Becoming more productive
Despite the very best ambition, intention and ideas, there is still a massive hurdle to overcome when it comes to running a successful small business.
Something which can make it really difficult to achieve the number one driving force for any small business – productivity.
That thing is procrastination – the gap between intention and action, which has its roots in the fear of failure, of not being good enough or fear of the unknown.
Putting things off, leaving things to the last minute or not finding the time to do things is the scourge of the small business owner.
This all-too-common condition can vary from a lack of motivation or confidence, to the actual avoidance of certain tasks which are often crucial to the success of a project or overall business goals.
More often than not this is because the processes which are so necessary are also often the most mundane – and rather than going away, just keep coming.
Performing these tasks certainly isn’t helped by the vortex that the internet has created, or the now essential social media presence, all distracting and preventing you from focusing on what is really important.
But not doing or achieving what you should can make you feel lazy at best, anxious or depressed at worst.
Medicinal purposes
While it’s really important not to let it overpower your desire to succeed, just getting on and doing what you’re supposed to is easier said than done.
Les Miserables author, Victor Hugo’s solution to procrastination was to get his valet to hide his clothes so he couldn’t go outside when he was supposed to be writing.
A less dramatic solution is probably to just temporarily block your internet connection during set work hours.
It also helps to understand what procrastination is, and how you can still be a high-achiever even when you are doing the things you are not necessarily supposed to be doing. That way you can be more relaxed about getting things done.
But project management techniques would be a more effective solution.
Learning how important things like client liaison, planning, costing, briefing, scheduling, hiring and managing talent and resources are to your business is essential. It also means you can start giving them the attention they deserve by introducing time-saving technology such as software tools and apps – or by delegating to others.
Making tasks a routine can certainly motivate you to do them, especially prioritising each task with a level of importance, with action points and deadlines assigned.
Task master
With the right training you can master the following fundamentals of project management, and equip yourself with the tools and knowledge to successfully apply to all tasks, projects and process:
- How to define and agree on a scope and plan for a project.
- How to work out a schedule for a project, and keep to it.
- How to assess the workload for a project, and allocate the required resources.
- How to accurately predict the cost of a project, and keep within its budget.
- How to manage the risks to a project, and respond to any changes.
- How to monitor and report on the progress of a project.
By learning the skills to tackle the above properly, you will have much more time available to concentrate on building a successful business – as well find the motivation to help it grow bigger and better.
Once you start to see productivity increase, there are other, more specific project management tools to learn, such as project requirement documents, project development plans, work breakdown structures, the roles and responsibility matrix and project baselines (to measure the progress of a project against scope, cost and schedule) which can all be customised to suit your requirements – and most importantly, keep improving your business performance.
Getting on and removing the hurdles that prevent you from doing the things you should be doing will also improve motivation, direction and organisation in the process.
via Business 2 Community http://ift.tt/1dJO2Ex
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