Historically, for people in the construction industry, this is the slowest time of year in terms of active project  and new sales. Customers are enjoying the holidays and their families.  So, what better time to re-evaluate your current routines and implement ones that are more effective. Think about the most successful production oriented professionals that you know.  Likely, you will find that these people have great routines supported by self-discipline.

If you feel like your day has more control over you than you have over your day, it is time to implement a good routine and improve your time management skills. The most difficult part of a routine is the implementation.  Most construction managers, site supervisors, and assistant superintendants, have routines they follow but never reach their true potential.  Simply, because they do not complete the first step. Eventually they are stuck, in what I call, the "twilight zone". They start to feel overwhelmed, they are not sure if today is Monday or Wednesday and they loose sense of time.  Trust me I have been there.  Fortunately, I woke up from this self-induced coma and realized I need to do something different. Therefore, I conducted a self evaluation and implemented the steps listed below to help improve my production output and ultimately, my well-being.
1.) Take Stock:  You have to begin by reviewing your current routines or habits. Log each hour of an average workday and note what you have accomplished during that hour.  By the end of the day and the end of the week, you will find a lot of wasted time and identify bad habits. You should do this evaluation for at least 1 week. Even the most efficient people can find some time being wasted by doing this schedule evaluation.
2.) New schedule:  Now that you have completed the "old schedule" and identified where you are wasting time, you can create a new effective work schedule. Nevertheless, it is important to put your new schedule in writing!! And review throughout the day to ensure your staying on track.
Most construction professionals accomplish more the first half of the day than any other time. So, try to fit as many of your most important task for the a.m. time slots. These should include things that you know just  have to be done everyday. The second half of the day can be the overflow and client meeting time slots. Listed are some of the things that I always accomplished during the first half of my busy day. These are things that I knew had to be completed in order for my projects to run efficiently.

Be certain that you have all necessary tools to complete your routines efficiently. i.e, tape-measure, punchlist forms, level, camera, project specificatons and color selections documents, etc.
a.) Construction site Inspectionb.) Project inspections and create punchlistc.) Make phone calls and check emailsd.) Send all necessary faxese.) Daily trade meetingsf. ) Material inventory and orderingg.) Update project schedules3.) Plan ahead:  Plan for emergencies.  I know this if difficult to do but you have to allow your schedule to not be affected when those small emergencies arise.  That is the reason for implementing this new schedule. Allow just a few minutes per hour for every hour in your schedule.  The goal is to accomplish as much as you can per hour for a full 8-hour workday. If you pack each hour with task and a minor emergency arises, which will happen,  then you affect your entire workday with a domino affect. It is discouraging when you do not plan for emergencies and your entire day is affected. At the end of that day, you feel as if you did not accomplish anything. So, plan for distractions and emergencies.  
 4.) Early Bird:  I always like to be the first one on the job and arrive at least 15- 30 minutes earlier than everyone else.  This helps site supervisors have additional preparation for on site meetings and also allows time to "prowl" the jobsites without distractions.
5.) Time out:  You have to allow time in your schedule for a 30 min. break.  I used this time to sit in a quiet area away from all of the construction noise and review my day. I also took this time to recharge mentally.
6.) Make it contagious:  People like efficient and productive profesionals. Especially, when you're playing on the same team.  When you feel like your schedule is perfected share it with your colleagues and team members. This will only make your entire team better.  Trust me, good routines and great scheduling habits are contagious.

Our next blog will cover How to manage your trades contractors effectively.