As a hair professional, time is money, and making the most of all the time you have in a day is crucial. Time can slip away so quickly, and wasted time is pretty much just letting money slip away. Taking back control over your appointment book schedule and any downtime you have available to you is essential. There are a lot of techniques that can save you time and also make you more money. Time management time can make a significant impact on your success and happiness. Take these tips and apply them to your salon or barbershop life to improve your time management.
Make A Set Salon Or Barbershop Schedule
Having a set appointment boom schedule is the first step to taking control of your time. Sit down and think about what days you want to work at the salon or barbershop and what times you want to work. Once you have set your salon appointment book schedule, stick to it! It is easy to get pulled in all kinds of directions when you allow your salon customers to determine your salon schedule. You are the hair professional providing the services, and therefore you should be the one putting boundaries on your appointment book schedule. Changing your appointment book schedule frequently can also be confusing and frustrating for customers; that is why having an appointment boom schedule in place and sticking to it is vital to help with time management!
Managing Your Downtime
As hair professionals, it is not uncommon to have appointment cancelations and “holes” in your day. Instead of being tempted to go home early or take the day off, make these times productive by doing things that will better your career in the salon or barbershop. Instead of sitting around scrolling on social media, help a fellow salon or barbershop co-worker with their client or maybe take a virtual class. Put your time management skills into place! Whatever you choose to do, make sure you have good intentions and a good attitude towards it. Getting annoyed at an appointment cancelation is very typical, but instead of looking at it as a burden, look at it in a new light as an opportunity to advance your career or lend a helping hand. Take the downtime you have at the salon and make it productive!
Learn New Hair Techniques
The beauty of the hair industry is that there are so many different methods to the skills performed. If you find that a particular salon or barbershop service takes longer times than you want, try to learn some new techniques to reduce the time spent on that service. For example, if you are taking hours to install extensions at the salon, try to take a class that focuses on a quick extension install. Another scenario is finding that your fades take a long time to perfect; take a barbering class to execute the perfect quick fade. The techniques that generally take a long time can be shortened tremendously with different methods and time management.
Keep A To-Do List To Help With Time Management
A to-do list of things about your hair career is so helpful to complete the things you desire. Many times stylists or barbers forgot about things they want to accomplish because they are so busy behind the chair. Having a running list of things you want to accomplish will give you a place to go when you run into any free time or downtime. This way, you are not just sitting around wasting time; you have a place to go and a list of things to do during that time and your days off from the salon or barbershop.
Schedule Your Social Media Posts
Social media can take away a lot of time, especially if you are posting a few times throughout the day at the salon or barbershop. You can use fantastic apps to manage and schedule your post, so you don’t have to worry about stepping throughout your day to post or get distracted by social media. Many salons and barbershops use these apps to help manage their accounts and take back time from posting. Use your day off to pick a few pictures to post throughout the week and schedule them during those times; that way, you don’t have to worry about stepping away from the salon or barbershop to do these things.
Time is money, and with these tips, you should be able to get control over your time off from the salon, downtime, and time behind the chair. Taking back control over your salon time will be relieving, and you will find yourself highly productive. It is essential to master time management as a hair professional—the more control you have over your appointment book and time off, the better. Every minute counts and every minute is an opportunity to grow, make more money, or advance your career!
