How to Increase ProductivityIf you own a business, then you are well aware of the many areas you need to pay attention to, such as drumming up business, making clients happy, and keeping your staff content, and most importantly… staying productive. And, perhaps it seems as if you are always trying to find out how to increase productivity. That alone can be counter-productive.

For most business owners, it seems like it because they spend a great deal of time figuring out where they can boost productivity in the daily grind. What if I told you there are certain tools…simple tools that can help increase your productivity?

Well, there are. Read on to learn more about what tools and techniques you can use to give your business a productive shot in the arm.

Online Document Sharing

Believe it or not, something as simple as utilizing an online document sharing program, such as Google Docs, can help you to increase productivity at work…at no cost. If you spend any time sending documents and files back and forth among the staff, this will free up some of your time. And, time is major player in production.


Imagine being able to place a document into one area, and then clicking ‘share link’ to whomever you want to share the document. No more having to download it into emails to everyone, fax it, or hand over hard copies…because it will be there for them immediately with just one click.

It might sound trivial, but if you can free up one hour a day just by not having to get documents to everyone in a more traditional manner, that is one more hour of production…or, a better way to look at it…5 more per week, 20 per month, 240 per year.

Saving Time with Mobile Technology

Depending on what your business is, you might benefit greatly by modern and mobile technology. For example, if you are traveling for business, working at home, or taking a day off, being able to stay in contact with your staff, clients, and your files will help in increasing productivity.

There are great tools for staying productive on the move, such as the laptop, iPad, and even a Smart Phone. These all provide you with the ability to stay connected in both communication and access to any work you have online. Of course, this is provided you are in an area with Internet access, which is just about anywhere these days.

What this means is that you won’t have to wait until you are back at the office to respond to messages from employees, or clients. If they don’t have to wait to hear back from you, then they can move on with their task and not break the flow of production.

When thinking of the evolution of technology, I think of the following quote by Austrian novelist Franz Kafka, “Productivity is being able to do things that you were never able to do before.” I believe that because technology is always evolving, there will always be new ways to increase productivity.

A Few Other Options

Still asking “How can productivity be increased?”…here are a few more ideas:

  • Time Management Software. Consider utilizing time-tracking software, which can help you know where time is being wasted, keep you on time for deadlines, and help manage your projects.
  • Ergonomic Equipment. This might sound like a long shot, but well worth a try. Business owners have seen increased productivity in the workplace when the staff is equipped with ergonomic equipment and furniture, such as keyboards and chairs.
  • Social Media. Perhaps one of the easiest ways to increase production is to utilize social media such as Facebook. Having a page for your business can increase exposure to it, especially if it is active with interesting posts.

I just wanted to touch briefly on the above, because they are very simple, but effective ways you can boost your business. Well worth looking into, in my opinion.

Outsourcing to the Rescue

The last method I want to share on how to increase productivity is outsourcing. If you have projects that are taking up too much of your time…time away from what you do best, outsource it. You can easily do this by handing the projects over to people who freelance.

This will eliminate the need for taking on additional employees. So, it will save you money as well as time. Who can argue with that? Post a project on freelancing sites such as Elance, where thousands of independent contractors are looking for work.

It doesn’t matter how big or small the project is, or how many you have.

What I have shared here with you is the ability to free up your time, track valuable information, and make it a comfortable setting for high production. The rest is up to you…in fact, starts with you.


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