10 Productivity Tips from Top-Performing Managers

The results of every company depend on its employees and how they perform their tasks.

And for this, the role of managers is essential.

After all, there is no way to increase productivity - the true common dream of the corporate world - without going through effective management who all know how to conduct business.

It's like on a football team: for the club to be victorious, it's essential to have a coach who knows how to derive the best from both their players and themselves.

But how do you increase productivity in companies?

This is one of the issues that is most concerning to managers.

In addition, it's quite common for these professionals to think that the answer lies in a large set of secrets and activities that are difficult to accomplish.

Well, guess what. It's not really like this.

Here are some productivity tips for managers who possess true leadership habits that anyone can adopt if disciplined enough.

10 productivity tips for managers you can use right now

One of the most frequent goals in companies is to increase productivity.

And this is quite understandable, after all, in a business world where competitiveness is increasingly fierce, you must overcome your competitors.

And to achieve great results, it's critical for any organization to have truly productive management.

For this, it's necessary to take into account several factors, such as changes in personal behavior, work habits and even the use of more appropriate management tools.

Imagine a company that only uses emails to communicate internally.

Now ask yourself: How much time is wasted on sending messages between departments so tasks are completed?

Or how many mistakes can be made during the most varied processes?

Forwarding an email to the manager to make a request, asking for data from the financial sector, discussing your vacation through HR ...

These practices don't really characterize a productive work environment.

So to learn how to increase business productivity, you need to conduct analysis and change in how your business is managed.

Why not learn about productivity tips for managers that will change the way you plan your day, your tasks, and organize your business processes?

1- Plan your day

One of the most important productivity tips involves a keyword: planning.

After all, to be able to carry out all your activities in the most agile way possible, you must know how to organize them.

So make the habit of planning at the beginning of each morning (or the night before) what tasks should be done that day (or the next day).

Don't forget to take into account the level of complexity of each of them.

So, schedule yourself to perform activities that demand the most effort (concentration, intellectual, creative etc.) for the morning when you are less tired and more attentive.

Similarly, leave the most repetitive and routine tasks to the end of your routine.

These activities, because they don't require so much energy, are best suited for a time of day when you will certainly be more tired.

Check your daily to-do list often, but remember: Sometimes an unforeseen event may happen and make you need to reorganize your activities.

So, be natural and make the necessary changes in your plans.

The key is not to prioritize what's on your schedule, but to schedule your priorities. - Stephen Covey

2- Quick stand-up meetings

Meetings are needed in any business, but just thinking about this kind of commitment, many business owners are already discouraged and bored.

After all, sitting for hours, listening to lots of information - sometimes unnecessary - is not exactly synonymous with how to increase productivity in the company.

It may even have the opposite effect.

For this reason, different methods have become increasingly more productive meetings, such as those performed standing, or even walking.

By not adopting the traditional image of everyone sitting around a large table, standing meetings, called "stand up meetings", are a good solution.

Through this model, commonly used by technology companies, meeting times become more "compact", allowing people to synthesize their talks.

After all, it's not very comfortable to stand for a long period of time.

As a consequence, this process becomes much less tiring, employees are able to focus on what is really important and the attention of everyone is greater.

Another form widely used by celebrities like Mark Zuckerberg, founder of Facebook, and former US President Barack Obama, is to have meetings on the go.

The so-called "walking meetings", therefore, in addition to being performed standing, are done whilst walking.

Aside from a walk being beneficial to your health, the method is useful to increase the creativity of those involved, by leading them away from computers and phones, objects responsible for attracting a lot of attention from business people.

The more comfortable climate also brings a sense of connection, creating a less formal and more productive way of holding meetings.

The place for "walking meetings" should be close to the company's headquarters, in any quiet environment, pleasant and without much noise, ideal for a walk.

It's worthwhile to opt for meetings in the morning when everyone is more willing and attentive.

In addition, make a preliminary planning of the itinerary of the walks and the subjects of the meeting to ensure that all relevant issues are addressed.

