How To Improve Your Organization At Work

What makes a business successful? Of course, there are several factors to consider when it comes to a company's success. These variables are different for every business and even the definition of success can be subjective. Some company success factors include productivity, hard work, being able to work in a team, sales, and arguably the most important one is organization. 

Being organized while at work helps you gain control over time, productivity, as we as other things. Also, you would be able to focus more on your goals and overall improve the success of the business whether you’re an employee or the boss. Efficiency is essential to any workplace because it saves a lot of time, and we all know that time is money.

But, sometimes, no matter how hard you try, you can’t stay organized. This, on the other hand, can negatively affect your work and you will end up being buried in paperwork because you couldn’t have find the right strategy to complete everything in a timely manner. 

Believe it or not, there are some effective strategies to stay organized at work. You just have to know what they are for optimal workplace efficiency. Continue reading the article to find out more about the topic of being more organized at work. 

Make A Plan For Your Days And Stick To It 

It is possible that scheduling your days can aid you in remaining on track with your commitments. The practice of time blocking, which is intended to decrease distractions, consists of organizing your calendar so that you accomplish particular tasks at set times of the day. Time blocks serve as a blueprint for your day, allowing you to be adaptable and change them as required to accommodate meetings and other last-minute requirements that stand in your way. 

Create A Productive Routine 

Incorporating a regular pattern into your life boosts your chances of building habits that provide you with structure and make your day go by more efficiently. Habitual behavior helps with productivity and efficiency along with starting positive cycles of prosperity.

It is possible that a routine may help you achieve your goals more successfully over time because the activities you take to get there will become more streamlined as a consequence of the routine. A routine will become more automatic as it is used more frequently. 

Maintain Strict Devotion To Your Schedule 

You should make every attempt to keep to a timetable and your routine as much as possible once you have booked time in your calendar. While it is easy to deviate from the schedule, having a timetable makes it easier to get back on track with the tasks at hand. When working on a project with a group of coworkers, it is extremely important to keep track of the time. Suppose your coworkers are counting on you to complete a task before they can begin their own. It is vital that you follow a precise schedule so that you may complete all of your work on time and without making any mistakes. Using a consultant time tracking app can help ensure efficiency and productivity.

Make Use Of Your Email Calendar 

Workplace meetings with coworkers, managers, or the whole office are probably to going to be a regular event for most people. The use of an email calendar to set up alerts for these meetings will help you remain on top of things as well as prepare for them in ahead of their arrival. Furthermore, using an email calendar to set deadlines for activities helps you to complete your tasks on time and keep your daily schedule while being organized. 

Check your work calendar on a frequent basis to ensure that you are on top of your activities and that scheduling conflicts are avoided. Rather than depending on your memory, it is preferable to jot down all of your responsibilities in a notebook in pencil. Planning and scheduling software, as well as planning and scheduling forms, may be used to help you organize and schedule long-term projects. 

Make A Comprehensive List Of Everything 

When you write notes, it can assist you in recalling important information and providing a place where you can refer back to your notes if necessary. Your thoughts can be recorded on paper or in a digital notebook, based on what is most convenient for you and your workplace setting. 

Think about taking notes during conferences, noting important dates, and establishing a to-do list to keep track of everything. Organize your time by creating daily, weekly, or monthly to do lists for important tasks. Every morning, go over your daily objectives with yourself before getting started. 

Create A Filing System For All Of Your Documents 

You will benefit from creating a file system, whether it is for physical or digital stuff, because it will help you to reduce clutter and stay organized. It is possible to create folders for different types of important documents, such as invoices and contracts, in order to better manage your files. You may also establish email folders for different types of correspondence, like senders or projects, to guarantee that you keep all of the important correspondence while not overburdening your inbox with irrelevant messages. 

Make Sure To Clean Your Desk 

The motivation, attention, and productivity of employees who work in a clean atmosphere is increased, and a lot. The ability to locate critical documents and other material more quickly and readily is a result of this capability. Weekly cleaning and sorting of stuff into folders and desk drawers should be a regular part of your daily or weekly schedule. Desks and offices must be attended to weekly for best organizational optimization results.

