Productivity Tips: How Creative Teams can Increase Efficiency

We all struggle with productivity at times. When you work in an agency, however, juggling multiple accounts and deadlines can become overwhelming and tiresome, which can easily lead to a drop in effectiveness. Check out this article for some useful productivity tips creative teams can use to stay on top of their tasks and streamline the workflow.

When you’re a creative, succumbing to distractions isn’t such a bad thing, as it can foster your creative thinking. However, there are times when your team is required to hunker down and deliver results. With multiple accounts under your belt and deadlines looming over you, losing track of projects and stressing out are common occurrences. To avoid sudden drops in productivity, remember that productive people aren’t born, they’re made; and a better work environment can positively contribute to one’s effectiveness.

The first step you need to take is determine why employees are unproductive. Are they overworked? Bored? Distracted? Talk to them about their workdays and ask them to come with suggestions on how to make things better. Find out what motivates your people and how they understand a productive workplace should look like. Their input is invaluable when it comes to figuring out how to improve the office atmosphere and foster efficiency. I’ve also gathered a few productivity tips that will hopefully help agency professionals conquer procrastination and distractions once and for all.

1. Set Milestones for Big Projects

Taking on big projects is excited, but actually getting started on them can be a drag. When there’s too much to tackle, procrastination always founds its way into the mix. To ease things for your team, break down the project in smaller increments and assign a designated amount of time for each one. This way, the workload wouldn’t seem so heavy anymore. Don’t forget to leave a few days aside to test and evaluate your results, so that the end product exceeds client expectations. Also, establish clear goals for each member, to ensure everyone knows what they have to do.

2. Automate Time Tracking

There’s nothing more boring than filling time sheets, a task I dreaded with all my heart when I worked at my first agency. As creative, we all have certain periods of time when we’re most productive. During these, the last thing you want to do is take a break to fill out a timesheet. However, since for many projects it’s crucial to track time, you could automate the process. Instead of creating reports, your team could use Toggl or Time Tracker to record billable hours. Both apps generate daily/weekly reports, which makes them particularly convenient.

3. Avoid Meetings

Meetings are productivity killers. Someone is always late, someone always deviates from the subject at hand, and someone will surely make too many jokes. Only hold meeting when it’s actually necessary. If it’s possible to solve an issue via email or a short face-to-face chat, don’t call in the whole team for a half-hour sit-down. When you do hold meetings, set a clear agenda and stick to it. People will tend to divagate.

4. Use the Right Apps/Platforms

When people suggest new software or app your team should use to streamline workflow, listen. Don’t view it as just another expense; instead, consider how it will make your team become more efficient. Sometimes it’s worth the investment. I’ll be forever thankful to my colleague who suggested we give Infuse Media a try. Providing your team members with anything that can enhance their work should not be overlooked.

5. Brainstorm

People get stuck sometimes, which often leads to a significant drop in focus and efficiency. Encourage staffers to speak up whenever they encounter an issue instead of stubbornly try to fix it themselves. Bouncing ideas off someone can be highly beneficial.

6. Set Themes for Each Day

When you have a lot going on, it’s important to stay focused. The easiest way to do this? Theme your days — one for each client. Alternatively, you can set one day for meetings, another for pitching ideas, one for working on an important project. You will save time and boost productivity by simply not distracting yourself with too many demands or with jumping between clients all day long.

Working for an agency can be hectic. It can often seem that there aren’t enough minutes in the day to get everything done, which is depressing in the long run. On the other hand, maximizing your team’s productivity will impress clients and boost sales. It’s worth to take some time to figure out what you can do to maximize your team’s effectiveness. Use my tips as a starting point and take it from there.