How To Improve Your Productivity As A Manager
As a manager, you may often find things going downhill as you struggle to balance your productivity along with that of your team.
There are numerous factors that can hinder your productivity levels and efficiency and can hit you and your business really hard. For your benefit, we have compiled an article to help you navigate through the lows and stay consistent in the highs in your business. Here’s how you can improve your productivity levels;
First things first
You may not realize the importance of setting priorities, but, if you prioritize your most important tasks first, more than half of your problems will be gone. By doing the most important things first and getting your most challenging or dreaded tasks out of the way during the first part of the day, you will be able to find your flow and easily do the remaining tasks.
Undeniably, often the biggest challenge or concern is to determine which task to finish first, because as the manager, you might usually have a long list to choose from. But if you manage to filter your task list and decide which work or assignment will contribute more to your output, things will be super manageable and you will find that your day has become more productive too, without adding extra hours.
You can achieve this through proper planning as research shows that for every one minute you spend planning, you will reduce ten minutes in execution. Planning and prioritizing will also help you stay on track and achieve your goals and objectives. Abraham Lincoln once said, “If I had 60 minutes to cut down a tree, I would spend 40 minutes sharpening the ax and 20 minutes cutting it down.”
Focus on one thing at a time and reduce multi-tasking
Trying to get several things done simultaneously can be overwhelming and if anything at all, it will only be harmful than helpful. Studies show that multitasking, on average, reduce productivity levels by as much as 40%.
Stick to one thing at a time and avoid multitasking. Because not doing so will negatively impact the quality of your work too. Doing things systematically and one after the other will help you focus and also ensure mental clarity. That said, would you rather have 3 tasks on the go and produce average results or do one task at a time and excel in each?
Research conducted by psychologists found that doing more than one task at a time takes a toll on your productivity levels. When multitasking, the brain go through a kind of ‘mental juggling’ because it is not designed for heavy-duty multitasking.
Automate your work
While that may seem easier said than done, automating some of your work will not only save you time but will also increase your productivity levels. Imagine saving an hour every day and putting it to better use.
There are several online software that can automate your sales processes, CRM pipeline management, social media, data entry and much more, while giving you ample time to invest where it matters most.
Adam Gurian, president of Timex also suggests people make the most use of technology and tools such as Google Docs to collaborate with colleagues and clients, calendar planning tools and skype to make life easy and increase productivity.
Delegate work and follow-up
As a manager, you must already be delegating work to your employees to get a few things off your plate. If that’s not the case, you might as well start assigning tasks to your teams, but don’t forget to follow up with them to ensure productivity levels.
Your goal should be to effectively delegate work, set follow-up dates and be updated with progress. This will help you keep track of all assigned tasks and ensure that the work is being done properly to maximize output.
You can also seek help from a third party that can do the job for you. For example, if you are a marketing manager, you can outsource required services via a marketing agency and follow up to track project progress.
According to a study conducted on the Importance of Empowered Delegation and Measures to Develop Empowered Delegation Skill among Employees for Better Productiveness of an Organization in modern business organizations, delegation and empowerment are two key aspects to enhance your productivity and the product quality as well. The study also found that these two elements are vital for making your employees productive.
Manage your email better
Organizing and managing your email inbox can be quite a hassle, especially if you receive a 100 emails on a daily basis. Reading emails, replying to them, archiving old ones, deleting trash and junk, etc. can take a lot of time away from other important tasks. But, investing a few minutes every week to declutter your inbox will allow you to manage tasks better.
A clean inbox is essential because it can provide you with the mental clarity to help you get things done on time. You need to come up with an email management plan on an daily/ weekly basis. You can also use smart apps like yesware that can manage your email messages by notifying you when people read your email.
Peter Daisyme from Hostt says that it is best to set aside some time to respond to emails. One shouldn’t let their emails and calls determine what their day is going to be like.
Boosting your productivity as a manager is a matter of being consistent in what you do and also tracking your progress at all times. If you feel that your work output is spiraling downward, it is time to take these factors into account to reverse the situation and help you manage your tasks more effectively.
This post was provided by Kamil Riaz
Kamil Riaz Kara is an HR Professional and Inbound Marketer. He has completed his Masters in Administrative Science from the University of Karachi. As a writer, he wrote numerous articles on management, technology, lifestyle and health. Visit his company blog and check the latest post on blog Health & Fitness. Connect him on LinkedIn for more details.