We need space to be productive, we need places to go to be free. -Laure Lacornette

3- Organize tasks and processes

Workflow is a set of tools or methods that serve to automate processes in a company.

Its importance in a time marked by constant technological innovations, speaks - and a lot - of the idea of how to increase productivity.

Therefore, reevaluate the workflow of your company's core activities and establish which flow types will receive your highest attention.

You can, for example, establish 5 main and 1 generic flow types, look at them and find out how to improve them.

Over time, with these flows already consolidated, create new flows, which take into account the demands detected in the originals.

In this way, it's possible to increase the quantity and scope of your properly organized company processes.

Work is a process, and the whole process has to be controlled. To make work productive, therefore, it requires the construction of appropriate controls for the work process. Mark Zuckerberg

4- Delegate more tasks

A manager who tries to take on most tasks himself is a big problem for any organization.

Instead of passing on the image of a highly responsible leadership, it creates an overloaded professional and gives subordinates a sense of powerlessness.

This situation dramatically affects team engagement and the very productivity of processes in a company.

It's important to keep in mind that a good leader doesn't seek to concentrate on tasks, and do everything, but knows how to delegate them to others.

Therefore, one productivity tip is that a manager should perform necessary tasks, while at the same time delegating activities to employees.

In these cases, you can still set deadlines and alerts and only interfere more deeply when problems are detected.

For example, you can establish that if an employee takes up to 40% of the deadline to submit the completed task, you will receive a message.

But if this time extends to 70% of the stipulated limit, the case should be sent directly to the manager, who will then intervene directly in the process.

It's very important when delegating tasks, to make it clear who will be responsible for activities, as well as the deadlines for completing each one.

If it's not very clear what everyone should do and when, the tendency is that nothing is done, since each employee may think that the responsibility is not theirs.

Also, try to get to know the characteristics, skills and personal weaknesses of each member of your team.

Thus, it will be possible to target the professionals most suitable for each given task, increasing the chances of the results being the ones you desire.

By delegating tasks, it's also possible to influence the results of manager themselves, since by concentrating less work on them, they can dedicate themselves to other, more strategic activities, their true role in companies.

One of the most relevant productivity tips, but often left in the background, is that every professional needs to balance work and personal life.

So, with more free time, you can also focus on issues outside the company, linked to family and friends, feeling better and then you will be more willing to work.

Perfect is the enemy of good - Voltaire

5- Invest in your team

Have you stopped to review how much you have been valuing your team? Or the level of engagement of your employees?

The human factor is really what determines the success - or failure - of any and every business.

And that's why one of the most important productivity tips relates precisely to the human factor of your company.

First and foremost, you need to put in mind that every manager who is looking to increase productivity in their company needs to invest in their team.

Therefore, pay close attention to recruitment and selection, in addition to employee retention.

Try to give preference to talented people who are committed and accountable.

In addition, it's very important to always strive to keep levels of engagement high.

Nothing is more productive than a professional who truly feels motivated in the work they do.

So, try to be close to your employees by detecting problems and providing constant feedback.

It's worth offering compliments and even rewards for exceptional results.

Don't forget to invest in a continuous stimulus of knowledge, providing training, lectures or courses capable of introducing new information relevant to the productivity of your team.

Start with good people, set the rules, communicate, motivate and reward your employees. If you do all these things effectively, you can't go wrong.

Lee Lacocca

Before you learn about the other 5 productivity tips for managers, check out the infographic we prepared from a Harvard Business Review video.

6- Practice a physical activity

A manager who thinks that in order to increase productivity they only need to focus on activities within the company is deceiving themselves.

Taking care of your health is an essential factor for a healthier life and can also directly influence your level of productivity as a professional.

Scientific studies say that maintaining an exercise routine is not only a good thing for your muscles but also for your brain.

Physical activity helps to provide you with more energy throughout the day. This makes you feel more willing and focused, both at work and in other commitments.

