When it comes to running a business, there’s a lot you have to manage. It can quickly become overwhelming. At times, it feels that your business has taken over your life, and you don’t have enough time in the day to fight all of the fires you’re facing, let alone get some personal time to relax and enjoy yourself. Although there may not be a way to get everything under control and managed all at once, there are some things that you can do to alleviate your stress at work so that you have more time to yourself when the day is done. Below are just a few of the little hacks that you can use to make a big difference for your business, (and your sanity).
Using Multiple Work Screens
As simple as it may sound, giving yourself and your employees an extra work screen so that you have at least two to work on can make a difference when it comes to productivity, stress, and even the functioning of your business. How? Multiple work screens can help you accomplish certain tasks more quickly, helping you get through more of your workload, and when you get more done, your business benefits.
Did you know that too much work can decrease productivity by 68 percent? By having multiple work screens, you can help reduce the productivity decrease for your self and among your staff.
Pre-Hiring Surveys
As a business owner, you know that people are not always as they seem on paper. Someone who has all of the education and experience you want may be a terrible fit as far as company culture goes, but there may be somebody you overlook because they don’t quite have all of the qualifications yet they fit the culture well and have the drive and ability to learn and adapt quickly. Because of this, hiring can be difficult, and many job sites only let you filter out candidates who are not qualified on paper. By using pre-hiring surveys in the application process, you can better find the candidates you’re really looking for and build up the staff you need.
Shortening URLs
It may not seem like a big deal, but when you make short URLs instead of using full-length addresses in your posts, on your website, and in other online content, you’re making your content more readable, mobile-friendly, and more. Although short URLs may not have an immediate impact on your time or your business, they can affect your SEO, social media posts, and more, and help you get better results from your efforts over the long-term.
Using the Cloud
Most businesses have begun using the cloud to store and keep their documents, but some have chosen to use their own servers and keep things on individual computers. If you want to help your business and make your life easier, though, then the cloud is the way to go. By storing things in the cloud, you can access them at any time, anywhere. You won’t necessarily even need to send a document as an attachment since you can simply give access to individuals, streamlining the process and saving yourself hassle and time.
Remote Workers/Workdays
56 percent of startup companies use remote workers to cover the jobs they need to have done, and for good reason. 86 percent of employees report being more productive when they work by themselves and if you hire a fully remote workforce, you can reduce overhead costs since you won’t have to pay for the office space needed to host everyone. Even if you don’t have a totally remote workforce, having remote workdays can help break things up, keep employees feeling refreshed, and result in higher quality work.
Focusing Less on Time and More on Results
The standard 9 to 5 workday sends the message that the amount of time you spend at work or at your desk equals the quality of work and the results that you get, but as a business owner you know that’s just not true. Even if you know that, though it can be hard to change your mindset and focus more on results and less on how much time an employee, (or you), spends in their seat. By shifting your focus, you might start seeing better results from employees and could find yourself with extra personal time at the end of each day.
Partnering with Influencers
Influencers are a powerful part of modern marketing. Because people rely on other people for recommendations and reviews of products when deciding to make a purchase, because around 40 percent of consumers use adblockers, and for so many other reasons, partnering with influencers can have a bigger impact on your marketing than you might think. By delegating some of your marketing efforts to influencers, you can see better results without as much stress and effort.
In Conclusion
There are so many stresses that come with running a business, but luckily there are little things that you can do to help relieve that stress and delegate some of the responsibility so that you, (and your employees), are happier and have more time to do the things you love. What are some other little hacks you like to use to make a difference when it comes to running your business?