Business
Returned a called to your grieving widow client. Check. Made flight arrangement’s for next month’s conference. Check. Reviewed your client’s recommendations for your meeting with them tomorrow. Check. Running late for a meeting and still have 20 items on the to-do list for the day. The business world moves fast, sometimes, too fast. It can become overwhelming, and you may feel that you are falling behind. Let’s explore seven ways to help you keep up with an ever-changing business environment. 1. Work Smart You’ve heard the phrase, ‘work smart’, but what does that really mean? In a fast-paced business world, staying on top of the work is the best way to manage it. Maximize your time during your commute by returning calls in the car or emails if you take mass transportation. Check emails twice a day, and not first thing in the morning. Schedule work and meetings in time blocks if possible, to maximize. Goals and dreams are what make a business work. Sometimes, aspirations have to be pared down to what can actually be accomplished. Prioritize what can be done within reason. 2. Make a Plan Formulating a plan will help you prepare for the challenges of the day. Start your day by prioritizing what needs to be done that day and review the entire week while you are at it. Write down your tasks for the day and check them off as you complete them. It is gratifying to cross something off your list, and it makes you more efficient and productive. It also brings order to your day, which helps you to remain calm, especially in a chaotic environment. 3. Be Consistent Remaining consistent in your work is one important key to success. Try to avoid ups and downs in your work production, so you don’t feel that you are overwhelmed. Morten Hansen, professor of entrepreneurship at INSEAD, states: “You would expect that in a world that is changing constantly around you that what you ought to do is to morph into the next thing and the next thing and so on, but what we found in our research is that winners in the industries that we studied followed a path of consistent pacing. And in the long run, that is what paid off, even in chaotic industries.” 4. Communicate Well In a fast-paced business environment, there is always a lot of work to be done, but you just can’t do it all. Don’t be afraid to wave the white flag once in a while. When you get really bogged down with work, communicate with your team. If someone else can handle something that you are just not doing at all, it’s better than it not getting done at all. And, in many cases, I’m guessing, you need to let the small details go and let someone else do it the way they see fit. 5. Use Social Media to Help Social media is a one-stop shop to find out the comings and goings in your field. Platforms such as Facebook, Linked In, and Twitter should be used to keep updated on the industry trends to keep competitive and stay ahead of the rest. You can also receive daily updates from industry leaders, and you can follow what your current and potential clients are doing, if this can help you get additional business. 6. Embrace Technology Almost every industry has experienced rapid change over the last few years. The best way to evolve in an evolving business world is to stay updated with technology. Innovation is critical to launching products/services and expanding business. Invest in technology that will benefit not only your business as a whole and align with your objectives, but in those that make your job easier. This will also keep your skills current and your team’s skills current. 7. Take a Break Time spent rejuvenating is imperative to keep up with a fast pace. Run, watch a movie, read a book, take a yoga class, do some stretching---do something that relaxes you and that has nothing to do with work. When you give your mind a break from the ever-growing to-do list, you will find that you come back to it refreshed. The same goes for your lunch break.