How to setup your Work Environment to boost your Productivity
Don't waste Time with Bad Customers
Yes, certain customers can really be annoying sometimes. However, they bring good money ... or do they?
If a customer or the work with him does not meet the following points, so you should think about whether a further cooperation is really useful:
- good payment
- pleasure in working
- Follow-up orders are possible/the rule
- Customer has relations and mediates new customers for us
Here you have to choose with your team what is important for you and see what of it applies to your clients and what would be the consequence. For example, are other clients safe in the long run and you earn more there?
Quite often, annoying clients don't even bring much money and only cost time. Instead of holding on to such clients, you can think about the opportunity costs. Suppose you had your best customer twice in the place of this customer: How would you feel about that? Probably a lot better, wouldn't you. 😉
You'd feel better.
Routines for refueling energy
Agency owners in particular usually have a lot on their plate. That's why it's important for them to be able to switch off from time to time in order to regenerate. How about a two-week trip to Bali, for example? You think you can't afford that because you are indispensable and have to control all tasks? This is only the case if your agency consists either of only a few employees and you are simply (still) too much involved in operations or if you have not yet established any systems. With these systems, you can define responsibilities and structure processes in such a way that employees and even you as the agency head can be replaced from time to time for certain periods of time.
However, if you need a breather without a major vacation, we have more suggestions for you here:
Sports also boost your mind and let you relax better. Many successful entrepreneurs meditate in order to have a clearer head in everyday life. Weekend trips or walks can also free up the brain.
Especially fixed morning and evening routines can help you to bring structure into your daily routine and that you take care of yourself. Here you can incorporate meditation, exercise, and reading real books (not on a screen), for example. These routines often lower stress levels, give you strength and open your mind to new ideas. For example, our CEO uses the mediation app Headspace and has meditated with it over 1,000 times :)
Outsourcing
You don't have any free capacities with your agency, but there are always new, urgent projects from customers that you don't want to lose? Then think about whether you can outsource and pass on some tasks to freelancers.
Especially if they involve numbers, graphics, programming or are in English, you have a good chance of finding someone abroad to do them. There are many countries where the average wage is much lower than in Germany or other Western countries. However, this does not mean that you should always pay the lowest possible wage. In order for you to profit as well as for the freelancers abroad to be paid fairly, it is good to find a middle ground. On the one hand, you receive your usual market price, e.g. in Germany. On the other hand you give something back to poorer people and their regions. In addition, you allow the freelancer a more independent life, because he can do his work much more remotely and is no longer tied to one place. At least, if you hire him regularly after a good job.
In addition, it can also be worthwhile for you to collaborate with other companies to implement a project. Here, however, we would always conclude an explicit contract, so that it does not come to any disputes in the end. Platforms where you can find good freelancers are:
- Fiverr
- Upwork
- Onlinejobs.ph
It is important to us that both sides benefit. We have several locations across Europe where employees live. We are happy to pay them more than is customary in their country because this way we support them and show them that they are valuable to our company.
Philipp RückertChief Executive Officer Monkeys.Digital
Show long-term mission and perspective
It is very important for the motivation of employees that they see a perspective for themselves in the company. By giving them the chance to move up and become even better experts, also through further training, the likelihood that they will only see your agency as a stepping stone to another job is reduced. Of course, this is also related to a positive work environment, which should not be underestimated. If employees can identify with your company and the long-term mission you are striving for, then they are mostly highly engaged and very valuable to you. One of the motivational quote for us.
Train People well enough so they can leave, treat them well enough so they don’t want to.
Sir Richard BransonGuide also available as PDF
Read and use the Productivity Guide for Agencies anywhere you like.