by getting ready for the next day. Write down a list of things you want to get done the following day. Make a list of accomplishments to check off. Lay out your clothes for the following day, and make your breakfast or lunch. The more prepared you feel for the day ahead, the easier it will be to fall asleep.

Spend Time with Family

Many people choose to take a few hours to spend time with family. It’s easy to forget about the people you love throughout the day, so taking time to remember your loved ones is a great way to end the day. Enjoy a meal, watch a TV show or play a game with your family or friends before turning in for the night. Your family will appreciate you even more, and you’ll appreciate the extra time you get with them each evening.

About the Author
Lance Noland writes in the business and leadership spaces. He grew up just outside of Juneau, Alaska where he developed a love for photography, nature and writing.

3 Small Office Organizing Tips to Boost Business Efficiency

February 28, 2018 by Guest Post Leave a Comment

Organization is an effective tool that most businesses overlook and undervalue. Being organized goes beyond just tidying up clutter and arranging stacks of papers on desks. In fact, it’s the most effective way to ensure efficiency and productivity whether your office is big or small.

Benefits of organizing office space

Increases productivity – Save time on looking for files and focus more on working on important tasks.
Reduce stress levels – It’s frustrating to look for documents from ages ago. When you organize, label and store files correctly, tracking down old documents can be a piece of cake.
Meet deadlines – As projects pile up, there’s a tendency to forget other important or pending tasks. By organizing, you can ensure that you meet deadlines, and don’t overlook what’s on your checklist.

Organization comprises procedures and systems for various aspects of your business. If you own a small company, creating order in the business process can be quite overwhelming. To help boost business efficiency, below are some tips for you to get organized.

1. Figure out your business style

Every individual has a certain preference in terms of workflow and organization. Have a meeting with your staff to discuss what processes need improvement to create the most efficient system suited to your enterprise.

Once you find the right business system, make sure it helps simplify processes. Employees come and go, but the foundations of your organization will remain. For your company to continue its efficient operations, you have to be consistent within your organizational structure. Keep your system streamlined so that it’d be easier to stick with.

2. Make use of a storage service

If you have a small office space, rather than increasing real estate, make use of a storage facility. Business storage is ideal for small companies that need warehousing and fulfillment space. Instead of paying more to get a bigger office space, business or commercial storage can be an affordable and flexible option.

Choose a storage facility that you can access easily. If you own a business that tends to accumulate a lot of documents and important records, but which are accessed very rarely, a professional storage service is worth considering.

Aside from saving on rent and office space, there are many benefits to storing your business documents in a proper storage facility. These include:

The safekeeping of important documents
Providing more security than in-house storage
Sufficient space for organizing files and finding important documents quickly
Flexibility and easy expansion options especially for start-up businesses
Climate-controlled options for sensitive documents
Reduction in the risk of fire since paper documents are in a protected facility

3. Use the right tools

There are many software and apps that you can use for your business to stay organized. Your tools will vary depending on your type of business, and the products or services that you offer.

Below are some tools most small business owners use to increase their productivity.

Meetings or Conferences – If you need to call or meet a client face-to-face, there are tools to help you stay on track and keep you organized. Google Calendar tracks all important business events so that you’ll never have to miss a meeting or appointment.
Social Media Management – Without an integrated system, you’ll be spending a lot of time promoting your business on social media. Tools like Buffer and Hootsuite are effective platforms for social media management.
Accounting and Bookkeeping – You can organize and streamline payments and invoices, and manage cash flow by using tools like Xero, Wave and Quickbooks Online.
Contact Management – When networking, it’s important to keep valuable contact information. As a business owner, you can try using a good system like Salesforce to manage contacts.
Email management – If you’re already using Gmail in your small business, make use of other Google extensions to help you easily and efficiently organize your inbox and work-related electronic files.

Organizing is an essential process, both in life and in business, that’s why you need to be specific with the work you do. Take the time to get to know all of the essential processes in your business before introducing a work system.

Get feedback, reformulate if needed, and then test the new system. Once efficiency and productivity gains are established, give everyone time to ease into the new system. Then you’ll see business productivity increase in no time.

The tips above are useful in getting your small office organized. But you have to remember that things can also get out of hand. Conduct a quick and easy review of your system periodically to ensure that it remains streamlined and foolproof.

About the Author

Chris Humphrey is the General Manager of Easytruck Moving & Storage. In 2013, the company combined their expertise in professional moving services & storage to create an entirely new approach to the business – and mobile storage was born! Easytruck now operates over 30,000 sq.ft. of air-conditioned facilities in three convenient locations in Dubai and is the only Mobile Storage operator in the UAE.

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10 Warning Signs of Unhappy Employees

February 12, 2018 by Guest Post Leave a Comment

Have you ever had a co-worker who’s always the last one to come in to work but the first one to leave?

That may not be an issue if it’s just a one-time thing, but if it’s habitual, then it can be a glaring sign that your place of work may be causing too much stress and unhappiness. Which is, needless to say, not good as it can lead to decreased productivity among your employees.

It’s often easy as a manager to overlook building a solid office culture. But in today’s increasing workforce, which is made up of a huge percentage of millennials who value work-life balance, the need to address these issues should be a priority for businesses who want to attract the top talent in the industry.

First and foremost, look out for signs of employees that are dissatisfied. You need to spot the symptoms as early as possible so you can look into the issue and root out what is causing the dissatisfaction and unhappiness in your workplace.

Do you know that even your office environment can be affecting your employees’ satisfaction, productivity, and engagement? While the causes may vary, there are common signs that can alert you that something is wrong.

The infographic by Guthrie-Jensen presents ten of these warning signs to help you detect possible issues earlier. This way you can remedy the problem on the onset and prevent it from blowing up and affecting other team mates.

Infographic by Guthrie-Jensen

How a Clean Office can Boost Productivity (Infographic)

January 25, 2018 by Guest Post Leave a Comment

Some people would associate an untidy, paper-strewn office to be a sign of a busy place where everyone is industriously getting through their work, but usually it’s cleaner offices which are more productive. This infographic from Cleaning Services Group looks at the link between a well-maintained workplace and a greater level of productivity.

To some, the cleanliness of a working environment has no bearing on how much work employees complete. However, a clean office can boost productivity in numerous ways. For a start, illnesses are far less likely to develop in a clean workspace, which means that fewer sick days will be taken and more work will get done. Absenteeism costs businesses millions of dollars every year, so the health of your workforce cannot be understated.

In a clean office, you’ll most likely know where important files are kept and you’ll be able to find these easily. Compare that with a cluttered desk that’s heaving with papers and rubbish. You could waste several minutes rummaging through piles in the search for just one piece of paper. That situation multiplied by other employees over the long-term adds up to hours squandered in lost productivity.

A clean workspace also has a psychological impact. If your office is excellently maintained, you’ll naturally feel a greater motivation to come into work every day than if the place was forever up in a heap with piles of disused equipment and stationery.

Productivity is what matters most in a workplace, but presentation certainly cannot be neglected. A workplace that is maintained in pristine condition is one where management and staff have pride, which is reflected in the quality of work that is completed. The message is simple – a cleaner office can only be beneficial for productivity, which makes all stakeholders happier.

Infographic created by Cleaning Services Group