Time Management

Shawn G.

New member
Tell me I'm not alone. There never seem to be enough hours in a day to make everyone happy.

If you would, Post time management tips and tricks that work for you. Specifically, juggling personal and family time while running a business. (especially for those of us trying to run it from home)

Do you shut the phone off?

Do you lock yourself in a room while making phone calls, doing paperwork, paying bills?

Do you have the discipline to stop working after 8-10 hours or are you "always on call"?

Stuff like that.........

This could be helpful to all of us. (I know I could use some help.)
 
Shawn

I kno what you mean I own 2 business's. Use the winter months as a sebaticle for all the crazyness in the summer. I think what keeps me sane is I play 1 night of softball. As for the family if they want to do something I just tell them tell me in advance. Loving wife and kids are what keeps me going. My oldest is 11 has helped me do some small decks, workers might like that, but bonding is more important then my employees. As for being on call that is just the way it is. By the way the second business is a Pest Control Business. Good luck been doing this for 8 years wouldn't change a thing. Good Luck.


Charlie
 
Hello Shawn,

If you have children in your home (we had 3, last one left 10 years ago) you may not have enough of anything. Time, money, closets! :)

I have always had my office in my home. It is in a seperate room with seperate phone lines, etc.

I never shut the phone off and always answer if I'm around otherwise the recorder picks it up. I also have 4 different phones around the house that I can pick up or make a call.

Always on call and try to do paperwork early in the morning when it is quiet. I find working on paperwork early in the morning works best. Quietier and I'm fresher and more productive.

My wife taught me several years ago, sometimes when you have really alot of things that need to be done and you are really tired, the first thing you should do is take a nap! Sometimes a half hour or so can do wonders. :)

Dave Olson
 
I work a full time job, volunteer about 25 hours on the Rescue Squad and run this business. I can only say two words about time management............Microsoft Outlook!!! It's been a lifesaver.
 
This is an excellent topic, Shawn!
Time management is a huge challenge, especially if you are comng from a place where prioritizing and organizing your activities was not a prerequisite to what you did. We feel it too, and it is a never ending challenge to streamline your office, your business processes, and to allow yourself to take and enjoy your personal time.

I saw Act and Goldmine mentioned (Ron?) above. I am all for contact management software, and we use Act. But, you have to dicipline yourself and form new habits. Maybe the winter is a good time to check out a book on time management and see what tips it might offer, and how you can apply it to your busiensses.

I always look at the slow season as a time to streamline things and prepare next season's marketing etc. For example, over the past two winters I aoutomate d the office a little further, so I am to the pont of being able to process an awful lot of work very quickly, including bill paying and check printing, and credit card transmitting. This frees up time to organize other activities. Rod does tha same. He spends a block of time organizing the jobs to be performed by the crews. He makes sure they know they have to take the right tools with them, based ont he work orders they pick up. Thinking about all the little things you can do to streamline and delegate makes it easier for you to take time for yourself.

Having said that, I'll be the first to confess that yes, we still work very long hours, like till 10 pm or later in the office, and are up and working at 7 am. Many weeks are 7 days. But this is during peak season, and does die down. Prepare for this by making a list of things that you must do, and things that you need to do but the world won't end if they slip a day, a few days, or a week.

Reduce your stress. Keep your body in good sahpe. I don't know anyone in this biz that has not had some sort of physical ailment. Look at your setup. Can you make it easier on your boy as well as save time? We did. We added a ladder rack, and mounted hose reels so the machine doesn't have to be dismounted unless we're inthe middle of a row of townhomes.

Just a few thoughts.
Happy Thanksgiving!

Beth & Rod

:)
 
All the above is fine and good but remember to always make time for your family remember they are why you are working for yourself. I dont know about you guys but I work to live not live to work. Your business will be there tomorrow but your kids are only small for a while. My two cents worth.
 
Memphis is in Shelby County if your looking at a map find HWY 64 and follow it out to the next county over it is Fayette County Eads is right on the County line. However that is my mailing address I actually live in a town Called Hickory Whithe so if you keep going down HWY 64 you will see Hickory Whithe before you get to Oakland TN which is a speed trap town from hell and is listed on the 10 worst cities in the US for speed traps.
 
Lets just say they are a bunch of liars in Oakland. I was going 44 in a 45 and was stopped and ticketed for 65 in a 45 and I am not the only one that this has happened to. They are not suppose to have quotas but they do. When I went to court there were 5 officers and they had to bring in extra chairs because their wasnt enough room it was about 300 people in their for court all complaining. I got 6 months probation and was told that if I got another ticket in 6 months I would have to pay both. That was about a year ago I now go 30 in the 45 and flip them the finger when I see them.
 
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