5 Productivity Hacks for Innovation Managers

In this competitive age, innovation is the oxygen to thrive. It is what enables you to stand out in the crowded market. At the same time, this puts pressure on Innovation Managers to be more productive as they are the captain of the ship called “Innovation”. That’s why there is a continuous demand to make the best out of each working day.

But, how do you become more productive? We asked successful Innovation Managers this same question and came up with a list of 5 top productivity hacks for innovation managers – just like yourself!

5 Productivity Hacks for Innovation Managers

1. Take Small and Frequent Breaks

Yes, you read that right. Take small and frequent breaks. We understand that managers like yourself are not superhumans. You too get tired and struggle to maintain focus for prolonged periods, which, in turn, adversely affects your productivity. Hence, it is advisable to take small and frequent breaks every now and then instead of working at a stretch. Additionally, if you are working on a tricky project that requires intense and sustained concentration, complete it in chunks rather than doing it in one go. You can also try setting timers with the Pomodoro technique where you work for 20-30 minutes and then take a 5-10 minute break, and repeat this cycle.

2. Delegate or Defer Certain Tasks

Innovation Managers are swamped with tasks. Often, it becomes too much for one person. In such situations, don’t be afraid to delegate some tasks to other team members. As the captain, you must be aware of who is good at what and assign tasks accordingly. If you do not have the resources to do it internally, reach out to experts of specific domains. While procrastination is not a good idea most of the time, there are certain tasks that are not as urgent as they might seem. They can be put on hold for the sake of the high-priority ones. In this sense, also consider deferring low-priority tasks that require input or approval from other people and shift to other tasks.

3. Use a Good Task Management Software

We all know how helpful it is to write down the tasks for the day. But in this digital age, we cannot stick to just pen and paper. Priorities might change at any moment and it is not practical to strike out and make adjustments again and again. Also, if each team member maintains their own personal to-do list, coordination and productivity will suffer. Therefore, you should start using task management tools that enable you to assign, schedule, and track the progress of tasks digitally, while driving effective collaboration and transparency. You can also modify tasks as their priorities change, without any hassle. Some tools we use and love include Trello, Asana, and Teamwork.

4. Take Advantage of Startup Scouting Platforms

Staying up-to-date with emerging technologies is imperative for you to innovate and develop new products and services. You might rely on search engines and news outlets to keep yourself informed about emerging companies. But this is time-consuming and, more importantly, the information you gather from this is enough to make strategic decisions. And of course, you don’t want to miss out on technologies or industry trends. Therefore, you should take advantage of software platforms such as StartUs Insights that empower you to perform startup scouting, innovation scouting, and technology scouting within just a few seconds. Not only do these platforms deliver relevant results much faster, but they also allow you to stay on top with actionable insights.

5. Learn to say “NO”

As an Innovation Manager, it is your job to collect ideas from various people — be it inside or outside your teams. But at the same time, you cannot afford to approve all the ideas just to be polite — you must know when to say “NO”. If your judgment says an idea is not worth the time and effort, explain that to the stakeholder and offer them feedback on how they can improve on it to come up with something more suitable. Chasing each and every idea is not the best strategy to improve productivity and efficiency. So, don’t be afraid to constantly filter ideas and prioritize them.

Do you have more productivity hacks that you already practice and are not on the list? Get in touch & let us know!