So try to be an active person, practice an activity that you enjoy.

And it's not to say that you have to spend hours in the gym or go for long jogs.

It can be simpler than that, such as parking further from your building and walking for a few minutes instead. Or using the stairs instead of the elevator.

With this small change, you'll start to see good results. It won't only increase your energy at work but also in your daily life as a whole.

After effective action, start a silent reflection. From silent reflection, an even more effective action will come 

Peter F. Drucker

7- Be a predictable manager

In the corporate environment, much is said of meritocracy to continuously encourage better results among employees.

In order to stimulate the engagement of your team, in addition to delegating tasks and investing in your employees, you must also be a more predictable manager.

But how can this be considered one of the most important productivity tips for a manager?

To be a predictable leader means to make it very clear what employees need to do to achieve the company's goals and thereby receive some kind of reward.

For example, set a sales goal to earn a monthly bonus, or make it clear what is expected of each person in order to receive a promotion.

By knowing exactly what they should do to achieve a goal, staff will be more dedicated in accomplishing their tasks.

The result? More Productivity!

You cannot mandate productivity, you must provide the tools to let people become their best - Steve Jobs

8- Clear Goals and Objectives

As seen in the previous point, knowing where you want to go and what to do to reach that goal is essential to properly engage a team.

Therefore, also make sure that the goals and objectives of your team, or the company as a whole, are clearly defined.

Use methodologies and tools to help you clearly define what you want to achieve and to facilitate the sharing of progress.

To increase productivity, it's imperative that employees are well informed, able to monitor progress and detect possible problems clearly.

For example, you can put a screen in a publicly visible place near your team, showing data about the activities and tasks of the department, the so-called visual management.

By following such information frequently, the feeling of victory in reaching the established goals further strengthens team work.

If problems are perceived, the effort to solve them also becomes a commonality, with employees coming together to get around the situation in the best possible way.

But how do you properly set the goals and objectives of your company?

For this, you can count on the SMART technique.

This important methodology consists of analyzing your goals and objectives based on 5 points:

• Specific: every goal needs to be fairly clear, and should be considered easy for anyone to understand.
• Measurable: you must be able to measure whether your goal has been properly achieved, preferably in numbers.
• Attainable: your goals must have a touch of boldness, but they must be palpable. Study the limitations of your business before setting a goal.
• It must be possible to attain.
• Relevant: every objective must be relevant to your business and in accordance with established strategies.
• Time: determining a well-defined and achievable deadline is the key to getting tasks prioritized as they should be.

Productivity is never an accident. It's always the result of a commitment to excellence, intelligent planning, and focused effort - Paul J. Meyer

9- Use the phenomenon of digital transformation

Digital transformation is a phenomenon that occurs in the daily lives of individuals, influencing the way they interact, communicate and consume. This behavioral change creates opportunities for companies to create new products and services and, consequently, new business opportunities.

But putting digital transformation into practice means implementing a truly significant change in your organization, geared toward your people, processes, and customers.

It's not just about adopting new technologies, but about doing so with the purpose of better meeting the needs of your customers, facilitating the work of your staff and employing more productive and effective processes.

This phenomenon is an irreversible trend and will guide the competitive power of companies in the market in the coming years.

Higher productivity means less human sweat, not more - Henry Ford

10- Consistency in productivity

It's important to note that it's no use following previous productivity tips, only to end up erring due to a lack of consistency.

Meaning, what will be the supporting functionality of the changes cited after just a month or two?

You need to make increased productivity a routine, a habit, as well as the processes that make that goal possible.

In fact, persistence is perhaps the most difficult part of any process. At the same time, it's the factor that will define the true success of your strategies.

It's the same as in physical activities: you have to keep striving constantly to get results and improve on them.

The athlete who stops exercising falls from the performance.

In your management, try to do the same and persist for increased productivity to be constant in your business.

The way to start is to stop talking and start doing - Walt Disney