6 Ways Business Owners Can Work More Efficiently and Effectively
If you’re a business owner, you probably have a lot of work and not a lot of time. It’s also likely you often get stressed out and worry about your business. Although sometimes these things are unavoidable, they can negatively affect the efficiency and productivity of your business. Luckily, there are practices and programs you can add to help you work more efficiently and effectively.
Trust Your Employees
Micromanaging is exhausting and typically not productive for anyone. It may be hard to let some aspects of your business go after working hard to build it, but you can’t control everything. If you don’t think you’re a micromanager, take a good look at how you run your business. If you’re constantly critiquing and examining every aspect of your employees’ work, you may need to step back and reevaluate your managing style. Hire and train good people, pay them competitively, and then trust them to do their jobs, so you can focus on other parts of your business.
Download Task Manager Software
Procrastinating is easy, and unfortunately common, for small business owners. It helps to have a list and to systematically check things off once you’ve completed a task. If you have problems with organization or task management, download or sign up for task management software such as WeekPlan or HiTask and keep better track of your to-do lists. Being accountable to someone or something, even if it’s just your computer, will help to keep you from procrastinating and to be more productive.
Utilize Online Document Sharing
Gone are the days when we printed and mailed documents we wanted to share. Utilize online document programs to share documents with your employees, with clients, or with vendors. Dropbox allows you to store photos, documents, and other files, and give access to the people you want to share them with.
Google Docs allows you to create online documents similar to Microsoft Word and Excel files and share them as well. If you have multiple people working on a project, Google Docs allows everyone access to the file to work on it simultaneously, and the document updates in real time.
Implement Online Accounting Software
There are plenty of software options to manage every aspect of your business, from accounting to invoices. If you own a small business, it’s crucial to manage your cash flow by using small business invoice software to submit your billing on time. Good accounting software won’t just get you ready for the dreaded April 15 every year, it will also give you business insights and offer accounting advice. Even if you prefer to do things in old-school style, having everything accessible online makes it so much easier to stay organized.
Sync All Your Technology
If you have a smartphone, a computer, and a tablet, make sure they are all connected. You never want to get stuck without something you need because it’s on your computer at the office or on your tablet at home. If you have the same operating systems it’s fairly easy to sync them automatically. If you have different operating systems, then download cloud-based apps that are designed to sync all your devices.
Download the Right Apps
In addition to the right accounting software, don’t forget about useful apps you can download to help your business be more productive as well. Agenda, a calendar app, keeps track of your busy schedule on your phone. Download LucyPhone to your smartphone to avoid sitting on hold with businesses. There are even apps that set timers for breaks in your busy day to keep you from overdoing it. If you need help with something in your business or personal life, chances are good there is an app for it, and many of them are free.
There are plenty of tools available to help run your business so you can focus on other things, and actually, enjoy some time off. Don’t get overwhelmed with all the aspects of your business when you can take these opportunities to work more efficiently.
