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Stress

Robert Armerding

Listen Sharp
Is your sign-making business as stress-free as it should be?
A few of you reading this might have some interest in this topic.
Let's have a five-minute get better-acquainted conversation.
 

Notarealsignguy

Arial - it's almost helvetica
Being organized and having a detailed daily plan, ready at the end of the day, reduces a lot of the typical stress people get from running their business by the seat of their pants. Spend 30-45 mins at the end of every day to specifically layout what you and each employee will do throughout the entire day. An hour by hour schedule is the best way IMO. It's for you just as much as it is for the employees. You can't wait til the morning either to figure this out which is what most people do.
Doing this also reduces the stress of your employees and helps with retention. As an employee, it is stressful when you don't know what you should be doing or know how long you should be spending on a specific task. If you do this, you may be surprised how many people that you think are slackers are actually not. They just arent managed properly.
 

Val47

New Member
my workplace is as stress-free as any could be. Of course there is stress - but - WHAT CAUSES THE STRESS?
  1. deadlines
  2. difficult customer situations
  3. difficult coworker situations
  4. commute
  5. what your kid is doing while your at work, but there is no "going to school" and they are home - while your at work
  6. not enough material to complete a "hot" project
  7. Making a mistake before installation - things have to be redone = margin loss for the boss
  8. making a mistake after a job is completed, and now the customer is unhappy = now EVERYONE is unhappy = margine loss and ego shun for all.
this is just a starter list. but for the first thing on my list... deadlines are what I thrive on. It's not stress for me, its "direction". graphic designer perspective. I do best if I have a dead line.
2-4 non issue for me.

Presently, my stress, while at work are 5-8.
 

Robert Armerding

Listen Sharp
Being organized and having a detailed daily plan, ready at the end of the day, reduces a lot of the typical stress people get from running their business by the seat of their pants. Spend 30-45 mins at the end of every day to specifically layout what you and each employee will do throughout the entire day. An hour by hour schedule is the best way IMO. It's for you just as much as it is for the employees. You can't wait til the morning either to figure this out which is what most people do.
Doing this also reduces the stress of your employees and helps with retention. As an employee, it is stressful when you don't know what you should be doing or know how long you should be spending on a specific task. If you do this, you may be surprised how many people that you think are slackers are actually not. They just arent managed properly.
Notarealsignguy Thank you for these solid thoughts. On to-do lists, one author talks about having two to-do lists. One with two or three high importance items, like long-term, develop goals. The other with five or six other items. Again, your input on doing this at the end of the day is powerful.
 

Robert Armerding

Listen Sharp
Speaking as a procrastinator and overachiever, stress, coffee, cigarettes, etc are the only way great signs get made.
Well, that or fresh fruits and non processed foods as Tex pushes.
JBurton As you describe yourself as a "procrastinator," do you want to improve on that a little or would you rather not?
 

Robert Armerding

Listen Sharp
my workplace is as stress-free as any could be. Of course there is stress - but - WHAT CAUSES THE STRESS?
  1. deadlines
  2. difficult customer situations
  3. difficult coworker situations
  4. commute
  5. what your kid is doing while your at work, but there is no "going to school" and they are home - while your at work
  6. not enough material to complete a "hot" project
  7. Making a mistake before installation - things have to be redone = margin loss for the boss
  8. making a mistake after a job is completed, and now the customer is unhappy = now EVERYONE is unhappy = margine loss and ego shun for all.
this is just a starter list. but for the first thing on my list... deadlines are what I thrive on. It's not stress for me, its "direction". graphic designer perspective. I do best if I have a dead line.
2-4 non issue for me.

Presently, my stress, while at work are 5-8.
Val47 What the kid is doing is a tough one. As Notarealsignguy writes, maybe in the evening team-up with your kid to make a to-do list for the next day. On "difficult coworker situations," here is where being the best listener really pays off. Try to deliberately listen. Instead of thinking about what to say next, simply ask, "Is there anything else that you would like to make sure I understand?" It is amazing how being a great listener opens the conversation to be more productive, reducing misunderstandings. The same goes for number 8. Become the best listener for the customer. Mistakes will become less and less.
 

