Every business owner struggles with productivity issues. It’s totally normal. What matters is identifying the issues you struggle with and then taking steps to remedy them. That’s where we come in! Today we’re sharing five productivity issues that may be delaying your business progress and some actions you can take to improve your efforts.
[Theresa] Did you know that only 5% of small business owners actually achieve all of the business goals they set for the year?
[Meghan] That’s such a low percentage. But, if you think about it, it’s not all that surprising. As a small business owner, there is a lot to do. You often face challenges that get in the way of progress.
[Theresa] And if you’re not clear on your business goals, to begin with, that also contributes. As Meghan and I have said before, “vague goals get vague results!”
Your Problem May Be Your Productivity
[Meghan] But, let’s say you began your year by carefully crafting S.M.A.R.T. E. R. goals. You planned in advance, broke down your year into quarters and outlined the projects, strategies, and tactics so that you can kick some major butt this year.
However, a few months in, you know you’re already off track. You’re frustrated and thinking, “Why did I bother with planning?” What do you do then?
[Theresa] First of all, getting off track is normal. This is not a sign that you should quit what you’re doing and move in another direction or give up entirely.
Often, a lack of progress is not a “goals issue” but rather a productivity issue.
5 Productivity Issues Affecting Your Progress
[Meghan] So, today, we’re sharing five productivity issues that may be affecting your goal achievement.
I’ll just state up front that a few of these productivity issues likely won’t surprise you. But if you’ve not been addressing them, that means you need to hear them again!
And don’t worry. We’ve got a few that will likely surprise you, too.
So let’s go!
1) Time Management
[Theresa] According to the 2021 Small Business Trends Survey, time management is among the top five challenges facing business owners today. And it’s likely a productivity issue you struggle with.
While this isn’t much of a surprise, time management is always a topic worth talking about.
How you spend your time will directly affect your productivity.
And let me emphasize, I’m referring to WHAT you spend your time DOING. Not how many hours you’re spending on any given thing.
[Meghan] So, let’s say you only have two hours on any given day to dedicate to your business growth. What you do during those two hours matters.
Will you spend it surfing social media or combing through email? Or, will you spend it developing a marketing tactic that will lead to revenue?
Obviously, marketing is a far more productive use of your time.
[Theresa] Exactly. Meghan and I have shared many episodes on time management strategies. Here are a few episodes that will be helpful:
- 3 Powerful Time Management Strategies to Help You Get Back Hours Every Week
- Time Blocking: What It Is and Why You Need It to Boost Your Marketing Productivity
- 9 Tasks To Outsource to a Virtual Assistant So You Can Better Manage Your Time and Your Business
- How to Leverage Your Time to Work More Efficiently and Effectively
- How to Squeeze Content Marketing Tasks into a Busy Day
[Meghan] Yes. Definitely check out those resources. You can also head over to Theresa’s blog to read her post called Your Perfect Hour Formula: Discover How To Work More Effectively. In this post, she shows you how to make the most out of an hour.
For now, let’s move on.
2) Burnout
[Theresa] Another common productivity issue among business owners is burnout.
HelpGuide defines burnout as a state of emotional, physical, and mental exhaustion caused by excessive and prolonged stress. It occurs when you feel overwhelmed, emotionally drained, and unable to meet constant demands.
[Meghan] Every business owner experiences times of high stress! However, feeling stressed out for a period of time is not the same as experiencing burnout.
[Theresa] That’s right. There’s a big difference. Burnout is no joke.
I experienced it years ago when I was working over 100 hours a week and not taking care of my physical or mental health. It was awful.
I certainly wasn’t productive, but that was the least of my concern at the time.
Symptoms of Burnout
I experienced all of these symptoms of burnout
- Emotional exhaustion (feeling emotionally drained and depleted, and having little energy or motivation to deal with work or personal responsibilities)
- Depersonalization (feeling detached, cynical, and impersonal toward others, especially people you work with like colleagues or clients)
- Reduced personal accomplishment (feeling like your efforts are ineffective and your work is no longer meaningful, leading to a sense of self-doubt and reduced confidence)
- Physical symptoms like chronic fatigue, insomnia, headaches (also gastrointestinal issues and a weakened immune system)
- Cognitive difficulties like memory and concentration problems (also difficulty with decision-making and a lack of creativity and problem-solving skills)
- Loss of enjoyment and satisfaction (feeling dissatisfied with work and other areas of life, and losing interest in hobbies and activities that were once enjoyable)
- Increased negativity (feeling irritable, angry, resentful, or frustrated more often than usual)
[Meghan] When you’re experiencing burnout, productivity is not your priority. Your first order of business is to take care of YOU.
[Theresa] And we cannot stress this enough — if you are in burnout, please seek out the help of a mental health professional.
Burnout Prevention Strategies
[Meghan] To help prevent burnout, here are some strategies to try:
- Schedule regular breaks throughout your day (give yourself some time to rest and recharge, take time off, or reduce your workload if you can)
- Ask for help when you need it (reach out to trusted friends, family members, or colleagues for emotional support, also working with a coach will help)
- Practice self-care (exercise, relaxation techniques, meditation, and healthy eating will all help to manage stress)
- Set boundaries (in your work and personal life to avoid over-commitment and learn to say no when you need to)
- Focus on what’s important (prioritize tasks and focus on what matters in the short term, rather than trying to do everything at once)
- Reconnect with what you love (make time for hobbies, interests, and activities that bring you joy and pleasure)
[Theresa] Before we move on, again… if you feel like you’re experiencing burnout, consider seeking the help of a mental health professional.
