Are you struggling to keep up with the demands of your business? Do you find yourself overwhelmed with emails, meetings, and tasks? Personal productivity is a problem that everyone faces, so we've put together our top tips to help boost yours.
In today's fast-paced world, personal productivity is critical to achieving professional success and maintaining a healthy work-life balance. Optimising productivity is vital as individuals navigate demanding schedules and increasingly complex tasks. This blog aims to equip you with valuable insights, proven techniques, and actionable strategies to unlock your maximum potential and enhance your personal productivity.
We've broken this blog down to 5 top tips to help boost your productivity:
1) Make the most of Microsoft Office
2) Use AI as a Personal Assistant
3) Utilise Productivity Platforms
4) Clear Digital Communication
By implementing these strategies and techniques, you'll be well-equipped to enhance your personal productivity! Just remember, there are plenty of other ways to increase productivity, as well as alternate tools and platforms than listed below; experiment with different options and discover what works best for you.
We also have a podcast episode on boosting personal producitvity which has inspired this blog.
Want to listen later? Head to Spotify, the episode if also available to listen on Apple Podcast, and click here for all other available platforms.
We are all well versed in using Microsoft products in our day-to-day office practices; Excel, Word, Powerpoint are all staples of the office environment, but are you using them to their most efficient?
Excel can do far more than basic formulas and functions. To boost your productivity, have a look at using PivotTables and Macros. PivotTables can be an excellent tool for data management, assisting the user to analyse meaning and gain insights. They also can be used to create interactive reports. Macros are a fantastic time-saving tool, allowing you to automate repetitive tasks by recording a sequence. Macros can then be taken even further by using VBA (Visual Basic for Applications) and coding the macro to run multiple times instead of repeatedly clicking it to go.
Excel isn't the only software you could work more efficiently on. Word also has plenty of inbuilt features to help you work more productively that people need to be aware of. Did you know that triple-clicking selects a whole paragraph? Or you can customise your autocorrect, not just for spelling but to add your own abbreviations to correct to specific phrases. The example in the podcast was that rather than repeatedly retyping Merry Christmas and Happy New Year, update the autocorrect to change HNY to the phrase. This can also be implemented across other pieces of software on Microsoft Office; think how much time that could save you on Outlook with emails.
Artificial Intelligence has become the latest hot-button topic; whilst some dismiss it as just a fad, there are plenty of AI tools to help aid productivity. Take the approach that AI is like a personal assistant. It is there as a colleague to help with your work, whether simple tasks like checking spelling and grammar or going as far as using it to create visual elements or edit videos. AI is a great tool, when used effectively, to boost productivity.
ChatGPT is a great way to use AI with a vast range of possibilities to assist any business with productivity. It can be used in many ways; by giving it prompts, you can use it to generate templates, write social posts or provide an overview/introduction to a subject. Just remember to read and check the content thoroughly, it can be a great starting point, but ChatGPT does have a particular writing tone and uses a lot of "Americanisms" in its' tone of voice, so make sure to amend the content to suit your style and purpose better.
ChatGPT is just one of many amazing tools, so explore and see what would suit your business needs. Some of our other favourites include Otter.AI for transcriptions and Podsqueeze for breaking down podcast episodes for easy timestamped chapters and show notes.
AI has many business applications, and as the technology grows, it will be exciting to see how much it can assist business tasks.
Did you know we do regular AI updates for business use on our podcast? Stay up to date with the latest applications for SMEs and stay ahead of the curve.
Keep you or your team on track with platforms designed to manage your productivity! Using productivity platforms such as Trello and Monday.com offers a multitude of benefits. Firstly, these platforms enhance organisation and task management by providing a clear visual overview of projects and tasks. With customisable boards and lists, users can easily create and track progress on various tasks, assign responsibilities, and set deadlines, fostering a structured workflow.
Secondly, these software solutions enable efficient collaboration and seamless communication within teams. Team members can leave comments, attach files, and share real-time updates, promoting effective collaboration regardless of geographical location. Furthermore, these platforms facilitate transparency and accountability as progress and updates are readily accessible to all team members.
Lastly, these productivity tools provide insightful analytics and reporting features that offer valuable insights into team performance, bottlenecks, and resource allocation, aiding in making data-driven decisions and improving overall productivity.
Numerous productivity platforms are available in addition to Trello and Monday.com, such as Asana and Basecamp. Think about the needs of your business, different working methods and if there is any further information you want to gather from the platform.
We can become flooded with messages, all coming through on different channels, so ensure you have a concise messaging system for the business. For example, you could do this by keeping emails for clients and have an internal platform like Slack or Microsoft Teams for cross-team messaging.
Having a specific communication-based platform, in addition to email, has many benefits. Firstly, they enable real-time conversations, allowing team members to engage in quick and seamless discussions. Secondly, integration with file-sharing platforms allows for easy access and sharing of important documents and resources, eliminating the need for lengthy email exchanges. Threaded conversations and organised channels also promote focused discussions, reducing noise and increasing productivity. Thirdly, integrating with other productivity software, such as project management platforms, allows teams to streamline workflows and receive important updates within the communication tool.
Communication is vital for smooth business operations; having a clear communication plan and platform helps productivity.
Automation offers substantial productivity benefits for businesses. Whilst capabilities will depend on platforms, companies can streamline repetitive tasks and eliminate manual efforts by leveraging automation, freeing up valuable time and resources. Companies can automate lead nurturing processes, email campaigns, data entry, and other routine activities. This not only increases productivity but also ensures consistency and accuracy in operations.
Integrating automation tools like Zapier with various software applications allows seamless data synchronisation and enables different systems to work together efficiently. This integration eliminates the need for manual data transfers and enhances productivity by automating data flow across other platforms. Some platforms you already use in your tech stack might have automation capabilities. If you're familiar with our work, you'll know we use HubSpot (or if you're new to Wellmeadow, we are HubSpot partners, get in touch to learn more!). HubSpot uses Workflows to create automations, which are fully customisable by the user. We have a great blog on creating workflows in HubSpot; examples include sending welcome emails and setting up scoring for leads.
Automation and workflows empower businesses to optimise operations, reduce manual efforts, and improve overall productivity.
In conclusion, you can significantly boost your productivity by implementing simple changes and adopting practical tools. It's important to remember that the platforms and tools you choose should streamline and enhance your processes, but not all tips will apply to every business or individual. Take the time to experiment with different procedures and find what works best for you. Embrace the power of optimisation, tailor your strategies to your unique needs, and start boosting your personal productivity today.
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