503: Reclaiming Your Time And Switching Off During The Holidays

This Podcast Is Episode Number 503, And It's About Reclaiming Your Time And Switching Off During The Holidays

Small construction company owners like you already have a time-consuming and challenging job running your business. If you're working on weekdays, you usually need the weekend to catch up on paperwork, pay bills, and manage any tasks you didn't get to during the week. 

But this weekend is Christmas, and with it comes time to relax, focus on family and friends and take stock of what is essential in life. Phone calls from employees dealing with a minor crisis will pull your focus from your family, or your Christmas dinner will be taken over by business talk. Like the merry bells of Christmas, your cell phone will constantly chime with the sounds of urgent text messages and emails that must be dealt with. Clients will need your attention.

So, if you've been waiting for a sign or permission to pause, this post could be the one you're waiting for. It's easy to let the construction company take over your personal life, but as a small business owner, it's vital that you get some time away from work.

Here are some tips for helping you switch off during the holidays.

1. Shut down entirely for the week

If your business can be shut down for a week, consider closing from Christmas to New Year. Your employees will love the time off, and you won't be

Small construction company owners like you already have a time-consuming and challenging job running your business. If you're working on weekdays, you usually need the weekend to catch up on paperwork, pay bills, and manage any tasks you didn't get to during the week. 

But this weekend is Christmas, and with it comes time to relax, focus on family and friends and take stock of what is essential in life. Phone calls from employees dealing with a minor crisis will pull your focus from your family, or your Christmas dinner will be taken over by business talk. Like the merry bells of Christmas, your cell phone will constantly chime with the sounds of urgent text messages and emails that must be dealt with. Clients will need your attention.

So, if you've been waiting for a sign or permission to pause, this post could be the one you're waiting for. It's easy to let the construction company take over your personal life, but as a small business owner, it's vital that you get some time away from work.

Here are some tips for helping you switch off during the holidays.

1. Shut down entirely for the week

If your business can be shut down for a week, consider closing from Christmas to New Year. Your employees will love the time off, and you won't be bothered by urgent texts about something that went wrong at the office. This time is generally not as productive for workers, as they all want to get home, be with loved ones, and celebrate the season.

Just make sure you give your clients some notice that you're closing up. Good clients will respect your decision and even encourage it.

2. Have someone trained to deal with your absence

A big headache for small business owners is constant calls from employees who can't carry out basic tasks or make decisions. If you plan on taking time off but are leaving the business open, have someone senior available to answer questions or take over duties other employees can't.

Ensure employees are prepared for situations that could arise but can fix on their own. Can they use someone else's computer if theirs dies? If a client calls with a crisis, which staff members can handle each situation?

Assign one or two people—not you—to contact people in case staff needs assistance and give those two people strict instructions about when they can contact you. You don't need phone calls on your days off because someone doesn't know how to work the coffee machine.

3. Resist the urge to plan meetings during this time

When a client comes to you just before you take your days off and requests a meeting over the holidays, it can be difficult to resist that urge. That meeting, however, will take up time and space in your brain aside from the actual meeting time. You'll prepare for it, think about it, and plan what to say. If the meeting doesn't go well, it will affect the rest of your days off.

Instead, push the meeting until after the holidays. Unless the situation is dire, an extra week won't hurt. Or ask another worker to attend the session for you.

The key here is to delegate the tasks you don't need to do.

As a construction business owner, you have regular duties that need to be done but could be better done by an expert. Doing them yourself takes up a ton of your time. Look at your tasks and determine which ones are eating up your valuable time. Virtual assistants can now be hired to handle general customer service on your behalf. Could you hire a bookkeeper? An accountant?

Regardless of your current situation, if you need help, we can tailor a plan to fit your budget and your construction bookkeeping needs. 

You will not know whether it is a good idea until we chat. One thing is for sure - hiring outside service providers costs money, but we are worth the expense when you consider the time and energy you'll save by not taking on that tedious bookkeeping tasks. Especially when you factor in the extra personal time you'll have.

We have options for your business accounting, whether you would like to outsource or do it yourself. Let's figure out a way to free some of your time and get your life back, be with your family and loved ones, and increase your cash flow and earnings while improving your quality of life and relationships.

Final thoughts

If you're taking time over the holidays, really take time. Don't take time off but then spend that time constantly checking for work-related texts and emails or attending meetings. Put your cell phone away. Stop checking your email. Set an outgoing email that lets people know when you'll respond to their messages, and change your voicemail to note your days off. That way, you can rest, relax, and enjoy your break. Your overall well-being is necessary to you, your business, and your community. You'll need this time to restore your energy for January.

I end this by wishing you a Merry Christmas and Best Wishes of Joy this Holiday Season. Enjoy. Be Glad. Be Joyful and maybe a little sad. But try to find something to be happy and grateful for each day. What matters most are our family, friends, and loved ones - those we celebrate with, those we can't be with, and those who are with us in spirit.

About The Author:

Sharie DeHart, QPA, is the co-founder of Business Consulting And Accounting in Lynnwood, Washington. She is the leading expert in managing outsourced construction bookkeeping and accounting services companies and cash management accounting for small construction companies across the USA. She encourages Contractors and Construction Company Owners to stay current on their tax obligations and offers insights on managing the remaining cash flow to operate and grow their construction company sales and profits so they can put more money in the bank. Call 1-800-361-1770 or sharie@fasteasyaccounting.com