Think About Getting Desk Organizers 

Desk or drawer organizers can be extremely useful when it comes to keeping your workspace well-organized. Using one organizer for writing instruments and notebooks, and another for push pins, paperclips, and other small office supplies, you may organize your workplace in a variety of ways. In order to keep your workspace neat and clear, put things of similar size together and make use of all space available on the desk and in the drawers. This will help you to stay on top of your job. 

Optimal Organizing 

You no longer have to wonder how to stay organized at work if you simply follow the steps above. Sometimes it can be challenging to bounce back from being too lazy and unproductive, but with these simple steps, you can once more become more organized and therefore inspire your employees to do that as well. 

There are always helpful books you can read or articles online on how to increase organization in the workplace as well as how to learn from your mistakes and not repeat them in the past. Use whatever resource necessary to get organized and productive again, because you know your competitors are doing the same! It is time to declutter your workspace and organize optimally.

How To Get Motivated To Work If You Feel Defeated

The benefit of being a human being is we all have the capability to feel. One of the feelings that we are all too familiar with is the lack of motivation. 

One second you could be as productive as ever and the next second you have no more mojo. 

Even looking at how to get motivated to work when you are feeling apathetic can be difficult, but we are here to give you the best advice so that you can get back to work. 

How To Get Motivated To Work 

These are a good set of ways to motivate yourself. They are not all a guarantee, but they are a step in the right direction. 

Knowing exactly what self-motivation is may help you determine how to pick yourself up. To learn more about self motivation, click that link to a great article. 

Figure Out You Reason To Work 

Everyone has something that makes them tick. You just need to find out what it is. 

Is it money? Is it your family? If you can find out what is worth it to you, focus on it whenever you go to work. 

It is just like the cartoons when a dog is on a treadmill and a bone is hanging from a string at the top. 

Whether it is something small and specific or a much broader reason, take it and use it to motivate you through your work. 

Confront Your Excuses 

Anyone can come up with thousands of reasons to not do something. And the chances are, most if not all of these reasons are irrelevant. 

Every time you think of an excuse, stop and really look at it. 

Is it a valid excuse? 

The trick is you have to be unbelievably honest with yourself. That is also the hardest part. 

If you can be honest with yourself and stop making excuses, even if you can acknowledge that an excuse you created was invalid, you are one step closer to getting out of that rut. 

Friends Are Your Friend 

The human race was able to survive because we were able to put our selfish needs aside and work together. 

As social creatures, we need human interaction. It is just wired in our brains. 

So, every time you are feeling down or you can’t find motivation for working, call up a friend. They will be more than willing to help you through your rough times. 

Even if you don’t want to talk about your lack of motivation, just talking to a friend can make you feel so much better and it can be a way to motivate yourself. 

Music Can Move You 

Music is such a powerful tool. A great example is a piece of music that accompanies a film. 

The film scores in movies are meant to add to the meaning of the movie. The composers use certain tricks in the music to make your brain feel more than it would if you were to just watch the movie. 

All music can do this for those in need of inspiration. If you listen to the write songs, you can launch yourself out of your rut. 

To learn more about how music is important for you and your motivation, check out this article. 

Start Simple 

If you start with this large, insurmountable goal or progress point, the chances of you getting it done are low. 

If you start with a small part of your goal, it will be easier to complete because well, it’s small and easily completable. 

If you start completing a series of smaller goals, you’ll feel accomplished and you’ll start to gain some motivation. 

Once you’ve hit a stride, you can then start taking on slightly bigger goals and then eventually you can work up to the larger ones. 

You can also take a large goal and break it up into smaller pieces that you can take out one by one. 

This is a great way to motivate yourself. 

Make A Schedule 

Take some time to sit down and make a schedule. 

Set a specific time where you’ll start working, set a break, and then set a specific end time. 

Doing this will allow you to have a structure in your work which helps you keep on track. You can get a weekly planner template to help you keep to your daily, weekly, and monthly schedule.

If you do this every day, it’ll also help you establish a routine. Routines are great as they provide structure and create habits. 

However… 

Don’t Give Up 

Whether the goal is tiny or enormous, there will be times when you’ll want to give up. 

The dangerous thing is that it’s so easy to give up. And it’s a trap because when you give up, you feel even worse about yourself, which will only knock you further into your rut. 

