Boosting productivity

High levels of productivity are essential for success when you’re the owner of a business. Yell Business has surveyed 1,500 small business owners in the UK to gain insight and tips on boosting productivity, and the results are interesting… Clutter isn’t a concern Getting caught up on unnecessary issues can stunt productivity – a common…

Clutter isn’t a concern

Getting caught up on unnecessary issues can stunt productivity – a common example is how cluttered your desk is. It’s become a common belief that a cluttered desk can result in a cluttered mind and a distinct lack of productivity. However, our survey found that 94% of business owners in the UK who admitted their desk was ‘extremely cluttered’ also make a profit. With positive profit being a major sign of continued productivity, it could be argued there is no relation between clutter and productivity.

So, don’t focus on areas that don’t deserve your time. If you do feel there is a pressing need to organise the madness, we suggest only keeping things you need daily on your desk and investing in storage or more creative ways to house the rest of your ‘clutter’. Try a cork board to display items and bin anything you haven’t used in over a month.

Make the most of the home office

Your place of work really important when it comes to productivity. It needs to be an inspirational place where you can get ‘in the zone’ rather than suffer from distraction. More recently, entrepreneurs are finding that the home office is their place of productivity, with half of small business owners in the UK choosing to work from home most of the time.

Our survey reveals that this translates to productivity, with 49% of all UK small business owners saying their home is where they work most productively. So, if you ever find yourself needing to reduce distractions, your home should be the first place to focus. Just make sure you have a dedicated space, so your work life doesn’t overtake your home life!

An early bird catches the worm

In addition to worrying less about desk clutter and making the most of home working, we found it really is the early bird that catches the worm, with mornings being the most productive time of the day for UK small business owners. 65% said they find they are more productive in the morning as opposed to the afternoon. The hours of 9-11am are the ‘sweet spot’ of productivity, with over a third of business owners saying this is the time their work output is at its best. So, while owning your own business might come with the temptation to lay in, it pays to get working bright and early.

All statistics, unless noted are taken from a survey of 1,500 small business owners and 1,500 consumers by Yell Business in February 2017.