Pros Share How They Increase Productivity and Save Time Each Week
When your workload gets heavy and things start to slip through the cracks, it may be time to find new ways to optimize your productivity, work smarter and get more efficient. Rethinking how you structure each workday can help you find better flow and ease stress.
Twelve design and remodeling pros on Houzz share some of their best practices that can give you a performance boost and save you time each week. Take a look at these tips, which can help you switch up your work style and find balance. We’d love to hear your words of wisdom in the Comments as well.
Work Set Hours and Take Breaks
Having set hours can help you keep things on track and avoid burnout. “Creating a realistic start and end time to the day helps us to provide the best quality work,” principal architect Jennifer Birnstiel of ArchiPlicity says. Working longer hours can backfire and lead to subpar work. If you find yourself going overboard, take a pause and revisit the work in the morning with fresh eyes.
Get comfortable taking breaks. “I have found that I am a better designer if I have a lot of breaks throughout the day and throughout the year. When I do get those breaks, I come back to projects refreshed and rejuvenated,” interior designer Brigid Wethington of B. Chic Interiors says. Committing to taking break time can be valuable for your productivity and longevity.
Architect and partner Eugene Sakai of Studio S Squared Architecture stands firm on no client calls or meetings in the evenings or on weekends.
President and design-build pro Aviad Goverman of So Cal Builders & Design also sets boundaries around work hours. “I can’t completely put the work down on weekends, so I limit myself to work I truly enjoy doing, like working on floor plans and sometimes a bit of marketing,” he says. “I don’t respond to any phone calls, texts or emails after normal business hours unless it’s an emergency.”
Use a Calendar to Manage Tasks
Managing your calendar is key. It doesn’t matter if you use a paper calendar or a cloud-based one — the goal is to get things done. Interior architect Nicolette Bouw of NIBIO says she is very visual and needs to see everything laid out on her desk. A large color-coded paper planner works for her.
A cloud-based calendar can be accessed anywhere and is great for sharing and keeping track of important to-dos. “It also allows teammates to gauge my workload and see if I have time to help on projects or attend extra meetings,” lead designer Melissa Filter of Meadowlark Design + Build says.
Set aside time in the morning to give your workday clear direction. Group tasks together, then designate time to complete them.
At the beginning of each workday, Birnstiel creates a detailed schedule that balances key priorities such as design and drafting work, attending meetings and interacting with clients. “We set specific times at the beginning and the end of each day to respond to emails and phone calls,” she says. This leaves the middle of the day open to focus on projects.
Rethink Weekly Meetings
Regular meetings can either improve productivity or waste time. Principal designer Sarah Henley of Henley Design says having weekly all-team meetings keeps co-workers connected and operations running smoothly. “This gives our semiremote team time to reconnect on a personal level, reset priorities for the week, review the schedule and run through projects,” she says.
On the other hand, meetings can easily take up the majority of a workday. Interior designer Dawn Cook realized that her weekly all-staff meetings were a waste of everyone’s time and energy. “We now have specific client-focused design meetings and office staff meetings with the founders for bigger-picture and efficiency items.”
Owner and designer Lance Griffith of CHD Interiors limits internal meetings. “Instead, we are using a dynamic, live document program that we all interact with to keep a project moving ahead,” he says.
Embrace Technology
Investing in tech tools and software can help you work faster. Design-build firm Arete Renovators found that project management software helps its business run better. It “allows the client to log in and see photos, updates, schedule and communicate directly with their project manager for questions and easy decision-making,” director of operations Gina Young says.
Duo Design Studio uses Houzz to help streamline operations and find new clients. “Houzz Pro software has been a game changer for us,” creative director and founder Christa Sorauf says. “We receive approximately 75% of new business from Houzz and the software has made it very easy to identify and track leads and close deals.”
They also use immersive tech to win over clients. “We’re a very high-tech, high-touch firm, so we create very detailed 2D and 3D presentations so our clients will know exactly what their spaces will look like, and it makes the approval process very seamless because there are no surprises,” Sorauf says.
Court Clients in New Ways
ArchiPlicity is implementing a new questionnaire for potential clients that will help the team quickly understand clients’ wants and needs. “It will also include a ‘What to Expect’ information sheet to help new clients to understand our work process, timeline and how we will work together,” Birnstiel says.
Arete Renovators learned a big lesson after taking on every prospective client. The company got strategic after constantly being stretched too thin. “One of our biggest busts was trying to accommodate everyone and straying from our business model,” Young says. “We took a step back and recognized the value we offer and learned how to sell that value to the clients who would appreciate it and learned to say no to the others.”
Lean on Your Team
You can’t do it alone. CHD Interiors takes a team approach with all projects, allowing each staff member to have designated tasks. “We learned long ago a designer needs to design,” Griffith says. “We have a system for handing off parts of our jobs to different teams in our business to handle what each person does best.”
President and founder Andrew Patterson of Patterson Custom Homes relies on in-office support to manage the intricacies of each home the company builds. Project managers in the field oversee subcontractors. “This approach to having a pair of employees working together on a project instead of one project manager is unique in the industry and makes us more efficient,” Patterson says. “We also have separate teams that handle accounting, administration and marketing.”
Work Remotely When Possible
Working from home, a local coffee shop or in the field can save you time each week. Nothing can replace visiting the project site, but — if you can — try working from home. Without the extra driving, you may get more done.
Most of the staff at Arete Renovators works remotely, despite having a showroom and design center. The company gives staff members the option to get work done from wherever they are. “Our systems and communication are not tied to a physical office,” Young says.
And if you can’t, schedule your offsite visits in a loop that traces your commute.
Visit Project Sites Often
So Cal Builders & Design recommends checking on your projects regularly to help you stay on schedule and avoid mistakes. “Visiting the job site every day or every other day helps by being on top of everything and catching any issues on time before they become a big problem,” Goverman says.
Prioritize Self-Care
Taking care of yourself is important for your overall well-being and productivity. Scheduling quiet time for yourself or starting each day with exercise or yoga can lower stress. “Our studio is just steps from a huge city park and walking trails, so we’ll take a 5-mile walk on our lunch break,” Sorauf of Duo Design Studio says.
Make time for personal appointments and a life away from work. Even if you work on the weekends, balance those hours with scheduled vacations throughout the year.
Personalize Your Tools
Learn how to use your unique arsenal of tools to your advantage. At B. Chic Interiors, Wethington uses a mix of handwritten and tech tools to boost efficiency. “My old-school ways are using a wipe board to list out all of my projects,” she says. “I have them categorized if they are under a certain contractor.” And business software, email, calendaring, social media and blogging are the tech staples that keep her going.
Sakai of Studio S Squared Architecture has found simple ways to handle email faster. “Starring emails allows me to distinguish between FYI-type emails and those requiring me to respond,” he says. “Unless urgent, I answer the starred emails in batches either at the beginning or end of the day.”