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How do you structure your day to keep you productive?

S

snowman

Diamond
Joined
Jul 31, 2004
Location
Southeast Michigan
Single owner shop, no employees. I have a couple products that I manufacture, as well as do a lot of secondhand sales. This is the first time I've done "just" self employed. Financially, I'm doing ok, could be doing a lot better. I figure I'm running at about 10% of my capabilities right now. That's a literal statement. I know what my brain and body are capable of, and I'm NOT even close to it.

Now, I never expect to hit 100%, but if I could even make it to 50% productive, I'd be lightyears ahead of where I am.

So do you use goals? Deadlines? Structured time through the day? Do you hire a mistress to whip you if you step out of line? What keeps you going?
 
snowman said:
Single owner shop, no employees. I have a couple products that I manufacture, as well as do a lot of secondhand sales. This is the first time I've done "just" self employed. Financially, I'm doing ok, could be doing a lot better. I figure I'm running at about 10% of my capabilities right now. That's a literal statement. I know what my brain and body are capable of, and I'm NOT even close to it.

Now, I never expect to hit 100%, but if I could even make it to 50% productive, I'd be lightyears ahead of where I am.

So do you use goals? Deadlines? Structured time through the day? Do you hire a mistress to whip you if you step out of line? What keeps you going?
Click to expand...

If you figure that out, let me know... I'm rowing the same boat. :rolleyes5:
 
10% ? Cool!

Savor it while it lasts!

Once they find you, it will go downhill from there.

Disconnect the phone, lock the doors, turn off the computer.
Get as much done as possible before they drive over and bang on the doors..

Then you can have a whole bunch of customers all demanding a HOTT!! project at once, and they all develop the brilliant plan that if they call you seven times a day, you will suddenly have a lot more time to work on their stuff instead of answering the 28 phone calls a day asking for progress reports.
 
I've found that putting deadlines on jobs ahead of what the customer needs works out on all fronts, the work is done and delivered before scheduled, the customers are happy and I'm not running around at the last minute working 3 days straight trying to get the job done. And as far as down time goes there is ALWAYS something to do in the shop, whether it be maintaining equipment, working on projects for the shop, or just simply cleaning, we could spend 24 hours a day every day of our lives in our facilities and there would still be work to be done. Lastly I'd say personal drive, the will to keep going and do better work is just a major part of who I am, seems anymore people I know are always giving excuses on why things can't be done, I say excuses are like tampons, every bitch has one
 
+1 on disconnecting the phone and locking the doors. It's always fun when your right in the middle of a tedious step of the job (or sitting down for lunch :) ) when some asshat barges in unannounced expecting you to drop everything to hear his sales pitch. :rolleyes5:
 
I don't think I have ever been productive, but I get a lot of shit done. I don't know how to explain it.

When I had a day job (desk job), the company could monitor our internet activity. Wouldn't you know, mine was the highest in the group. My boss came around and said something to me. I got mad. I asked him to look at the quality of my work, and the on time percentage. Hmm, also near the top of the group. So, what exactly is the problem?

He was an asshole bureaucrat. To him the answer was simple. Stop this kid from using the internet, and he will be even more productive. He never could understand that it doesn't work like that. I work in spurts of insane productivity. But, those spurts must be followed by periods of rest or I will burn out.

I have never been the kind of person that could make list and milestones and prioritize. I much prefer to goof off while the pressure builds. When the gravity of just how much work has to be done would crush a lesser man, I spring into action and bang things out faster than is humanly possible. I've been working like this for a really long time. I know pretty well when I will get away with it. To people around me it looks like madness.

I'm not saying it is the right way, but it's my way. No wonder I am self employed.


Footnote:

In a one man band, you have to do everything. That very often means things that don't make you one thin dime. I lost almost 2 weeks this month addressing some maintenance issues on my two CNC machines and doing some wiring. You just have to suck it up and do it. You will make enough the other two weeks to cover the lose of time.

A big shop can't afford this time. So they have to buy their way out of the problem by hiring someone to take care of it. A one man band usually has more time than money.
 
Yeah, I work exactly like that Ewsley. Exactly! When I'm productive, I work circles around people. When I'm not, people bitch that I don't do a thing. I lost my last job because of it, I had ZERO complaints from those who worked WITH me, because they knew how I worked.

So Ewsley, now that you are self employed....describe your average day, and what keeps you going. I need to capture the spurts of insane productivity and make them last.

Medically, it's a form of an anxiety disorder...I'm about to ask my doc for ADHD meds for it to see if they work. I know people that use them to accomplish amazing things, then quit using them for day to day life. That is, when they need them, they have them at their disposal.

The ADHD is a bitch, because there's lots of shiny stuff in the shop.
 
