How to Increase Productivity in Your Online Business

Finding it hard to build your online business? Learn how to increase productivity so that you can focus on business growth instead of just getting by.

Photo by Roberto Cortese on Unsplash

When you are running an online business, you want to be sure that everything you do is as productive as possible. When productivity is at the heart of your business operations you can be sure that you are pushing your company forwards instead of… well, floundering or going backwards.

So, what can you do to increase productivity, and which areas should you start focusing on?

Establish Areas of Weakness

To begin with, you must start by identifying areas of weakness. Within the daily running of your business, there will be certain concepts that work extremely well, and there will, of course, also be other areas that are letting your whole efforts down. Looking at your business from a fresh perspective, and without judgement, will allow you to identify opportunities to increase productivity. Areas of weakness (no matter how small) can quickly infiltrate other areas of your business, and this can be catastrophic. Start now by establishing your areas of weakness by looking at what you are currently doing each day.

Streamline Your Processes

How streamlined are the processes that exist within your business?

Are you being as efficient as possible, or are you taking too long to make progress?

If your processes are slow, outdated, or perhaps even out of your control, then you will see the effect on productivity. When you are looking at the processes your business undertakes, it is important to look at those that are undertaken regularly, as well as those that are less frequent (perhaps monthly). If you are spending more money or time than you need to on certain processes then this will affect your overall productivity.

Play to Your Strengths

When you are looking at boosting productivity in your business, it is important that you always focus your efforts on playing to your strengths as much as possible. There will be certain activities that you do within your business that just work (and that often work extremely well). Therefore, repeating the method that you use time and time again is important. To play to your strengths it is important to be consistent. When you are consistent, you will then have another area to build on within your business, and you can also use this to motivate and inspire those who you are working with.

Have Clear and Focused Goals

Improved productivity does not just happen overnight—it requires work, effort, and dedication. Having clear and focused goals will certainly aid the whole process, and make everything more attainable. When you are setting clear and focused goals for productivity in your business, you must think carefully about what you want to achieve. Thinking clearly about one or two goals is important, because this way you will channel your energy and your efforts effectively.

Make Sure You Are With the Best Providers

When you are running an online business, you will use many services—from content and marketing agencies right on through to internet providers. To ensure that you are getting the best results, you need to be sure that you are with the best providers. The best provider is one that has your business at the heart of what it does and offers.

So, when you look at your list of suppliers and providers, are you sure that you are getting enough? Are you getting the best prices and rates, and are you getting value for money. If you are not getting what you feel is fair, then it is time to make a switch quickly. For example, if your commercial internet supplier is offering great speeds, but is not providing them, then look at other suppliers that you can trust and rely on.

Use Tech and Software Where You Can

Trying to do everything by yourself in your business can be counterproductive, utilizing software and technology as and when you can is important. If you can save time by using a software package to manage a business process—do it. Or, if you can use technology to improve productivity—put it to work. When you utilize tech and software to improve productivity within your business you then free up more of your valuable time and resources. Time for your business is a luxury, and it is a luxury you can’t get back.

Focus on Organization

When you are organized within your business you know what is happening, when, and why. If your business operations are disorganized, or if supply and production are disorganized, it will have a knock-on effect later down the line. It will most likely impact your customers, which you cannot afford to happen. When you focus on organization, you then focus on building increased levels of efficiency and productivity. This is because you will have eliminated anything that is unnecessary (through the process of organization).

Stop Procrastinating—Utilize Time Management

Iin a similar vein, there are only so many hours within the day that you can utilize. Focusing on time management when you are working on (and within) your business is crucial. It is very easy to procrastinate when you have changes to make, and processes to streamline. Time management can be difficult to master, but if you set yourself small and realistic goals and targets for the day, you will soon see how you can increase levels of productivity. When you increase your level of productivity, this will then be translated into your business operations.

Outsource and Delegate

Even though you may be currently trying to do everything within your business by yourself, it does not mean that this should carry on for the foreseeable future. Focusing on outsourcing, and even utilizing delegation is important. Stripping down your responsibilities and outsourcing them to experts and even those with more knowledge than yourself will help to improve productivity within your business, because it will simply mean you have more time to focus on what you know and what you are good at. Trying to do too much, and spreading your efforts too thin in the process, is never going to be beneficial.

Parting Words

Not all days are going to be productive — that’s just how life goes. That being said, if everyday seems to be a struggle, these 9 tips will undoubtedly help increase productivity for your business. In turn this will help free up some of your time so that you can focus on business growth and what the future holds.