But first...
"Let me just check a few emails."
When you own a lawn care business, the tasks pile up - even on your off season. Sometimes, you don't want to do the hard stuff or tasks that require your attention for long periods of time.
Before you know it, the day is over, and you've barely finished any of your REAL WORK.
Some days, you need a kick in the rear to motivate yourself.
Consider this daily checklist your kick:
There are a hundred arguments against this advice, but most of it boils down to the same thing - I'm too lazy to clean it up. If your work space is brimming with debris, you are creating distractions for yourself, and you're setting a terrible standard for your employees.
Here's some of the best advice I've heard about STAYING ORGANIZED:
"Don't put it down; put it away."
Once you get in this habit, organization will be so much easier. Every last random object that litters your work space is another chance for you to get distracted.
This is one of the easiest tricks you can do to increase your productivity, so do it now! FOCUS.
What is the most important part of your day?
The beginning.
You are at your peak at the first part of your day. When you get to work, the first 90 minutes are your most productive. This hour and a half is when you should work on your most critical projects.
If you know anything about the 80/20 principle then you'll understand why this will give you the best returns. This is the 20% of your day that will lead to 80% of the results.
The ONLY reason this is number three on the list is because not all lawn care business owners can abide by this rule. Sometimes, you just need to be available.
But if you have the option to keep your phone off, do it. Turn it off right now. When your best friend texts you a picture of what he did last night, you won't get dragged into a conversation that could last hours.
Since you won't feel the need to check your messages every five minutes, you can FOCUS on your work for longer periods of time. This enables you to keep your flow, which will help you raise your productivity to new levels.
"A successful life strategy is not about doing it all, but about doing the right things better." - Cal Newport
High Value Activities (or HVAs) are your main mission as a business owner. If you are a small business owner, this might be harder to implement, because there are so many daily tasks that demand your attention. After all, if you don't do them, who will? How come nobody else can do all of these daily tasks that demand so much of your attention?
Now that I've put that question into your head, I want you to seriously consider it. Who WILL do all those low-value tasks? Can you hire someone for your office who will answer phones, write down processes, and organize all of your contacts and clients?
Your job is to work on the activities that will bring in more money. If you can, try to find someone else to do the cheaper stuff for you - especially if you're not very good at those lower-value jobs.
This list could go on forever. You know when you're wasting time, but it's easy to let it become a habit.
Try to think of it this way: someone is making a movie about you. What parts do they include in the movie? They probably won't show the hours you spent watching Netflix or messaging people on Facebook. Instead, they'll showcase a montage of all the hard work you did to help your business grow.
If that's not enough, here's some extended advice on how to stop wasting your time from Forbes. Discipline is a life long journey, so keep working at it.
Figure out what your most important jobs for the day are. Decide how you're going to approach them, when you're going to approach them, and what you will do after you finish them.
This is about organization. This is about your role in your lawn care business. How could YOU take this company to the next level?
Lastly, don't forget to take breaks. One of the most popular productivity techniques is the Pomodoro timer. Try it out here - it's simple, and once you get this behavior down, you won't really need a timer.
You don't have to become the next Arnold Schwarzenegger, but a 30 minutes a day goes a long way. You'll feel happier, less stressed, and most importantly, it will help you FOCUS on your work.
Don't forget all the health benefits, too.
When you implement these seven secrets of productivity, your ability to focus on your lawn care business will skyrocket. Work on these every day, and your work ethic will become legendary.