So when you’re thinking of giving up, stop. Don’t do it. Push yourself through no matter what. 

If you push yourself through and complete a goal, it’ll be entirely worth it. 

Take A Break 

One of the most crucial tips we have is this: it’s okay to take a break. 

You’re not giving up, you’re just letting yourself take a step back for a while. 

Taking a break is beneficial as it allows you to decompress and relax. This is your time to refresh yourself before you get back to work. 

Give It A Go 

Now that you’ve finished this article, go ahead and try to do some work. Stop making excuses, put on some music, and start small. 

Every time you complete a goal, reward yourself with a small break. You will start to see some differences in your work ethic and before you know it, your project will be done. 

You know now how to get motivated to work. You just need to remember: 

Never give up and stay inspired. 

While you are at it, check out the rest of our blog! Visit the Business or Career sections of the Frugal Finance Blog for some additional inspiration and insight.

How Automation Design Can Aid Your Business

Did you know that every year there are around 30,000 new products introduced into the market? If you are ready to bring your product out to the market and want it to be made as efficiently as possible, you are in the right place. We have put together this guide to share why good automation design is key to bolstering your business. Keep reading to learn more about development automation and getting your ideas out to the world. 

1. Consistent 

One major benefit of automation design is that it reduces the chance of design errors. This can really come in handy if there are different sizes of your product but with the same design. Automation design will still be able to keep the consistent design every time vs products going through a manual process. 

Whether the machine is creating the first product or the millionth one, you can rest assured that the end design is consistent. 

Something else that is consistent is the replacement tools once the original tool breaks down or stops working due to age. You have peace of mind that when your product development engineer orders the new or replacement tool it will perform the same as the original one. 

2. Faster Configuration 

Another pro is that you can configure your products to spec a lot faster and easier. The traditional way of manually modifying models to meet the customer's specs request was not only time-consuming but also drained engineering resources leading to fewer profits. 

3. Lead Time Is Shorter 

Automation design will reduce tool design time which means a shorter lead time for customers. This benefits custom manufacturers because they are processing multiple orders. It also benefits the engineers that are waiting on the tools to improve their processes. Usually, tool design time can be reduced by at least an hour, which can add up to a lot of time very quickly. 

4. Faster 

The faster your products are created the faster they can be sold and sent out to customers. Having your products on an automation design production line will reduce the processing time and will increase your turnover rates. You probably agree that time is of the essence in business which is why automation design is also a wise return on investment. 

5. Less Waste Generation 

When you incorporate design automation your machines are constantly producing accurate parts, this means less waste generation. Efficiently using resources and being precise not only reduces waste generation but also reduces the overall cost of production. 

6. Safety 

If you are using traditional methods of producing your products you have to constantly have someone supervising employees to ensure that your workplace is safe. With design automation, there is no constant human supervision required. Instead, the person operating the machine has to program the instructions of what has to be done and the machine will take care of the rest. 

The operator does not have to worry about getting hurt and you have peace of mind that you are not relying on another human to design the product correctly. If your product requires working with any abrasive or corrosive substances, you do not have to worry that the machine will accidentally get hurt. The same applies if your products require high temperatures to be made, there are no worries about someone burning themselves on the production line. 

7. Ability to Get More Done 

Because machines do not need rest, sleep, or breaks, they can get a lot more done than humans. The great thing is that not only can they work 24/7 as needed, but they are able to still be very accurate even with long "work shifts." 

Keep in mind that the quality of the product is not affected even when running all day long. Machines also have the ability to cut, drill, and mill like no human can naturally do. The great thing is that you don't need a ton of different machines to perform each one of these tasks, one machine can be programmed to perform a ton of different operations. 

8. Operations Simplicity 

Your entire operations will be reduced to one or two people instead of hundreds or even thousands. A single operator is able to manage, supervise, and operate your machines at the same time. You can cut down on labor costs immensely and also have peace of mind that the operator is not overworking or ruining your products because they are tired, are not feeling good, or don't feel like working that day. 

9. Less Downtime 

There are mobile machines that you can use in the event that one of your main machines is going through a routine maintenance or breaks down. You can easily move the mobile machine to where it needs to go to continue the operation. Whenever your equipment is down your backlog and load will not become out of control while you are waiting. 

