Running a small business is hard. There are deadlines you have to meet, Sales pitches to make and difficult employees you have to fire. Wouldn't it be nice if sometimes things were just easy?

That's where this post tries to help. I've put together a list of hacks from veterans in business that they swear makes their lives a heck of a lot easier.

Exercise At Your Desk

The human body wasn't supposed to sit around for hours and hours each day. It was designed to always be on the move finding food, building shelter and trading goods.

Not anymore. Thanks to modern lifestyles, work has become more cerebral and more sedentary. That's why there's now a drive to include more exercise in the workplace. The problem is that most people don't have time because - you guessed it - they're working.

But now things are changing. Things like standing desks and "deskercise" keep you fit and your mind sharp.

Add A Second Screen

Are you one of those people who complain that they don't have enough hours in the day to get all their work done? Well, one of the reasons for that might be the amount of time you spend toggling between screens.

Having a second display (or a widescreen) solves this little problem. You can work on multiple documents at the same time without having to tab constantly between screens or scroll up and down.

Streamline Your Waste Management

Waste from your business can be a real headache. Collecting it, packing it and disposing of it all takes time and effort. If only the problem would just go away.

Well, now it can. Mini skip bin hire makes the process a lot more straightforward. Just ask the bin service what skip you need and get them to worry about everything else.

Automate Social Media

Staying on top of social media is a time-consuming process. You spend hours each week just updating your Facebook and Twitter feeds. But did you know that this chore is unnecessary?

Thanks to services like Hootsuite, you don't have to spend hours pouring over your social media accounts. You can just create all the content you want to make for the week and then set a schedule for it to be released. That then frees you up to get on with other tasks.

Get An Answering Service

Interruptions are a big productivity killer. That's because it takes time for your brain to switch between different tasks.

One way to put the brakes on interruptions is to hire an answering service. Yes, it will cost you money, but think of the benefits to your productivity. Often you can pick up a friendly telephone answering service that will forward you emails based on your client's needs.

Pause Emails

Many small business owners are in the habit of regularly checking their emails, just in case, there has been a disaster. But this is a bad habit and can again wreck productivity. Try a service that pauses your emails for certain hours of the day. Then use that time to focus on the task at hand.