Feeling overwhelmed as Spring comes in like a lion?
It’s that time of year in most parts of the country where Spring has sprung and operations are either ramping up or full on into the craziness. Managing your time is the one thing that will help you keep some of that sanity through the next 90 (or so) days. We have some tips on how to make sure you’re spending your time in the most effective way possible.
During a period of increased demand for your time from others it’s often difficult to focus on your own work. This is where it is more important than ever to protect your time, your schedule with everything you have. We get pretty upset when people take things from us, right? How come it’s okay for people to take our time? It’s not okay, it’s not right for others to come in and demand your instant attention.
Here are some ways to help you manage the most precious asset you could ever have, your time:
- Screen your phone calls – CallerID is pretty prevalent these days, right? Well, use it to your advantage. When you’re in focused work, make use of this valuable feature of your phone service. If you feel like you need to answer every call, it’s also okay to say that you need to call them back.
- Block out your important time – make active use of your calendar here. Whether you use Google Calendar, Outlook, or whatever other tool you might use definitely spend some time at the beginning of your week to plan out your days. Earmark time for the important things you need to do and make it known that you’re not available during that time.
- Set expectations with those around you – make sure that your staff are ultra sensitive to the fact that your time is important by letting them know when you are and are not available. Over time, you’ll train your staff to know when is appropriate to ask for your time.
- Practice what you preach – if you’re asking others to respect your time, you should reciprocate. By showing others respect for their time, they will inevitably respect yours.
- Have the right meetings at the right time – how many times do you find yourself in a meeting that takes 4x as long as it should or you’re in a meeting that could have been done by phone or answered through an email (or text). Have regular meetings with your core team to make sure everyone is on the same page, everyone has an opportunity to raise any red flags, and to provide clear instruction and direction.
The important thing here out of all of this is to make sure you have the tools you need to help manage your time. DynaScape is the landscape business software solution of choice for hundreds of landscape professionals in North America offering incredible efficiencies through automation of tedious tasks. Check out DynaScape Manage360 for your landscape business operating system!