[Meghan] OK. What’s next?
3) Non-existent or Inefficient Processes
[Theresa] Next up in our list of productivity issues is non-existent or inefficient processes.
When it comes to productivity, doing what’s effective is critical. However, it’s equally as important to be efficient at what you’re executing.
Efficiency happens through the creation of processes — especially for repeatable tasks. Yet, so many business owners bypass this step. In essence, recreating the wheel each and every time they do a task.
[Meghan] As a business owner, systems and processes are critical to streamline your efforts and improve your productivity. Creating these things sounds like work…because it is. We get it! But, not having them can cause a host of other productivity issues, such as
- Duplication of work (this results in a lot of wasted time and effort)
- Bottlenecks (work may get stuck at certain points causing delays that slow down productivity and progress)
- Delays in decision-making (this could result in missed opportunities or ineffective responses to challenges)
- Increased errors (these errors can be time-consuming to fix and can slow down productivity)
- Lack of focus (this could result in time spent on tasks that are not a priority or not aligned with your business’ goals)
[Theresa] If this is a productivity issue you struggle with, the solution is simple. Start by creating the systems and processes you need to be more efficient.
Do a brain dump of the tasks you do repeatedly. Then, take them one at a time.
As you do each task, write down the steps as you go. Keep those documents in a folder on your computer or in Google Drive. Or create them in your project management tool.
Keep it simple. Then, watch your productivity soar!
[Meghan] Plus, these processes become great training materials and standard operating procedures for any future hires you make.
Alright. Moving on.
4) Lack of Delegation
[Theresa] The next productivity issue plaguing business owners is a lack of delegation. Whether you’re a solo business owner or you have a small, but mighty team, you need to get good at delegating.
And if you think you can’t — you need to stop telling yourself that story.
[Meghan] When you think of delegating, you may think that means hiring full-time workers. But, that’s not necessarily the case. There are plenty of other alternatives to hiring full-time workers.
[Theresa] That’s right. To delegate, you could
- Hire a freelancer (this can be a cost-effective way to delegate specialized tasks, such as graphic design, copywriting, or bookkeeping)
- Use virtual assistants (VAs can be hired on an hourly or project basis, depending on your needs)
- Outsource to specialized service providers (such as website development, marketing, and accounting. These providers can be hired on a project or ongoing basis)
- Use automation tools (many routine tasks can be automated using software tools)
- Leverage online resources (there are many cost-effective, online resources available that can help with tasks such as market research, content creation, and lead generation)
[Meghan] In this day and age, it’s easier than ever to delegate. And, by getting lower-level tasks and things you’re not good at off your plate, you’ll improve your productivity.
Plus, delegation frees you up to focus on the high-value tasks that lead to revenue generation, like marketing and sales.
And guess what? That increase in revenue will enable you to do even more delegating!
OK! I think this brings us to productivity issue number five.
5) Lack of Accountability
[Theresa] It sure does! And that’s a lack of accountability.
Accountability is all about ownership. It’s taking responsibility for your own actions. When you don’t take responsibility, it can lead to a host of other productivity issues like
- Missed deadlines (a lack of accountability can result in not prioritizing tasks effectively, which can lead to missed deadlines and delays)
- Low-quality work (without accountability, you may not feel motivated to produce high-quality work, resulting in errors, omissions, and subpar work that needs to be redone, which wastes time and resources)
- Lack of follow-through (without accountability you may start tasks but not complete them or you may not attempt tasks that are outside of your area of expertise)
- Inefficient use of resources (using resources inefficiently leads to wasted time and money)
[Meghan] We recently did an entire episode on how to hold yourself accountable. In it, we shared these three strategies to help you with accountability.
- Understand what you’re accountable for
- Avoid overcommitting yourself
- Find accountability partners — and if you need a partner, Theresa’s accountability group, the Daily Achievers’ Virtual Cafe could be a great solution
To learn more about accountability, definitely check out that episode.
You Can Conquer Your Productivity Issues
[Theresa] You know, productivity can be a challenging thing to master. But don’t worry. You CAN conquer your productivity issues.
If you’re feeling overwhelmed, don’t beat yourself up about it. As we always say, start small! It’s a great way to make progress. Remember that every little bit counts, and it’s okay to take things one step at a time.
[Meghan] Try to identify one small thing you can do today to improve your productivity. Maybe it’s one of the suggestions we’ve made today.
But if even that feels overwhelming, you can start smaller by simply setting a timer or making a to-do list for the day. Whatever it is, celebrate your accomplishment and keep moving forward.
[Theresa] The key is to make small, sustainable changes that you can stick to over time. You don’t have to be perfect, and it’s okay to stumble along the way. Just keep putting one foot in front of the other, and before you know it, you’ll be making great progress toward improving your productivity. You got this!
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