emanding clients, equipment breakdowns, endless bills, family issues, looming deadlines, workplace stress—you name it, it never ends. Dealing with work and life can be overwhelming and often you don’t have enough time to get everything done, which leads to even more stress and anxiety, and ultimately to burnout.
Time. If only you had more of it. While you can’t add more hours to your day, you can learn to better manage your time, which will allow you to be more productive, and thereby reduce some of the stress and anxiety that often fills your life.
So how and where do you start?
First you need to know how you are spending your time. To do this, you can make a time log and write down everything that you do in a day and how long it takes you to do it. With that you can accurately see where your time goes. You might be shocked to find out how much of your time is spent on unproductive things.
emanding clients, equipment breakdowns, endless bills, family issues, looming deadlines, workplace stress—you name it, it never ends. Dealing with work and life can be overwhelming and often you don’t have enough time to get everything done, which leads to even more stress and anxiety, and ultimately to burnout.
Time. If only you had more of it. While you can’t add more hours to your day, you can learn to better manage your time, which will allow you to be more productive, and thereby reduce some of the stress and anxiety that often fills your life.
So how and where do you start?
First you need to know how you are spending your time. To do this, you can make a time log and write down everything that you do in a day and how long it takes you to do it. With that you can accurately see where your time goes. You might be shocked to find out how much of your time is spent on unproductive things.
After you have a chart of the things you are spending your time on, you can begin to take control. Here are a few ways to get started:
- Plan ahead. Schedule all your day’s activities in advance. Having a written schedule allows you to plan for and be more organized in your work and your personal life.
- Prioritize. Put your most important projects at the top of your list. As you go down your list, you may find tasks that can be eliminated or delegated to someone else.
- Get organized. Being disorganized leads to poor time management. When your tools, for example, are organized and within easy reach, you don’t have to waste precious time searching for them. You will be surprised how much this can increase your productivity.
- Develop a routine. You probably already follow a step-by-step routine for the way you groom a pet, which keeps you moving smoothly through the process and ensures that you don’t forget important steps. A routine in other areas helps simplify and streamline your day. Have a set time to make reminder calls to clients, check and respond to emails, and return phone calls. Once a week check all your supplies and order anything you need.
- Keep learning and improving yourself. The grooming industry is constantly changing and evolving. Attending shows, participating in seminars and learning from other groomers will help you keep on top of the changes. The more informed and knowledgeable you are, the more you can use time to your advantage. Improving your skills will give you increased confidence and belief in yourself and your abilities.
- Connect with others. Joining groomer groups, in person and online, will put you in contact with other like-minded individuals who share your trials and problems, and can benefit you in many ways. You will develop a supportive network of colleagues who provide you with camaraderie, friendship and encouragement. You will learn from others’ experiences, gain access to new ideas and perspectives, and engage in networking.
- Learn to say NO. Your time is valuable and you have to prioritize what is most important to you. Trying to please and accommodate requests from clients or others can lead to you being so overloaded and overwhelmed that the quality of everything you do is affected. Stress, anxiety, sleep deprivation, depression, burnout, eating disorders, and countless other problems can often be attributed to being a “people pleaser” and putting yourself last. It’s time to take care of and make yourself a priority—say no to others and yes to yourself.