I don't think I have ADHD. I surly don't want medication. This is just how I am wired.

It's simple to think that if you could get rid of all distractions, you could get so much more done. I don't think that is reality. There is no free lunch. You need those down times.

I am very lazy. A nicer way to put it is that I prefer to work smart, not hard. I would much rather spend 2 hours thinking of a clever solution and 4 hours doing the job than spend 6 hours "making it work". In reality, I didn't get any more work done, but I expended much less energy. It frustrates the hell out of people around me because they saw 2 hours of doing nothing and 4 hours of actual work.

This strategy is impossible to explain to a boss. That is why I prefer to work in private (secret) as much as possible. I would even work crazy hours like 11:00 am to 9:00 pm so people would not hassle me about the way I did things.

I had a boss once who would set a schedule. We would report that we were on schedule. Then he would say "let's just knock this out early and get it done". :angry: What's the point of a fucking schedule if you just want us to get everything done as soon as possible.



As far as my day, it's probably not much different than any other shop owner. I rarely get to do anything that I can actually bill at shop rate before 10:00 am (I start around 6:30). I make up for my personality by buying the best tools I can possibly afford. My tooling bills would likely make most one man shops cringe. I figure that this way I can be a productive as possible when the spindle is actually turning.

Don't stress about it too much. You just have to keep the lights on and the doors open.
 
Don't look at the mountain you have to move. Just concentrate on keeping the shovel full and keep it moving. When you look up, the mountain will be diminished.

Say no to work that does not interest you. Keep a line up of 'good jobs' and you will likely be more motivated to get into them. Knock off a couple of shitty jobs, then back to the good stuff.
 
As long as something is happening and the light bill gets paid along with the other things all is good.

Too much planing makes for too little doing.

When all else fails just put one foot infront of the other something will get done.

When it really piles in (work) just pick a random job and concentrate on it that way something gets done.

One of the hardest things to do in business is to know what work to turn down and if you dont turn down the shit jobs you will look up and that is all that you have.
 
snowman said:
So do you use goals? Deadlines? Structured time through the day? Do you hire a mistress to whip you if you step out of line? What keeps you going?
Click to expand...

Most of the above, but without the mistress....no time for that!
After working insane hours, 7 days a week for the first 10+ years, I really don't like being there any more than I have to. So when I'm there I make the best of it and try to optimize every workday. I'm only there to work! Lock the door, screen the calls and treat uninvited sales people with brutal contempt.
 
A good friend of mine has had a small oil operation for quite a few years and it seems that his demands are much the same as a job shop. You have all these plans and schedules, but you never know what it going to happen and throw it all out of whack. At least we don't generally have to deal with weather like he does.

Anyway, I bring him up because he told me not too long ago that he finally got to where his goal is to get one thing done a day. Sounds really simple buy we all know it's not. I have started to work towards that some myself recently because it sure seems like I am all over the place trying to put out all the fires and not getting anything done.

If I can get even just one thing off the list that is a good day. Maybe it will get better in the future, not sure. I hope to get over the new shop/building from scratch/no systems in place hump sometime soon.
 
ewlsey said:
I don't think I have ever been productive, but I get a lot of shit done. I don't know how to explain it.

When I had a day job (desk job), the company could monitor our internet activity. Wouldn't you know, mine was the highest in the group. My boss came around and said something to me. I got mad. I asked him to look at the quality of my work, and the on time percentage. Hmm, also near the top of the group. So, what exactly is the problem?

He was an asshole bureaucrat. To him the answer was simple. Stop this kid from using the internet, and he will be even more productive. He never could understand that it doesn't work like that. I work in spurts of insane productivity. But, those spurts must be followed by periods of rest or I will burn out.

I have never been the kind of person that could make list and milestones and prioritize. I much prefer to goof off while the pressure builds. When the gravity of just how much work has to be done would crush a lesser man, I spring into action and bang things out faster than is humanly possible. I've been working like this for a really long time. I know pretty well when I will get away with it. To people around me it looks like madness.

I'm not saying it is the right way, but it's my way. No wonder I am self employed.


Footnote:

In a one man band, you have to do everything. That very often means things that don't make you one thin dime. I lost almost 2 weeks this month addressing some maintenance issues on my two CNC machines and doing some wiring. You just have to suck it up and do it. You will make enough the other two weeks to cover the lose of time.

A big shop can't afford this time. So they have to buy their way out of the problem by hiring someone to take care of it. A one man band usually has more time than money.
Click to expand...

Man that is me to a "t". I have a ton of work to do and I sit on my ass and look at PM or whatever and when it "has" to get done I knock it out. Last thing in the world I want or need is drugs. I have spurts of productivity and then nothing happens for a day or three and then I am all over it again.
 