10. In House Control 

Long gone are the days when you have to outsource your manufacturing process to smaller workshops. Machines allow you to bring everything in-house without worrying about paying out a ton of labor. This is always a more cost-effective option where you have more control over the daily operations. 

Ready to Embrace Automation Design? 

We hope that now that you know the top reasons that automation design can help you launch your product, you can make an informed decision on whether or not it will be beneficial to you. Getting automated is usually advantages for business, especially in the modern technological age. Embrace automation excellence!

Did you find our article on automation design and implementation to be helpful? Please keep browsing the rest of our business section for some of our latest reads on automation, production, manufacturing, engineering, product management, and productivity.

Staying Productive While Working From Home: 3 Tips to Enhance Focus

Most people loved the thought of working from home before COVID-19 forced them to. Others have chosen to work remotely. Some have bounced back and forth and now don't have a choice but to work from home. 

Whichever of these categories you fall into there's no doubt you run into obstacles. You surely get distracted at times no matter how disciplined you are when working from home (WFH). 

Whether you're new to working remotely, need a reminder, or a kick in the butt to get your focus back; you should keep reading to learn three great tips for staying productive while working from home. 

1. Set a Time to Work 

Some of you may already be on a time clock while working from home. Others may just have a deadline or deadlines but can finish them at their own pace as long as their finished on time. 

I'm sure those of you who are "on the clock" know that you can still be easily distracted. 

I'm sure at first everyone working from home was very strict with their time and schedule, but as time went on that probably went by the wayside. And, your work or productivity suffered for it. 

Set a timeframe each day and stick to it. Make sure you show up for yourself, whether you're on a time clock or not. Show up and sit or stand at your desk and get it done. This will definitely enhance your focus level. 

2. Your Setup 

When people ask the question, "How to stay productive working from home?" My first answer after having a set time is your environment. What's your "office" like. Let's call it a work area. What's your work area like? 

You want to feel good but not too relaxed. You want to have things around you that inspire you to feel energized and be productive. Plus, you want to enhance your focus. 

You don't have to feel like you're in jail, but you don't want to feel like it's time to chill or lounge around. 

A standup desk is great to help with this. Standing desks have been shown to increase productivity. Plus, they're good for your health. 

You don't have to stand for 6-10 hours a day. Get an adjustable desk that you can move up and down when you need to have a seat for a while. 

3. Productivity Tools 

You can use several work from home productivity tools like office ergonomics to boost your production. Active chairs, anti-fatigue mats, and balance boards. Staying engaged and active while working from home is important. 

Remember, you're not even leaving your house so you don't even have the walk to your car as "exercise" in the morning. 

Moving and firing your muscles and joints make you more energetic, which will help your productivity levels. 

Staying Productive While Working From Home 

The times we live in call for us to make sure we are staying productive while working from home. It's easy to get distracted while losing energy and focus when working from home. But, using these three simple tips will work wonders when WFH. 

If you loved these tips check out our Lifestyle, Career, and HR posts here on the Frugal Finance Blog. We publish a wide variety of helpful articles to help make WFH wonderful and not worrisome.

3 Tips to Maximize Team Performance for Software Development

Did you know 85% of employees are not engaged in their work? 

If your software development team is disengaged, they probably aren't performing at a high level. If that's the case, you should probably address the issue, or else your company might begin to lose money. 

Read on, and you'll discover three tips that'll help you improve engagement and, therefore, team performance. If your software team is running a little slow, these tips will help bring about some changes. 

Let's begin building better business team performance! 

1. Create Clear Specifications 

Poorly defined specifications can have a negative impact on team performance. 

This is often because bad specifications result in the wrong kind of work being produced. This then means that people will need to revisit the project to fix the errors caused by the poor specifications. 

As a result, you should closely review the specifications of a potential software project before you go ahead with it. You might even want to get some feedback from your team to determine how you can make the specifications better. 

2. Keep Projects Moving 

If you're going to develop a piece of software, you will likely need to go through several phases. 

So, to increase SaaS project productivity you will need to: 

• Create a plan for the project 

• Write the code 

• Get other team members to review the code 

• Test the code for bugs 

• Launch the project 

• Review the project for issues once it has gone live 

Often, when a development team experiences low performance, it's because a certain piece of work gets stuck in one of these phases. 

