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One thing that anyone who watched a lot of futuristic films as a child can confirm for you: the future was not meant to have this many menial tasks. Businesses getting ready for 2020 were sure to be doing everything with computers. And not even corporeal computers. We would ask for something to be done, and it would materialise on our desks.

 

The truth is, modern businesses are more streamlined than those that existed in the 1980s and 90s. However, if you’re going to imagine what business will look like in 2050, imagine fewer tractor beams and more ergonomic desks.

 

Progress happens by necessity, not by fantasy. With that said, there are more ways now to avoid the loss of worker hours to unproductive tasks. You just need to know where time can be saved.

 

Data Security: The Paperless Office Is Still One For The Future

 

The idea of a paperless office is a nice one, and environmentally conscious. However, at present, it’s not always possible. As a result, we still have paper copies of some documents, and the need to dispose of them in a data-secure way when the time comes. That’s why you buy a shredder!

 

Of course, shredders don’t work all that fast, and the need for data security means they cannot be left unattended. Someone needs to stand there feeding them. Someone who could be doing more productive work. It’s for that reason that a confidential business shredding service is so invaluable to a company. They can take on this necessary task and free you up to do what you’re there for.

 

Meetings About Meetings? Prioritise Efficiency

 

If you are concerned about wasted time in your business, look at the schedule you currently have saved on your laptop. How many meetings do you have scheduled for this week, or even just for today? Now, how many of those meetings are necessary? How many are just a way to feed someone’s ego? A quick word at someone’s desk, or a quick email, can often deliver all the information needed.

 

Only schedule meetings for initiatives or changes that have to be actioned imminently. If people just need to keep doing what they are doing or switch tasks here and there, it’s nothing you cannot communicate in a single sentence.

 

Time-Blocking: Use Natural Break Points To Freshen Things

 

In many offices, the core idea is to keep everyone doing the task they are assigned to do until it is done. However, the truth is that being tied to one task all day can see lethargy set in. Tasks that should be fairly rapidly done can take longer, as minds wander and people chat to break the tedium.

 

Instead, it is advisable to schedule in some changes of focus throughout the day to keep minds fresh and motivation high. Instead of losing time to the changeover, though, plan it in for after break times.

 

So someone who is calling customers in the morning can process payments in the afternoon. Someone who has been interviewing potential new staff between 1 and 3 pm can edit the training manual until 5, and so on.