Do you feel like you just don’t have enough time? Are you working more hours than you want to? Well, you’re certainly not alone in that struggle.
I’ve talked to and coached hundreds of construction business owners, and most, if not all, of them would affirm that they struggle with having limited time to work on tasks that move their businesses forward.
However, it’s NOT that you need more time to get things done on your list.
So, here are the common time-consuming problems that I found out…
- You simply have too many things on your list. Having 20-30 tasks on your daily to-do list just sounded impossible!
- You may not know this, but task-switching all day consumes much of your time. Most of the time, when you hear an email notification pop up, you respond to it immediately.
- You keep everything in your head. And when you keep all of these tabs running in your head, all of them seem to have the same priority. Then, you eventually forget some of them.
Does this sound familiar to you?
The Four-Step Blueprint
Maybe you’re working 40-60 hours a week and always in full firefighting mode. How do you think that will affect your business and personal life?
I could name a couple of horrific downsides when you max out your time without tackling those on top of your list. And so I’ve created this effective four-step blueprint that lets you save 40 hours a month without hiring someone else or shutting yourself down from the rest of the world.
1. Stop believing this lie.
“I don’t have the time.” How many times have you heard yourself saying this lie? Well, it’s time to get over it. The truth is that you don’t need more time. You need more focus.
In this fast-evolving modern world we’re living in, it takes a whole lot of discipline to stay focused and get things done.
Phone calls come in out of nowhere. Email notifications pop up. And all these other distractions that demand your attention as a construction business owner. They seem to be endless.
So, instead of time management, think about time creation. Billionaire Jeff Bezos does it effectively. He said that you need to prioritize and think systematically, but if you’re not good at de-prioritizing, you won’t be good at prioritizing.
Bezos emphasizes the need to identify high-value activities that align with your goals and invest your time and energy in them.
2. Deal with the root cause.
The second adjustment you need to make if you want to free up your time to work ON your business or do things that bring you spark is to deal with the root cause. Most construction business owners deal with the symptoms and repetitively solve the same problem.
So here’s a powerful method that could help you get to the root cause of the problem–the five whys method.
First, ask what the symptom is and articulate it clearly. The second thing to ask is–why is this happening? And then you’ll come up with reasons. The third step is to go one level deeper and ask why it is happening based on those reasons that you came up with earlier. And then continue asking why it is happening until you don’t have any more answers. That’s how you arrive at the root cause of the problem.
3. Get out of this vicious cycle.
90% of contractors are stuck in this vicious cycle. Even worse is that it’s like a giant vortex that sucks away your time and energy, and it’s hard to get yourself out of it automatically.
This cycle goes something like this…
You do just ENOUGH to start a project, like getting an estimate out of the door to get a contract signed.
You’ve created these GAPS and missing details because you did enough just to start.
Since gaps are everywhere, your team, subs, suppliers, and customers bombard you with questions and problems. You’re in full FIREFIGHTING mode!
You realize you must start another project, sell your work, or look for another contract. So you SCRAMBLE to get the next project.
And because you’re short on time, you do just ENOUGH again to start. The cycle starts all over again.
4. Communicate proactively.
Lastly, if you want to reclaim your time, you have to communicate proactively. Don’t just sit back and play defense, trying to answer questions as they come in.
Instead of playing whack-a-mole, communicate proactively, let’s say, with your team by giving them everything they need to finish their job instead of giving them just enough to start.
Anticipate the questions that they may have and make that information accessible to everyone on your team so they won’t have to call you in the middle of a meeting or strategic thinking.
To learn more about how you can win back your time and work less while doing more, join our 28-Day Challenge. We can guarantee you’ll save 40 hours of your time and eliminate $5,000 in profit bleeds in just a month!
Sign up HERE to save your spot.
Additional Resources:
– Hear our clients’ success stories HERE
– Schedule Your Business Evaluation Call HERE
– Visit our website for more information HERE
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The Construction Leading Edge Podcast helps construction business owners maximize their revenue, eliminate chaos, systematize their work, and win back their time.
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