Due to this, you need to set up systems to ensure this kind of issue doesn't affect your projects. One way you might do this is by introducing deadlines for each phase of the development process. 

3. Bring in Help 

In some cases, a project might take a long time because it is very complicated. 

If that's the case, you might want to hire an external project management team. These individuals will have lots of experience with big development projects, and so they'll know how to move your project forward. 

When working with these individuals, you may want to ask them to host a 'workshop.' This workshop could explain how large projects should be approached, and this knowledge can then be used by your team in the future. 

If you go down that route, make sure you get some documentation from the company providing the workshop. This will then give your software development team something they can refer to later on. 

Will You Improve Team Performance? 

You should now understand how to increase team performance amongst your software developers. 

When it comes to increasing performance, there is always something you can do better. Following this, you should conduct a review every quarter to figure out how you can better improve performance. 

If you conduct these regular reviews, you should end up with a high-performance team in no time at all. 

Would you like to read an additional piece of content on maximizing your business team performance and productivity? Read more management articles in the Career and HR sections of our Frugal Finance Blog! Remember, teamwork makes the dream work!

How To Transform Your Business Processes Through Technology

Experts would agree that all business sectors are experiencing disruption from technological advancement, some greater than others. Advancements like Cloud Computing, Artificial Intelligence, and Data Analysis are all driving this change. Business owners often find the advancement perplexing and have no plan in place on how to go about transforming business processes for their organization. 

If that's your concern, too, then in this article, we explain how you can leverage technology for your company. 

Types Of Digital Transformation 

All the technologies that are driving the change are collectively known as digital technologies. Hence the transformation is called digital transformation. But there are different types of digital transformation. As a business owner looking to transform your business, you must know about all the four types, which are: 

1. Process Transformation 

In this type of transformation, you overhaul your current processes. The aim can be to lower cost, reduce cycle times, or enhance quality, but the result remains the same. This is the most common type of transformation you can adopt for your business. 

2. Business Model Transformation 

This transformation refers to reinventing your business model. If your existing market gets too crowded and competitive, you have no choice left but to change your business model. 

3. Domain Transformation 

With domain transformation, you use digital technologies to enter new markets that support your existing business model and offerings. Think of Amazon's expansion into cloud computing when it was an online retailer.

4. Organizational Transformation 

The final type of transformation is organizational transformation. It refers to bringing about changes in the mindset, process, and culture of your business. Even if you offer the same thing, you change the way it's delivered from the inside. 

So with that knowledge, how do you go about transforming your business using technology? Follow the steps below. 

Plan Long-Term 

Irrespective of which type of transformation you're going to adopt for your business, you need to plan long-term. An article published by HBR revealed that most digital transformation projects fail because they do not make it beyond early pilot work. 

That means they are successful initially but fail to scale. If you're implementing company-wide cultural changes, do not expect results instantly. The same goes for transformation to your business model. 

Take Your Business To The Cloud 

Cloud computing is considered the foundation of many digital transformation projects. With the advancement in both internet speed and processor power, you can process an insurmountable amount of data. The companies that leverage it to the fullest are winning. Consider the examples like Amazon, Airbnb, Uber, and Netflix. All of the companies are sitting on thousands of terabytes of data. 

Another reason to invest in cloud computing is it's cheaper than ever. You can pay as you do, and there's no upfront cost barrier. So there's no reason not to invest in cloud computing. 

Form Direct Relationships With Customers 

An increasing count of organizations are recognizing the significance of direct-to-customer or D2C business models. By forming a direct relationship with the customer, your business can better understand their pain points and address them. The more intermediaries you'll have in your supply chain, the farther you'll be from your customers. 

And the D2C model is fueled by technology too. Almost half of the world is connected to the internet with their smartphones. All of them have email accounts. So by creating a professional website, you can form a direct relationship with your customers. You can ship directly to them and get feedback for your services. 

Automate As Much As Possible 

Automation will impact almost all sectors in the future. You see it in manufacturing, retail warehouses, and other places. But it'll soon be omnipresent. 

