We’d like to think that if we just turned up at the office and put in a long shift, then our business success would be guaranteed. Alas, it’s not so simple. It’s not how many hours you’re in the office for that matters, but what you’re doing during the hours that you’re there. It’s much better to work well for four hours rather than simply be at the office for eight. Below, we take a look at some things that can derail your productivity. Don’t let them happen to your business!

Time Wasters

It’s not so much about figuring out ways to work hard – that’ll come by getting down to work – but limiting the amount of time wasters you have in your day. For example, let’s talk about meetings. These have been a mainstay of business for what feels like forever, but actually, they’re not all that good for productivity. It just took a long time for people to figure that out. If you’re currently gathering your employees together for a morning meeting, maybe look at one of the better alternative options instead.

Technology Downtime

You can have all the will in the world to work, but if you don’t have the tools to get down to work, then it’s going to be pretty difficult to get anything done! In the 21st century, this means having your technology in tip-top condition. You can lose many hours of work time a week if your technology is too slow, or even lose a day all at once if your IT cuts out on you altogether. To ensure you always have the tools you and your staff need to work at your best, look at working with a company that offers IT services. They’ll help to ensure that it’s always up and running.

Taking On Too Many Projects

There’s nothing wrong with having a lot of good ideas, but there is most definitely something wrong with trying to put them all into practice all at once. It turns out that humans are pretty terrible at multitasking, even if they think they are. So instead of trying to get a few different balls rolling, focus on just getting one moving instead. It’s much better to get one project done correctly rather than have three or four done to a substandard level.

Working Too Long

As we said in the opening paragraph, it’s not how long you work, but how much work you get done that matters. It’s worth remembering, however, that even if you’re fully focused, it’s not recommended to push yourself to the limit. For starters, the quality of your output will begin to wane after a few hours anyway, but you’ll also just tire yourself out in the long run, and that will make a productive day hard to come by. There’s nothing wrong with one long day of work, but if you’re making it a regular occurrence, then consider changing your working routine. You’ll be grateful in the long run, trust us.