Tag Archives: Construction Management Program

Time Management Tips that Actually Work

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Business-owners are always on the lookout for hacks on how  to reach bigger sales and exceed expectations. But the truth is, most of it will boil down to how well you manage your time. This is especially true for us builders. So today, let’s brush up on how to best manage our limited, and ever-so-valuable time.

Here are 7 simple tricks that will actually give tremendous impact on both your work and personal life.

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1. Record your activities for a week

For one week, record all of your activities, thoughts, and discussions. Do this religiously so you can have sufficient data to analyze. This activity will help you to find patterns and see exactly where your precious time is going. When are you most productive? How much time are you spending on doing actual work? Which activities should you be spending less time on?

2. Allot a designated time for activities that are important to your success

For example, if some quiet alone time is when you tend to have your best ideas, then set an appointment with yourself and assign a schedule to it. Treat it like a high-priority meeting. The same goes for conversations, or some book-reading time. You have to identify these seemingly mundane, yet highly important activities.

3. Dedicate 50% of your time to “real” work

Make sure that at least 50% of your time is dedicated and spent on the activities that produce the most results. Again, it’s all about setting a plan and being dedicated to it. Assigning a specific number to it will help you to imagine your goal and make it concrete.

4. Schedule interruptions

To avoid burnout, schedule time for interruptions too. For example, after 1 hour of serious work, allot 10 minutes for a short social media or coffee break. You can also allot time for phone calls or text messages.

5. Start your day right

First impressions usually last. The same goes for your day. It pays to start it on solid footing. You can do this by dedicating the first 30 minutes of your waking day to planning. What is your agenda for the day? What are your priorities today? Where are you supposed to be? Who are you supposed to be meeting with? Use your first waking moments to get some clarity and direction.

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6. Learn to say NO

Interruptions are all around us. So if you really want to get things done, you have to learn when to say NO. Block out social media if you’re on “work mode”.  All of those notifications can drive anyone crazy. Just because your phone is lighting up, doesn’t mean that there’s an urgent response needed. Don’t be so quick to answer every single call and text. You don’t have to be online for instant messaging apps 24×7.  Instead, allot some time at the end of your day for replying to all non-important messages. You can talk about weekend golf plans later.

7. You can’t do everything yourself

No matter how much we try, it’s impossible to get everything done by yourself. You have to delegate tasks because it’s necessary for scaling. Much like in basketball, in order to get a championship trophy, you must work as a team.

And as builders, we usually want to have as many projects as we can at any given time. This means managing several people, and organizing hundreds of tasks for each build. You won’t be able to do it alone. The success of your projects will depend on how well you can organize your timelines, tasks, and people.

This is where SAM comes in. SAM- the Superintendent’s Automated Manager is the go-to scheduler of professional builders in the US. Using SAM, you can say goodbye to messy paper and pen schedules, and go completely digital. Get schedule reports in one click. Update tasks and have everyone up to speed instantly. You can also synchronize it with your existing software. Don’t make your job harder than it has to be. Check out SAM today and test it out for FREE.

Are you a high performer or a workaholic?

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Yes, there’s a big difference between the two. While the two may both look like they’re working hard, high performers have a more effective, sustainable work ethic. Workaholics on the other hand, have higher stress levels and are perfect candidates for burnout. From the outside, high performers and workaholics both seem like they’re delivering the same performance. But if you look closely, they have very different work styles and perspectives on how to “succeed.”

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According to researcher and author Jullien Gordon, “the big difference is how the individual feels on the inside about who they are in [relation] to their work,” He also adds that a high performer works hard in “healthy sustainable ways and feels happy and inspired.” Meanwhile, a workaholic “works hard in unhealthy unsustainable ways and feels unhappy and burned out.”

Let’s clarify this further by identifying their crucial differences.

1. A workaholic needs others to feel their worth. A high performer knows his or her value.

A typical workaholic depends on external validation from the people around him. This may be his boss, co-workers, or clients. They wait eagerly for external evaluations (annual reviews, mid-year reviews) because it allows them to understand how well they are performing. The result of this attitude is a person who constantly works with a sense of fear. Afraid of getting notices, scolded, or rated poorly.

On the other hand, a high performer knows his or her self-worth and often works with a sense of freedom. Unlike the workaholic who relies on external validation, a high performer often creates a self-feedback system that loops and constantly checks himself. They don’t go around waiting for a pat on the back. Due to their attitude, the congratulatory gestures from others, often come naturally.

2. Workaholics are busy. High performers do business.

According to Gordon, “Workaholics fill any space in time with busy work because they feel insecure doing nothing.” Again, this stems from not knowing their own value. Their goal is to busy (or appear busy) at all times. Often, they think that the busier they appear, the more important they must be.

A high performer however is aimed at doing real business. They are very results-oriented. “If they can’t see a way to create value in the moment, they facilitate or strategize instead. They know that like the economy, business comes in waves, therefore they get ready during the dips so they can capitalize during the upswings.”

3. High performers bring 100% at the right time. Workaholics give 110% ALL the time.

High performers know that bringing 110% 24×7 is unsustainable. What they do is figure out the best, most perfect, most crucial time to give it everything they’ve got. This way, they can conserve their energy and efforts into activities that will yield the most results. It’s a tactical decision. A calculated move.

To better themselves, what they do is increase their capacity and skill so that their 100% is better than their competitor’s 110%.

So which of these are you? Are you a high performing construction manager who knows how to expertly manage his time and efforts? Or are you a workaholic who’s always afraid of being idle and getting reprimanded?

Don’t just work hard. Work “smart”.

In order for you to manage your time, attention and resources better, you need to employ the right tools and the right technology. Project managers and construction superintendents, for example, can use digital schedulers that can sync tasks semalessly, produce reports instantly, and send project updates remotely.

Check out the benefits of SAM – The Superintendent’s Automated Manager and become the high performer that you should be.