And as a business owner, you must look to capitalize on this. Technologies like Machine Learning, Artificial Intelligence, and Big Data are ripe. By moving or migrating your business to the cloud, you can implement these capabilities and derive the most value for yourself and your customers. 

The primary benefit for most businesses is cost-savings. By automating redundant processes, you can save an ample amount of time and capital. 

Adopt A Subscription Model 

We're collectively moving to a subscription economy where we are subscribed to a service and pay on a monthly basis. If that sounds familiar, then it's because a growing number of companies are exploring this business model. 

Starting from Amazon to Netflix to Disney, all have a subscription in place. Reportedly, even Apple is working on a similar model. Thus, you should invest in a subscription business model supported by the latest cloud technology as much as possible. 

The best time for transforming business processes is now. So, you should consult with a cloud consultant and start overhauling your existing business.

7 Benefits You Will Get If You Implement Business Systems

A business system is a collection of processes or building blocks that link the workflow within a company. 

They are known to many as the departments of Finance, Procurement, or Inventory Management, to name a few. Their benefits, however, only come when the systems and processes are properly designed and applied. 

In the world of business, several systems reap the most benefits. They cover the management of the enterprise as a whole, as well as its finances, facilities, equipment, and workers. 

These systems also assist in information management, as well as customer, product, supplier, and service management. In most cases, these involve software specializing in operations and improvement management. 

Whether you're a new, small-time entrepreneur or the head of a big enterprise, you need to know how business systems can benefit your company: 

Effective Business Systems Allow You To Meet And Exceed The Customer Expectations 

Business systems and processes allow you to create a marketing strategy with its own subsystem that monitors your customers' expectations. 

With this subsystem, your organization can learn, analyze, calculate, and differentiate what your clients want so that you can meet them all throughout the years. After all, you need to make your clients happy, as this is the best way to retain them as patrons. 

With such a process, you get a steady stream of information that can improve your service, so your customer keeps on coming back for more. 

Business Processes Enable You To Recreate The Same Or Even Better Results Every Single Time 

Having consistent results is only possible if you have business systems in place. That's because they outline each activity and task that your employees should perform. 

Without these, your employee may work on things that don't exactly give the best results. This leads to a waste of resources and precious time. 

With a business system installed, you can recreate the same information and improve them along the way. 

Effective Business Systems Result In An Improvement In Employee Performance 

Business systems provide education and additional opportunities for employees so that they may do their work more efficiently. These can benefit your workers' productivity, as they can do the same job at a faster pace. 

Remember, the more productive your workers become, the better the yield is for you. Add to that, this enhanced productivity can enhance your workers' performance. 

Business Systems Can Reduce Operational Cost 

Apart from providing impeccable service, the goal of most companies is to reduce overhead costs. This, of course, is one of the best results you can enjoy with business systems. 

That's because these can help your company eliminate redundant activities that can lead to possible mistakes. No need to worry about two workers dwelling on the same thing. 

With your business accomplishing its goals with little time needed, you no longer have to spend much on the cost of operations. 

A Business System Can Build A Better Organization 

Every company seeks to be organized. 

After all, this can help streamline the information and process needed by the people. If each office or worker is dispersed haphazardly, there is no way for the business to perform effectively. 

By creating a good business system, any organization can order and arrange itself well. After all, this allows businesses to streamline their operations so that their many employees function better. 

Business Systems Can Assist A Company In Solving Its Problems 

When you make or create business systems, the enterprise receives a continuous stream of feedback from people. 

This allows the company to determine the problems affecting its staff and customers. With this process of identification, businesses become better at solving issues in a short time. 

Business systems that enable problem-solving are important for the company. After all, it brings about the change that leads to continuous improvement activities. 

That said, these processes go more than just tackling issues. They ensure and enhance the quality of your business as well. 

Business Systems Boost Profits 

All businesses want to get and grow their profits. Fortunately, having such operating systems in place can allow your enterprise to experience just that. 

For one, it enables you to meet and exceed the expectations of each customer. And when you make your client happy, he/she will become an avid patron of your business. 

The right systems also promote order and problem-solving, thereby allowing your workers to focus on the more important things. There's less room for error or redundancy. 

With such processes, they can create a quality experience for the benefit of the customer. 

