10 time hacks for pet sitters
Efficiently managing your time—it’s a challenge you face whether you’re a solo pet sitter or the manager of a large pet-sitting team. Sometimes it feels like the minutes just slip away, but fortunately, there are some techniques you can use to help you get the most out of your day.
During PSI’s October 2017 free member webinar, Lara Galloway, Mom Biz Coach, addressed this important topic—“Managing Your Minutes: Time Management Skills for Pet Sitters.”
Lara explained that when you are in a helping and caring industry like pet sitters are, it is difficult to meet all of the needs when you are also trying to meet your own needs and your family’s needs.
If you want to do more with your time, you can find some techniques to help, she said.
“But if you don’t first take stock of where you’re wasting your time, it’s not going to be as effective,” Lara said.
Lara addressed five time drains: lack of boundaries, distractions and interruptions, doing it all yourself, resistance to change and estimating your time (thinking you can get more done in a day than you can).
Entrepreneurs are especially notorious for the “doing it all yourself” time drain, she noted. For example, you may spend your time trying to design your website when you do not have the skill set and could hire someone else to do it.
“Those are the things that cause extra, extra stress, because they often take a whole lot longer than they should,” Lara said.
After raising awareness about the things that drain time, Lara went on to share actions pet sitters can take to be more productive with their time.
Lara shared 10 time hacks:
1. Chunk it. You can think of your total available time in chunks, Lara said. For her, a two-hour chunk followed by a short break is a good block of time. For some dog walkers or pet sitters, the chunk of time may be shorter. “Think of your time in chunks and think, ‘What can I get done in this chunk of time,’” Lara advised.
2. Map it. A project is made up of many different tasks, so what time do you have available in your day, week or month? Lara encouraged pet sitters to take a project, break it down into tasks and look at the available time slots in their calendars to see where the tasks fit in.
3. Calculate it. Be intentional about what you put on your calendar, Lara said. Don’t let all of the things you could pursue get on there. What tasks can you do that get you closer to your goal?
4. Quarter it. Lara explained that there are four quarters or quadrants of productivity: Q1, things that make money; Q2, things that build money (e.g. marketing, follow-ups with customers, social media); Q3, must-dos (e.g. continuing education, training your team, billing, accounting); and Q4, time sucks (e.g. surfing the internet). Lara typically challenges her clients to put more items in Q1 and Q4 than in Q2 and Q3. For Q1, what can you do to make more money? And for Q4, see what you can put in there that is a time suck, then knock it off!
5. Time it. Timing is a huge factor in determining how productive you can be as a business owner, Lara said. Consider your energy flow throughout the day and stop scheduling things that require a lot of energy during times of the day that you don’t have it. For example, she knows that her energy is low until her first cup of coffee, that she needs a break in the middle of the day and that her brain wants to click off in the evenings. “I want you to tap into the timing that allows you to be the most productive that you can be,” Lara said.
6. Question it. If certain to-do list items are rolling over each day, Lara advised pet sitters to question the items. Ask yourself questions like, “Do I want to do it? Do I have to do it? What goal does this help me go toward? Which priority in my life is positively impacted by doing it?” Don’t waste your time doing things that you don’t need or want to do, Lara said.
7. Maximize it. Lara encouraged pet sitters to minimize transition times. For example, don’t waste your time as you are getting ready to leave the house for dog walks by also watching TV or doing laundry, she said. Try to group similar tasks together.
8. Plan it. Before bed, take a few moments to plan out the next day, Lara advised. Write down specific tasks you want to get done that day. You do not want to wake up stressed the next day, so think through how your day is going to go and plan.
9. Break it. Taking a break is an effective way to be more productive, Lara said. Sometimes when you’re working you can’t see the solution. Taking a break gives you a chance to clear your head, and it does not have to be a long break, Lara added. It could be a walk around the house or the block, or a trip to the kitchen to get a drink—anything that takes your mind off the problem.
10. Focus it. We all get overwhelmed when we’ve got a lot on our plates, Lara explained, so sometimes you just need to narrow your focus and put all of your energy into only the most pressing activities and projects. If you get sick, it is time to remove some things from your to-do list—let it go, delegate it or defer it for later.
For more tips and insight, be sure to listen to Lara’s webinar, “Managing Your Minutes: Time Management Skills for Pet Sitters.”
As a pet sitter, what strategies have you found helpful for managing your time? Share in the comments section below.
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