Notarealsignguy

Arial - it's almost helvetica
deadlines are what I thrive on. It's not stress for me, its "direction". graphic designer perspective. I do best if I have a dead line.
2-4 non issue for me.
This is most people and exactly why I lay out everyone's day for them with specified times for each task. It really has eased the stress of everyone and has been the best change I have implemented. In the morning they all look at their jobs for the day and right away each person knows what they are expected to have done. Also, the guy waiting on another to finish their part somewhat manages that other employees part so that they aren't cut short on time. For example, 1 guy is assigned to weld a frame from 8-10 and the painter is assigned to spray it from 10-12. Then the painter has another big job that's 12-5. He will make sure the welder is done at 10 so it doesn't push back his next job and he has to work late.
 

litewave

New Member
A pro-crastinator is not always someone out of depth. "Studies have shown" many high IQ achievers like to include a bit of stress management and sometimes it propels the best work ever.

Or....

The greatest of all. Experience.

If you remember there is no such thing as a bad experience. Then, if your arcade game goes wrong. You got something to learn and maybe "stress"
follows.

Rinse and repeat. We'll get through this.
Stronger after each achievement or mistake.

Enjoy it while it lasts.

What you all stressing about?
 

Robert Armerding

Listen Sharp
This is most people and exactly why I lay out everyone's day for them with specified times for each task. It really has eased the stress of everyone and has been the best change I have implemented. In the morning they all look at their jobs for the day and right away each person knows what they are expected to have done. Also, the guy waiting on another to finish their part somewhat manages that other employees part so that they aren't cut short on time. For example, 1 guy is assigned to weld a frame from 8-10 and the painter is assigned to spray it from 10-12. Then the painter has another big job that's 12-5. He will make sure the welder is done at 10 so it doesn't push back his next job and he has to work late.
Notarealsignguy Sounds like you have a good handle on that side of your business. Texas_Signmaker and I have been discussing what to do with creative ideas that come up. What have you found works for you?
 

Robert Armerding

Listen Sharp
A pro-crastinator is not always someone out of depth. "Studies have shown" many high IQ achievers like to include a bit of stress management and sometimes it propels the best work ever.

Or....

The greatest of all. Experience.

If you remember there is no such thing as a bad experience. Then, if your arcade game goes wrong. You got something to learn and maybe "stress"
follows.

Rinse and repeat. We'll get through this.
Stronger after each achievement or mistake.

Enjoy it while it lasts.

What you all stressing about?
litewave Sounds like something several authors say, "Celebrate your failures." Plan, do, test, learn, "rinse and repeat." Thanks for your input. I appreciate it.
 

Val47

New Member
Val47 What the kid is doing is a tough one. As Notarealsignguy writes, maybe in the evening team-up with your kid to make a to-do list for the next day. On "difficult coworker situations," here is where being the best listener really pays off. Try to deliberately listen. Instead of thinking about what to say next, simply ask, "Is there anything else that you would like to make sure I understand?" It is amazing how being a great listener opens the conversation to be more productive, reducing misunderstandings. The same goes for number 8. Become the best listener for the customer. Mistakes will become less and less.

LMAO... do you have a 13 year old girl? Did you try that approach?, what did you get? I would get rolling eyes with an "are you for real" look. I'm mom, not Dad... there is a real difference (for some reason). I don't get it, but as a girl, I do remember the daughter-mom relationship that cannot be explained. Don't get me wrong, I love my mom. but as a teenager... well, it's complicated.

as for mistakes... listening won't help. If it's my mistake, it's probably because I was rushing through something because there was so much to do, and I messed up a production detail. Or I was mis-informed, and it's "our bad" but not because of me. Otherwise, it's a customer bad, and they messed up with what they gave us.
 

White Haus

Not a Newbie
Being organized and having a detailed daily plan, ready at the end of the day, reduces a lot of the typical stress people get from running their business by the seat of their pants. Spend 30-45 mins at the end of every day to specifically layout what you and each employee will do throughout the entire day. An hour by hour schedule is the best way IMO. It's for you just as much as it is for the employees. You can't wait til the morning either to figure this out which is what most people do.
Doing this also reduces the stress of your employees and helps with retention. As an employee, it is stressful when you don't know what you should be doing or know how long you should be spending on a specific task. If you do this, you may be surprised how many people that you think are slackers are actually not. They just arent managed properly.

Definitely some good points there. I need to get to a point where the schedule is done the day before so when I/we get it in, you don't have to worry about what you need to start with/what the expectations are etc.
I find having to do all that in morning definitely stresses me out and eats up more time than it should, because I know I should already be working on some of those tasks.

Any tips/further advice on how you guys set up your schedule/daily plan? Any specific software/apps you find useful for this? I use a combination of paper pads, google calendar, day timer, and Smartsheet software. Definitely a mess and could be improved.

Thanks.
 
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