It's kind of a relief to hear that other people are like that too. Some people get flabbergasted at the thought that someone else could work that way.

My fiancée is one of those people who always has to be doing something, and nibbles away at the problem til it's fixed. I'd be bored out of my mind if I was wired that way. Thank god for her being that way, because she keeps the household running with all the day-to-day stuff, but I get to do all the "fun" stuff that crops up...electrical problems, mechanical problems, etc...aka the emergency stuff that needs to be handled NOW and effectively.

I guess it's one of the reasons why I was good at being a soldier...the bureaucracy and the regulations can be mind-numbing & nauseating, but when go-time hits, you can tell the difference between a field-soldier and a parade-soldier. I never had time to flinch with some of the situations we had to deal with, and your training and instinct kicks into high-gear to carry you thru, around or over whatever obstacle presents itself. It just sort of carried over with me into the civilian world. I have had a hard time "adapting" to the 9-5 mentality, where it seems that mediocrity thrives. I understand that there is a need & a place for people who can do the daily grind at a metered-pace, but there also needs to be understanding from the "higher-ups" that not all people are drones...some people thrive on challenging situations and fizzle out when pressed into cookie-cutter service.
 
I've been having a harder time doing what I used to do hours wise in the shop but that's been partly health crap getting in the way, but finally managing some 10-12hr days in the shop again and motivation/energy is coming back.

Time wise I've usually found that on new"never seen it" jobs that need quoting, new materials to find, talk to engineers, paper work, I can easily sink 20-30hrs of wasted time for every 40hrs, being that some of that time is quoting jobs that I'll never see. I've got about 60hrs now on a job I've not made a single chip on yet but finally starting today, but eh, work is work.
Repeat work with no issues involved usually is only 3-4hrs of wasted time per 40hrs of work.
I tried to schedule all deliveries and pick ups, groceries and what not on 1 day of the week, ideally 1 afternoon, but sometimes it ends up being 2 trips in week.

I do as much as possible by email and answer them during lunch, supper, or later at night.

I've usually thought that if I had my own products I'd be able to be much more productive, but I guess that ain't working out so well for the guys doing it eh.
 
ewlsey said:
I am very lazy. A nicer way to put it is that I prefer to work smart, not hard. I would much rather spend 2 hours thinking of a clever solution and 4 hours doing the job than spend 6 hours "making it work". In reality, I didn't get any more work done, but I expended much less energy. It frustrates the hell out of people around me because they saw 2 hours of doing nothing and 4 hours of actual work.

....I rarely get to do anything that I can actually bill at shop rate before 10:00 am (I start around 6:30).

Don't stress about it too much. You just have to keep the lights on and the doors open.
Click to expand...



There's a description that fits me pretty well. And "don't stress about it too much" is about the best advice ever.

In '94 and '95 I billed 90% of my time in the shop. I wasn't having much fun, though, so bought a Grob band saw to restore, started visiting more shops and took on some Town projects that needed to be done and repair jobs that didn't bring in much but brought in more social contact. Now my girlfriend's son is hanging around the shop, soaking up help with his previously abused truck, I'm having still more fun and my billing percentage is down to about 50%. (That's a guess- I haven't run the numbers this time and I ain't gonna. :))

Neil
 
snowman said:
Single owner shop, no employees. I have a couple products that I manufacture, as well as do a lot of secondhand sales. This is the first time I've done "just" self employed. Financially, I'm doing ok, could be doing a lot better. I figure I'm running at about 10% of my capabilities right now. That's a literal statement. I know what my brain and body are capable of, and I'm NOT even close to it.

Now, I never expect to hit 100%, but if I could even make it to 50% productive, I'd be lightyears ahead of where I am.
Click to expand...

My method of being productive is by being prolific in posting on PM and in between expediting orders received by email and phone ;) :D

At the moment I'm getting almost 2,000 hits a day on my website but if a mere fraction of them were orders I wouldn't have time to post anything on PM :)
 
Just a few thoughts:

- Macgyver is right. Focus on getting "one thing done per day". Figure out what is the most important thing to get done today. Do that first thing in the morning. What often helps is the last thing the night before, make a list (post-it note if you want) of the top three things to do tomorrow. Start before others (even if it means at home in your pj's). DON'T CHECK EMAIL!!
- Another thing is called "GTD" or Getting Things Done. I've heard a lot of good things about this book, but I haven't read it myself.
- Another good technique is called "Pomodoro Technique". It again comes highly suggested. I think this would be much harder to implement (as in more discipline).
 
Well, if nothing else, I now feel more normal.

When I am working on my product lines, yes, I get more done. It's mostly the secondhand sales that take a ridiculous amount of time.
 
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