Breaks are a touchy subject in the business world. Every company owner approaches this issue differently. Some are more than willing to let staff take an hour for lunch. Others are reluctant to give much longer than 15 minutes at any one time. Employees, too, have differing opinions on this. Some members of staff would much prefer to work through than lose an hour’s money each day. That’s no surprise when you consider lunch breaks could cost upwards of five hours wages each week.
Whatever your stance on the subject, though, it’s clear to see the importance of taking a break every once in a while. If staff work without stopping, their productivity will take more of a hit than you may realize. That’s not good for your business or the staff in question. Hence why, if you haven’t done so already, you should consider incorporating a break space. This will ensure that everyone takes at least short breaks throughout the day. That, in turn, could see the quality of work soaring. If you want to take the benefits even further, consider the following ways you could make that break space productive.
Free snacks Providing free snacks for staff could boost productivity in a few significant ways. For one, it saves them having to go off-site and thus take more time during meal breaks. Providing the right kinds of foods could also physically aid productivity. Berries, nuts, and even dark chocolate can increase brain power and reduce stress. They also provide a longer-lasting boost of energy than alternatives such as cakes.
The right smell In most workplaces, the break room smells of the last thing which went in the microwave. You may want to change that if you’re aiming to improve productivity here. As can be seen from articles like this one on www.aromatechsystems.com, studies have suggested that scents such as lavender prevent the deterioration of work productivity. By incorporating a scent diffuser, you could help even those staff members who pop in here for a cup of coffee. Besides which, pleasant smells are sure to make this a much nicer place to be generally. Diverting the course of the workday There’s also evidence to suggest that even brief diversions can improve focus for prolonged periods. Last off, then, you need to provide some form of diversion in your break room. Many employers opt to use television for this purpose, and that can work well. Equally, providing break room books like those mentioned on www.bustle.com could be the perfect thing. After just 10 or 20 minutes of using resources like these, you can bet your staff will feel refreshed and raring to go. Taking time out like this can also reduce stress, which is again fantastic for results.
You can bet, once you get your head around these methods, that you’ll be begging staff to take a break. Get your break room in the bag, and you’ll see increased productivity, even if your team start taking more time out.
As a small business owner, one of the most important steps for growth is getting EXPOSURE.
You can have the most incredible product or service on the market but if nobody knows about it, your business is not going to reach its full potential.
Unfortunately, these days you can’t just hang a sign in your window and wait for the customers to pour in. You need to proactively get yourself out in front target markets with the right strategy in order to attract clients.
As a modern entrepreneur, what are the best ways to let people know about your brand and get them to pay attention? I’ve gathered a few tips for you here.
#1 Invest In Creating An Incredible Customer Experience
Creating a memorable and unique experience for your customers will make them more likely to tell their friends. Word of mouth marketing (referral) is the most valuable marketing strategy you can hope to create. When someone experiences your company and LOVES it, they won’t be able to shut up about it. Every dollar you invest in creating a great customer experience is worth much more than a dollar paid on normal advertising.
#2 Don’t Wait Until Your Product Is Perfect
A big mistake I see new entrepreneurs make is waiting forever to launch their product or service because they want everything to be “perfect”. Don’t do this! Start talking about your company fast and early, be your own chief sales officer! You want to start collecting paying (profitable!) clients as soon as you can so that the ball can keep rolling. The kinks will work themselves out as you move along confidently.
#3 Focus On Building Relationships With Key Influencers
Identify some key influencers in your target market and begin building relationships with them. Reach out through social media, take them to lunch if they’re local, send them free products or offer them a free service in exchange for giving you a shout out. I would put more energy into this than in getting likes and shares on your social posts. While growing your own social media platforms is important, the good word of key influencers is worth a lot more of your energy and focus.
#4 Invite Yourself To The Party
Get into social groups and communities (can be in person and/or online) where you can build relationships and get to know people. The goal should not be to “sell” your brand in these interactions, but to build trust and let people know who you are and what you do. Also show genuine interest in what they are doing and be open to building valuable connections with those who have strengths you don’t and vise versa. This can be hard for introverted entrepreneurs who prefer to stay quiet, but it is an important step in getting exposure especially during the early days of your business.
#5 Become A Respected Authority In Your Target Market
Create expert content for something related to your industry. Become a trusted and respected authority on topics your audience cares about and you will gain a lot of traction and attention. Make sure you give well researched, cited, and valuable information. There are so many ways to do this! One of my favorites is through hosting/participating in online telesummits. These are 100% online events where professionals gather and are interviewed on topics related to their areas of expertise. If this sounds intimidating, I can help! Running successful, profitable telesummits is something I have been doing for years. 🙂
I hope you’ve found the information here valuable! If you are looking for a support team to help you gain exposure and get your brand out to the world, I would love to talk with you!
It’s easy to slip into a workaholic mindset. When you want to see progression and results, you don’t want to waste time. Instead, you want to power ahead and work until each task or project that you are assigned (or that you have assigned yourself) is complete. However, it’s extremely important that you take a break every once in a while. Studies have found that something as simple as a thirty second microbreak can boost productivity levels by an astounding thirteen percent. They have also discovered that taking a fifteen second break from staring at a computer monitor every ten minutes can reduce fatigue by up to fifty percent. So, it’s time to start giving yourself a little rest every now and then. Here’s everything you need to know to achieve this.
Know the Difference Between Taking a Break and Procrastination
First things first, it’s important to establish the difference between taking a break and plain old procrastination. While taking a break is healthy and can actually boost your productivity levels, procrastination is a bad habit that will see you put work off until you are extremely stressed and rushing to meet deadlines. When you take a break, you set a specific time to walk away from your desk or the project that you are handling and give yourself an opportunity to relax and recuperate. When you are procrastinating, you simply allow your mind to wander during periods when you should be working hard. So, schedule your breaks and don’t allow yourself to become distracted until it is break time.
Daily Breaks
Let’s start by focusing on daily breaks. It is generally recommended that you have a seventeen-minute break for every fifty-two minutes that you work. However, try to at least incorporate one twenty-minute break into every six hours of work. Try to take this time away from your desk, where you may be tempted to think about work. Instead, immerse yourself in something completely unrelated. Consider playing a few games at Slotathon.com, calling a friend or family member for a brief catch up, or simply scrolling through your social media feeds.
Extended Breaks
As well as breaks throughout the day, you should consider taking more extended breaks every once in awhile throughout the year. Make sure to take adequate holiday leave whether you are heading away on vacation or not. Simply having a few days to relax and recuperate around the house, away from the daily commute and responsibilities of the workplace, can prove extremely beneficial for your overall happiness, health, and wellbeing.
As you can see, it’s extremely important to take a break from work every once in a while. Hopefully, the above steps will help you to achieve this!
