Time is of the essence

With Brexit uncertainty continuing to grow, businesses across a range of sectors are taking the time to review their existing processes and procedures, looking for new ways to enhance workplace productivity.

While it’s difficult to know exactly what challenges lie ahead, it is accepted that helping workers make the most of their time will only serve to benefit the companies they represent.

For some, becoming more productive has its own personal benefits too, as individuals experience a better work life balance once they become more time-effective, spending more time away from the workplace to enjoy with family and friends.

According to the dictionary, personal productivity is a noun meaning ‘the state or quality of being productive’. Whether that involves completing more work in the same amount of time or the same amount of work in less amount of time, it has the same outcome whichever way you cut it.

Ultimately, personal productivity is the very foundation of success. It captures the human spirit of wanting to become better and achieve more, and luckily, this is something successful businesses can harness to improve profitability.

Instead of investing in expensive equipment to address the productivity puzzle, you have the more affordable option of utilising the resources already at your disposal, prioritising high payoff activities to deliver better results for the organisation.

It’s all about working smarter, not harder – focusing your energy on tasks that yield better results means doing the right things, at the right time.

Of course, there may be some post-Brexit obstacles that are outside of your control, such as price changes, a shortage of talent and new competitors entering the market, but time is the one resource that you can exert personal control over.

No matter how well you organise your day, you will only have the same time as everyone else, so it’s how wisely you use what time you have that will determine your success. Don’t fall into the common trap of thinking time is on your side, as a lack of concentration can quickly change that.

While organisations spend a lot of time thinking about how much money is spent on equipment, materials and supplies, ironically there is very little discussion about how to use time, the most valuable resource available and the root of personal productivity.

If you identify just 30 – 40 minutes you are wasting in your working day and spend that time being productive and getting valuable stuff done, you will add the equivalent of around 22 eight-hour workdays to your time each year.

It’s an astonishing statistic that demonstrates the power of personal productivity – imagine how much more successful your business could be with an additional month of work.

Once you start taking time seriously, then you can unlock a wealth of opportunities for your business that your competitors cannot.