Everyone has the same 24-hour day, but some people can achieve so much in this span of time!
The key to this mystery is time management, and everyone from students to business owners like us florists can benefit greatly from managing our time wisely.
Time management allows you to increase productivity by streamlining your processes into manageable bits. Aside from that, it makes work less stressful because everything you do is managed in a way that’s most efficient for you and your team. Ultimately, time management improves all aspects of a flower shop and it will show in your books.
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Daily Planner for Florists
One of the simplest ways to time management is to get a daily planner, whether it be physical or digital. For individuals and self-management, physical planners give you a tangible reminder about the planner so that you will not forget about having it in the first place. However, electronic planners have the advantage of being able to manage not just your time, but also your team members’. Many checklists and team collaboration tools are available on the Internet, but the larger concern is not which platform you should use, but how your team uses it.
SMART Florists
No matter which tool you choose, make sure that the tasks you delegate to your members and to follow the SMART approach.
SMART stands for Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Timely.
Tasks need to be specific and straight to the point so that everyone else will know what it means and what to do when it is delegated to them. A good example is that instead of saying “Arrange inventory,” it’s better to say “Move the old stocks to the back storage.” Being specific also helps in clarifying possible ambiguities.
Measurable tasks make them easier to manage because it clearly shows progress in the task. If they are put off or cannot be finished within the initial timeframe, it is easy to pick it up the next time because you know specifically where to start with it. Instead of saying “Finish orders,” saying “Finish 10 orders” makes it easier to know how many orders you need to finish and how many you need to do if ever you can’t finish it right away.
Attainable tasks mean that they can be attained easily with the given timeframe reasonably. This might need your knowledge of the team’s strengths and you can delegate tasks to people who can do the tasks better than others and before the deadline. This is largely dependent on your team but a quick tip is to delegate smaller tasks or break down big tasks into smaller bits. Instead of saying “Finish a bouquet,” saying “Propose a design,” then “Design the bouquet,” then “Arrange the flowers,” can be so much better because the bigger tasks can be delegated to multiple people at once.
Relevant and timely tasks refer to the urgency of the tasks. During high time of flower orders, it might be more relevant and timely to prioritize orders, while during the low time it’s better to prioritize shop expansions. Being able to properly recognize the urgency of the tasks to be delegated is a great help in this regard.
The SMART approach is a really good way of managing your tasks, and ultimately, your time. However, there are still many other ways to improve your productivity.
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Florist Time
With the tasks you have, try to measure how much time it takes you to do specific tasks. Identify possible slowdowns or roadblocks in these tasks, then try to improve that regard. For example, if you find yourself taking way too long in finishing a single order, try to find what makes you take too long in an order. Is it the lack of inventory, or the time it takes to move around the shop to get the items? If so, try to order ahead for the former reason, or try to rearrange the shop for the latter reason. Always aim for a measurable improvement in tasks.
Florist Priorities
Prioritization is also crucial in time management. This might be the most important part of it, even. Try to mark urgent, non-urgent and repeat tasks differently, then prioritize them in that order. Urgent tasks can be those which are highly time-constrained, such as express orders. Non-urgent tasks can be those tasks that need not be done right away and are those that you do not do on a regular basis. Repeat tasks are those tasks that you do on a regular basis, although some repetitive tasks can be delegated to urgent tasks, depending on the situation.
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The Pareto principle. Being able to identify the “vital few,” or the 20% that produces 80% of your outcome, from the “useful many” and prioritizing them properly is key to successful time management. To stay on top of all your responsibilities, you should also always try to check all your to-dos and remind your team to check their to-dos. With this single reminder, all your other reminders will fall into place.
With proper time management, not only will your productivity around your shop increase, but you will also have time for yourself, to relax and chill after having a successful day at work, since you have everything at work tidied up.
Florists, what are some ways you prioritize things at work or tools you use for time management? Share your comments below!
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