Time management and procrastination are common issues for many people. While some can afford to waste a minute here and there, others do not have such a luxury.
Beauty salons are a good example of how an establishment struggles to be successful if people working there do not have excellent time management skills.
The skill becomes even more important if you are a manager because acting poorly in front of your team means setting a bad example. After all, a supervisor is someone employees need to look up to. Being frantic and all over the place builds bad company policy.
So the question is, what can the beauty industry professionals do to manage their time more efficiently and run a tighter ship? Let’s take a look:
Use Available Apps and Tools
Since we live in the digital age, it would be a waste not to take advantage of available applications or tools, such as a weekly time sheet, one can keep on their smartphone.
For example, you can save a big chunk of your time by automating client appointments. There are services that let clients book appointments themselves by accessing a beautician’s calendar and seeing available slots.
Watalook, a mobile app for hairstylist professionals, dressers, makeup artists, and other beauty industry workers, is a prime example of how such a service can solve multiple problems related to time management.
Avoid Procrastinations
Procrastinating instead of doing your actual work is one of those temptations that even the strongest people cannot resist. Sure, there might be instances when you are finished with everything and have nothing left until the end of the workday, but how often is that the case?
If there is a task that you need to finish, do not delay it for tomorrow, no matter how small it is. You cannot predict what might happen the next day. What if a client shows up and you cannot squeeze them in because someone has to take care of stuff from yesterday?
Manage Interruptions
The worst part about interruptions is that you cannot predict when they happen. However, knowing how to manage them is a good trait. For example, a client might show up without making an appointment and inquire about available slots.
If you are dealing with someone who is understandable, there will be no issues to kindly tell them to call you after work or talk to another employee who is less busy. However, if this client is someone who likes chit-chat, being polite might not be enough to show them that you are busy.
It takes experience to manage such interruptions, but it is part of the beauty business, and you need to get better at it.
Take Breaks From Overworking
Managing too many clients one after another can leave you exhausted. If you become too tired, you will make more mistakes and need to rectify them later.
Whenever possible, take a break. Knowing when you can rest is another trait indicating that someone is good at managing their time.
During a break, you can make the most out of it by looking through your schedule and knowing what to expect for the upcoming week. Or perhaps a client shared some photos on social media about what they would like to get the next time they visit? You can take notes while sitting down and prepare to cross another thing off your checklist of things to do.
Do Not Multitask
As a rule of thumb, it is better to avoid multitasking when possible. You might be talking to your client in person while responding to another client on your smartphone via text.
Some might think that multitasking actually saves time, but it sometimes leads to more errors because you did not pay enough attention after occupying yourself with multiple tasks simultaneously.
Unless you are confident in your multitasking skills and can manage, then it is fine. But if you notice problems coming from lack of focus, it is better to do things one by one instead.
Prepare in Advance
When you have a busy day on Monday, why not take some of the problems beforehand? Instead of wasting your Sunday doing nothing, you should double-check what is happening next week, confirm appointments, find out if someone needs to reschedule, and so on.
Knowing that you took care of some stuff the day prior is a great psychological trick as well. It will help you prepare emotionally because you will know that Monday will not be as busy.
Write Things Down
Having too many things on your mind is not a good sign. Even if you are confident in your memory, you should still be cautious and write things down in case you forget an important appointment, such as your beauty product supplier coming later. Keep a journal and take notes so that you can check it and keep track of the schedule.
What things do you do in your workplace to hold yourself accountable for staying on task? Let us know in the comments below!
*Photos by Nataliya Vaitkevich
