Time is precious, no matter who you are. From a business standpoint, time is money. Too often business owners “spin their wheels” working hard for long hours, only to realize later that they actually accomplished very little.
How well do you handle your time? Are there things you could do differently so that your funeral home business can be more efficient and, therefore, more effective?
One of the easiest ways to spin your wheels as a business owner is to keep “repeating yourself.” For example, checking your emails three or more times a day is repeating yourself. Unless you are expecting a time-sensitive message, checking first thing in the morning and again late in the afternoon should do the trick. Imagine what you could accomplish with the time you save each week by not wasting precious minutes re-opening your inbox unnecessarily.
Look over your normal routine. Very likely you will find several habits you have gotten into that make you repeat actions and retrace steps. If you streamline and reorganize your day, you will stop “repeating yourself,” and discover that you actually have freed up more time for your critical responsibilities.
Another way to “spin your wheels” is by not delegating tasks that must be done on a regular basis. Some of these are office-oriented activities that take a substantial chunk of your precious time. Decide what you are very proficient at and delegate the rest. If you are extremely effective at counseling grieving families, but get bogged down with arranging the logistics of the funeral procession or burial arrangements, see if someone else on your staff can handle the phone calls and paperwork. This will enable you to have more time and psychological energy to properly care for your clients.
If you are a dynamo when it comes to sales and can expertly steer clients to purchase the right casket, urn and other necessities, but you spend way too much time trying to untangle the emotional dynamics of grieving families, delegate this to another staff member, or have him or her sit in with you to keep the pace going.
Not getting enough sleep can also cause you to “spin your wheels.” When you are exhausted, it takes longer to perform ordinary tasks and time tends to slip right by you. Moreover, sleep is not a luxury. Unless you get enough shut-eye, you not only risk damaging your funeral home business by doing a slipshod job, you also risk damaging your own health. You know that you cannot think logically or perform as well when you are extremely tired. More importantly, abusing your body by depriving it of sleep will eventually break down your immune system, leaving you susceptible to colds and even more serious illnesses. Your funeral home depends on you, so stay healthy by getting enough sleep.
Businesses fail when they waste time and energy. Stop “spinning your wheels” by examining every aspect of your funeral home. With some honest evaluation and a willingness to make practical changes, you will start to get good traction and make your business as efficient and effective as it can be.
