Every small business reaches a tipping point. The work picks up. The to-do list grows. Suddenly your close-knit team feels like it is treading water. Emails get missed. Tasks overlap. Priorities blur.
The root issue is usually workflow. Or rather, the lack of one. But the solution does not need to be expensive or complicated. A few sensible changes can create real breathing room and help your team do their best work again.
Most teams fall into the trap of using too many tools. One person prefers Notion. Another likes Trello. A third is managing tasks in their inbox. Before long, the system is the problem.
Choose one platform and make it the rule. Whether it is Trello, Asana, Notion or even a well-organised Google Sheet, it only works if everyone commits. No work should happen outside of it.
Keep it simple. You do not need complex dashboards or endless templates. A basic “To Do, Doing, Done” board is enough to bring clarity. Over time, you can build out more detailed workflows, but the starting point should always be ease of use.
Tip: For UK SMEs, Trello and Notion are often the easiest to set up and teach. Both offer generous free versions and plenty of templates.
Constant interruptions are productivity killers. Slack messages. Emails. Quick calls. Each one breaks someone’s focus and resets their mental progress.
The fix is simple: introduce structure. Try a short daily team huddle in the morning. Use your project system for updates. Set expectations for when it is appropriate to message someone directly.
This protects your team’s time. It also stops the drip-feed of low-level stress that builds when everyone feels they are always on call.
You do not need to automate everything. But you should automate the tasks that are boring, repetitive or easy to get wrong.
Here are a few obvious wins:
Think of automation as a quiet assistant. It is not flashy, but it saves your team from death by a thousand tiny admin jobs.
When key knowledge lives in one person’s head, you have a bottleneck. If that person is off sick, on holiday or simply too busy, things grind to a halt.
Create short, clear guides for any recurring task. Use a shared Google Drive or Notion page. Focus on clarity over formality.
For example:
You do not need a full operations manual. Just enough so someone else could pick up the task without guessing.
Tip: Loom videos or screen recordings are often faster than writing everything out. You can link them inside your guides.
Most small teams accumulate tools over time. A trial here. A freebie there. Before long, you are paying for five overlapping systems and using none of them well.
Every quarter, review what you are using. Ask:
Consolidate where possible. Cancel what you do not need. Focus on depth of use rather than number of tools.
A vague task leads to vague outcomes. If someone is told to “sort the website”, how will they know when they are finished?
Be specific. Spell out what success looks like.
For example:
Clear completion criteria remove ambiguity. They also reduce the need for micro-management and revision.
Workflow does not need to be complicated. The most productive teams often work from a few simple principles:
Start small. Choose one area to tidy up this week. Maybe you switch to a single project system. Maybe you automate your invoicing. Or maybe you document the three most common tasks.
Each small improvement frees up time, reduces stress and gives your team more space to do meaningful work.
If you would like any guidence on how to move your business forward, G&G has the necessary skillset to help you manage your business more efficiently and more profitably. if you would like some assistance, please dont hesitate to contact us.
From business planning or Business Administration to assisting with your organisations growth, we are happy to advise and help where we can. Get in touch to start your no-obligation consultation!
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