As mentioned, when you start a business system, you can gradually reduce overhead costs. By saving more money, your enterprise can meet its target profits easily. 

Now that you know how business systems can benefit your company, it's time to use them. With a process in place, you can quickly meet the needs of every customer.

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How to Boost Productivity Like a Pro With 4 Tips

Did you know that distracted employees cost American businesses around $650 billion per year? If you want your team to be successful and you don't want to lose money every year due to distracted workers, then everyone has to get on the same page of being productive. 

We have put together this list on how to boost productivity like a pro. Keep reading to learn how you can help your employees make the most out of the time that you are paying them for and increase efficiency.

1. Eliminate Distractions

Distractions such as phones, email notifications, multiple web browsers, and excess meetings are all culprits of distracting us and keeping us off task. Getting rid of everything that has nothing to do with the task at hand will go a long way when it comes to improving productivity. 

You will quickly notice a difference in how long it takes a worker to get a job done and you will also notice an increase in the amount of free time.

2. Music

If someone prefers working with music then they can listen to music that helps boost their productivity. Testing out different types of music to see which one helps with staying focused and on task is smart. 

Most people do well with music that only has a beat and no lyrics with a bit of a fast pace.

3. Scheduled Breaks

You might think that taking breaks is counterintuitive to increasing productivity but the truth is that scheduled breaks can improve concentration and reduce distractions. The key is to take short breaks during long tasks to help maintain a consistent level of performance. 

Working on the same task with zero breaks will actually cause a decline in performance and productivity. A short walk around the office or down the block will allow an employee to return to the task at hand with a fresh set of eyes feeling better. 

4. Multitasking Is Not Helpful

You want to get your employees to stop trying to multitask. Multitasking is actually a productivity killer and it can create mental blocks when people switch tasks. Committing to a single task before going on to the next project will give an employee their full attention to the task at hand and it will also improve the quality of their work. 

Instead of spreading themselves thin on multiple projects that they jump from one to the other they will avoid burn out and quality issues. Preventing and minimizing burnout will help your whole company overall in the long-term.

Now You Know How to Boost Productivity Like a Pro

As you can see there are a few ways for boosting productivity. Now that you know how to boost productivity, you can pick and choose the methods that you feel will work for you and your employees. You can also try all of them and decide which ones are your favorite.

Did our blog post on how to boost productivity help you today? Please browse around the rest of our site for more great reads to improve business productivity and efficiency.

Top 15 Productivity Roadblocks Hindering Your Team

Want to improve your company productivity to boost ROI? Luckily there are many business tips to boost workplace efficiency. 

The infographic on the top 15 productivity roadblocks hindering your business team on projects is brought to you by Wrike Project Management Web Software.

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8 Tips To Fight The Summer Productivity Slump - By Wrike Project Management Tools

The Infographic on tips to fight the business summer productivity slump brought to you by Wrike digital collaboration tools. Enjoy the informational infographic:

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7 Key Tips for Managing a Productive Lab

Being a lab manager is no easy job. Especially on those days where materials go missing, samples don’t cooperate, and equipment turns out to have broken half a month ago.

Whether it’s a funding deadline or your superior looking down on you and putting pressure onto the lab’s productivity, there is usually something important on the line.

To keep your team pushing towards those goals, they rely on your laboratory management. So, here are seven critical tips for a productive lab, so you can keep your management skills top-notch.

Let's dive in!


What Makes a Great Lab Manager?

Before we jump into our list of useful tips, let’s take a quick look at the overarching qualities an effective lab manager should possess.

• Organizational Skills
• Leadership in Decision-Making
• Setting and following Rules and Regulations
• Managing Budgets
• Management from the Front
• Communication
• Project Management

Chances are if you are in this field, you have already checked most items on that list. But how can you improve on your lab management or make sure your current standard is maintained? It’s all about setting good habits.


1. Keep an Inventory of Everything

That much seems obvious. But how to organize your inventory? It’s crucial to find a method to categorize, identify, and track samples. One way to do so is by using barcodes.

The next important thing is that everything should have a correct label so you can alphabetize and organize however you see fit.

Keep in mind that some samples (and labels) will have to withstand different environments. 

Cryogenic labels, for example, are great for specimens stored in liquid nitrogen. 

