How to work smarter for small businesses

You’ve undoubtedly heard many cliches about the idea of hard work. You will have been told that the harder and more you put into your work the more you will get out of it in the long run. ‘The hard work will pay off’ we are constantly told.

The more you dedicate and work on something the better it will be. And for the most part, especially when it comes to business, this is true. You cannot expect to grow something without dedication on your part. Business will not just come to you - this is something that needs to be built over time and that takes work. But is there another way to look at this idea of work and what it means in today?

How about working smart? What this means is different for everyone. But at Payzone, what we are referring to is working to your strengths and weaknesses and finding ways to do something time consuming in less time - particularly if it allows you to focus on other tasks.

Set yourself a time for a task you’re doing. If you want to be smart with your day focus on doing a task in a certain time frame. In other words:

STAY OFF YOUR EMAIL. Nothing kills productivity quite like looking at emails. Avoid the temptation when you’re in the middle of a set task. Unless it's something urgent - refrain from responding. You have a lot to do so revisit this later when you have time.

Oh and on the subject of working smart, let’s talk about social media. Many of us do it and for the most part, it's a waste of time. The moment you start looking at Twitter, Instagram, Facebook etc. whilst you’re working, the less likely it will be that you will be focusing fully on your task at hand.

So we are just going to say it plainly to you… SWITCH OFF SOCIAL MEDIA NOW! Believe us when we say you’ll work much more effectively for it. P.S. We haven’t forgotten about WhatsApp on your iPhone. Oh no. This is just as bad. Resist the urge to respond to your friends groups.

Put your phone away. Out of sight out of mind. You can always pick it up at lunch - don’t totally deny yourself fun time in the day.

Never be afraid to ask for help. Often people find that they have too much to do. They are busy, overworked and exhausted but they plough through anyway to get it done. This isn’t working smart, this is damaging to your business and your sanity. Someone who works with you or maybe even someone you know might be a specialist in a certain area. Maybe they are a good accountant or understand how to foster long term relationships through business development. If you are aware of someone who can offer help, grab it with both hands. You cannot do everything - and thinking that you can will only lead to negative consequences further down the line. So please be aware of your limitations: that’s working smart and being effective.

Another way to work effectively is to work when you function best. We assume many people reading this are business owners so have the luxury of choosing the hours you work. This is truly a gift to be embraced. You don’t need to be sitting flat out from 9am-6pm working. Instead, you could break up your day. If you’re a night owl then why not work later on. This all depends on you and your preferences - and other external factors and arrangements you may have.

Ultimately, it’s about what works best for you.

At Payzone, we believe in solutions that help small businesses thrive. Find out more about us and how we support thousands of businesses across the UK with their payment solutions.