The world of entrepreneurship and operating a business is by no means an easy one, so making things as streamlined and easy as possible can only be a good thing. There are small changes that can be made and systems that can be implemented as a way to try and action this simplification and in the long run will save you time and energy.
The importance of the important things
Working on the important things is one way that you can really implement to simplify your business and way of working. Statistics have shown that we often spend 47% of our time with our mind wandering which can often lead to us task switching a lot.
To reduce this and provide more efficiency to your day, carving out set time for set projects and tasks will allow the autonomy to focus on that for the full allocated time. This will not only be effective for you, but for your employees as well.
An easy way for you to do this is by establishing digital tools as a way to organise and allocate tasks. The simplest way to do this is by creating a digital calendar in which you outline which hour of the day you will be responding to emails and which hours of the day you will be working on certain tasks.
This way your employees will be able to see what things you are working on and at which times is best to reach and contact you. You will be able to give your undivided attention to answer any queries your employees may have and you won’t be as distracted when dedicating time to an important task.
Going back to basics: the to do list
When it comes to simplifying your business, it can be difficult to steer clear of all the new technology and gadgets that you believe you need to have for your business to succeed, but in all honesty sometimes taking it back to basics can be the perfect way to streamline your business.
A to do list can end up being the holy grail of what you need to feel more organised. Of course with remote working using a digital task board or to-do list, will ensure that all your staff understand what needs to be done when and allow them to work in the way they know best to the deadline.
A great example of a dashboard is Trello or Monday.com. These types of digital to-do lists allow everyone to see what is being worked on and what has been completed. It will help simplify your business and keep everyone on track and know what they are doing.
This will be an effective and simple approach to the work day, even if your business is working remotely. The efficiency that dashboards bring, will allow you to remain organised and in the know with how far along your team is on certain tasks. This will outline your expectations of your team and also leave no ambiguity of what needs to be done and by when across the board.
Automation and updates are king
Although simplicity and taking it back to basics are always effective for certain areas of business practice, having old business processes won’t be helping your cause.
As your business grows and the demand and social expectation changes you need to think about how your business can adapt and grow alongside that. This is a great way to talk to your employees about the softwares and systems that assist them and which really slow down progress. Start with the system that seems to be causing the most grievance and work on updating the system or maybe even getting rid of it altogether. Automating tasks wherever you can will be key to simplifying your business and freeing up the time of your employees to work on more pressing tasks that require more focus and attention.
Ask yourself, are there ways that a certain checking process can be automated or simplified? Or does this system run parallel with the goals of the business and the demands of the consumer? These questions will ensure that you head in the right direction with your automation and in the long run will be a positive for your company. There are so many things that can be done to simplify your business and by remaining organised and savvy about the way that your business operates you can streamline your systems and be more effective.
Although there is an abundance of new systems and methods, sometimes re-evaluating your business and making it more simple for yourself will be more beneficial in the long run. Choosing to simplify your business where you can, will not only benefit you, but also your employees and what is expected of them.