Once you have devised a system to categorize all tubes, vials, and boxes you might be handling, it’s important everyone is on the same page and knows to restore components to their designated place. 


2. Be Organized

It’s worth investing time in workflow management so you can make it easier to track inventory, improve sample traceability, and improve the time management and the overall productivity of your staff. 

The best way to do so is to implement a laboratory information management system (LIMS), as this will note down the movement of each sample through the resting process.

It will also track the chain of custody, and allow users to schedule downstream processing, testing, and analysis. Already we refer back to point one - Barcode Labels are critical to making the most of a LIMS, as both will aid with similar things.

For a LIMS to be appropriately implemented and any time of workflow management to work, you and your personnel need to be on the same page at all times.

It’s essential to learn to coordinate and communicate. Habe regular lab meetings to set up and maintain any LIMS you wish to employ, and keep clean records of all lab activities using both the LIMS and annotated lab books.

Detailed, comprehensive lab books and SOPs are crucial to keeping a lab running long-term, especially in an academic field where students perform the majority of the work over several years and then leave their notes to future students. 

An excellent way to keep your documents organized is by using the same labels in your lab book as you use for the samples you're analyzing.


3. Maintain Lab Infrastructure

This is integral to ensuring your samples and reagents are untarnished and respond as they should in the future.

Maintenance measures include keeping freezers and refrigerators at the right temperature. Some equipment, like nitrogen tanks, will require replenishing and balancing. 

You can help automate this process by installing a system that can monitor your storage equipment, provide real-time updates and notification, and keep detailed logs.

A cloud-based framework can incorporate all reports into a single interface and alarm the members of the lab when something goes wrong or missing. 

And of course, always follow lab best practices. Contamination can be avoided by continually cleaning benches and used lab equipment with sanitizing wipes, bleach, or 70% ethanol solutions.

You should also replenish the water supply of water baths regularly, de-ice your freezers occasionally, and apply UV to your biosafety cabinet consistently.


4. The Fault Lies in the System

No matter how organized a lab is, it is inevitable that an error will occur sooner or later. We can learn from the field of medicine that the ‘bad apple’ approach where anyone that makes a mistake is reprimanded doesn’t work.

It's much better to discuss the errors and designing barriers that will reduce the likelihood of them reappearing. Remember that it is the system that should be held responsible and improved in response, not the people.

Your staff is more likely to avoid errors if all systems support the optimal workflow, such as recording all relevant information in the lab book, using the right labels, keeping an organized inventory, and maintaining equipment.


5. Think Outside the Box

As any scientist worth their salt knows, breakthroughs are seldom achieved by repeating what has already been done. Be willing to get creative and think outside of the box.

Make creative problem-solving part of your process, and encourage your team to do the same.


6. Master Common Sense

There is no one-size-fits-all approach to lab management. Each lab has different requirements and faces different challenges while working on entirely different projects.

No team can be compared to another, and facilities always have different resources available to them. This is worth embracing and adapting to your philosophy when it comes to management.

It’s important to know what to prioritize in your specific situation and find simple solutions rather than overly complicated ones.

When you keep organization and finances in mind during your decision making, many processes become bright ideas. Like sign-up sheets for machines or bio-safety cabinets, and checklists for often-repeated procedures.


7. Communicate, Collaborate, and Conquer

When everyone is working on different tasks for the week, it’s easy to forget that there is a team of people available at any time to support. Sometimes lab management requires stepping back to let others shine. 

Keep your team communicating and collaborating actively. One easy way to do this is by having a lab meeting at the start of each week. Use this time to go over what everyone is doing, what their tasks are, and where people could use assistance if necessary.

Allow the whole team to pitch into solving problems and encourage your team to form relationships inside and outside of the lab.

When professionals care about each other, they are naturally more inclined to help and support one another. Encourage this by remembering to bring a cake for any team member’s birthday.


These Habits Can Improve Your Laboratory Management

There are endless solutions to the challenges you face in your lab, but with that in mind, organization, maintenance, and communication can help you establish efficient and successful workflows.

Improving your laboratory management style and focusing on improving your existing pain points will ensure the gratitude of your team and superiors. For more tips on managing and budgeting, check out the rest of our website.