Publisher’s Page

THE HVACR MANAGEMENT MAGAZINE

TERRY Tanker Publisher ttanker@hvacrbusiness.com

MEGAN LaSalla Art Director mlasalla@hvacrbusiness.com

BRUCE Sprague Circulation Manager bs200264@sbcglobal.net BARBARA Kerr VP Operations bkerr@hvacrbusiness.com ADVERTISING STAFF ERIC Hagerman National Sales Manager Tel 216-409-3246 ehagerman@hvacrbusiness.com TERRY Tanker Publisher Tel 440-731-8600 ttanker@hvacrbusiness.com

HVACR Business, founded January 1981, is a monthly national trade magazine serving contractors, mechanical engineers, manufacturers, manufacturer representatives, wholesalers, distributors, trade associations, and others in the heating, ventilating, air conditioning and refrigeration (HVACR) industry primarily in the U.S. The editorial focus and mission of HVACR Business is to provide business owners and managers with the very best business management concepts available. Critical topics covered include leadership, management, strategy, finance, sales, marketing, training, education, staffing, operations, human resources, legal issues, customer service and more. We are dedicated to helping contractors master these key management skills and provide them with the resources necessary to build strong, profitable companies. Every effort is made to provide accurate information, however, the publisher assumes no responsibility for accuracy of submitted advertising and editorial information. Copyright©2021 by JFT Properties LLC. No part of this publication may be reproduced or retransmitted in any form or by any means, including, but not limited to, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or any information storage retrieval system, without the prior written permission of the publisher. Unauthorized copying may subject violators to criminal penalties as well as liabilities for substantial monetary damages up to $100,000 per infringement, costs and attorneys’ fees. This publication should not be utilized as a substitute for professional advice in specific situations. If legal, medical, accounting, financial, consulting, coaching or other professional advice is required, the services of the appropriate professional should be sought. Neither the authors nor the publisher may be held liable in any way for any interpretation or use of the information in this publication. The authors will make recommendations for solutions for you to explore. Any recommendation is always based on the authors’ research and experience. The information contained herein is accurate to the best of the publisher’s and authors’ knowledge; however, the publisher and authors can accept no responsibility for the accuracy or completeness of such information or for loss or damage caused by any use thereof. Subscription Rates: Free and controlled circulation to qualified subscribers. Non-qualified persons may subscribe at the following rates: U.S. and possessions: 1 year $48; 2 years $75; 3 years $96; Canadian and foreign, 1-year $108 U.S. funds only. Single copies $8. Subscriptions are prepaid, and check or money orders only. Subscriber Services: To order a subscription or change your address, write to HVACR Business, 31674 Center Ridge Road, Suite 104, North Ridgeville, OH 44039 or call (440) 731-8600; or visit our Web site at www.hvacrbusiness.com. For questions regarding your subscription, please contact bkerr@hvacrbusiness.com. HVACR Business (ISSN 2153-2877) Copyright ©2021 is published monthly by JFT Properties LLC,31674 Center Ridge Road, Suite 104, North Ridgeville, OH 44039, Phone: 440731-8600. Periodicals postage is paid at North Ridgeville, OH and additional mailing offices. (USPS 025-431) POSTMASTER: Send address changes to HVACR Business, 31674 Center Ridge Road, Suite 104, North Ridgeville, OH 44039.

31674 Center Ridge Road, Suite 104 North Ridgeville, OH 44039 Tel: (440) 731-8600 Web site: www.hvacrbusiness.com (ISSN: 2153-2877) www.hvacrbusiness.comwww.hvacrbusiness.comwww.HVACRBUSINESS.comwww.hvacrbusiness.com

BY TERRY TANKER

Increase Your Productivity

PUBLISHER’S PAGE

As the owner of a small business, it’s routine for me to deal with dozens of projects weekly. Executive focus seems to change hourly. The variety is engaging and includes everything from production and finance to leases and HR. The larger your company, the more likely it is you “have people.” For those of us in smaller companies, we also handle insurance, IT issues, and health care plans.

We have more than 75 deadlines each month, and we pack most of those into the second and third week of the month when we begin our issue layout and then send it to the press. All manageable — until one or two are missed, and then they seem to fall like dominoes. It’s easy to become sidetracked and lose focus on what really is essential to accomplish each day. 5

Over the years, I’ve been searching for the perfect organizational tool to increase my productivity. I’ve tried pocket daytimers, oversized monthly planners, and a variety of electronic devices. I’ve concluded that they all work as long as you just pick one and stick with it.

The system that is working for me is low tech, inexpensive, and very simple to implement. It’s a large whiteboard with a half dozen magic markers in various colors. Across the top of the board, I’ve written, “Are You Doing Something Right Now to Create Revenue?” You’ve heard the old saying — revenue solves everything. I agree.

I’ve mounted the whiteboard on a wall directly in front of my desk. It’s impossible to miss. Five categories are underneath: This Week, This Month, Next Month, This Quarter, and Travel. Only the most critical items make it onto the board, and all are in some way related to creating revenue — if not directly, indirectly. If I’m not working on a whiteboard item, it’s because I’ve gone as far as I can with it, and I’m waiting for a response from someone. Once I’ve worked through the whiteboard, I can make phone calls and send emails, and schedule meetings — but not until I’ve worked through the whiteboard.

After researching the internet, I found dozens of other productivity tools that may help you become more organized and more productive. Check out David Seah (www.davidseah.com), a writer and designer who has created some clever tools to increase productivity. At the top of his

homepage, click “productivity tools.” Two of my favorites include his “Concrete Goal Tracker” and When is Something Worth Doing? According to David, make a list of When is something WORTH DOING? tasks that contribute to your business growth, with points assigned that reflect their relative income factors. Give lower 10 It’s creating billable work weights to tasks that you already do frequently. If an activity is not on the 10 It’s getting new customers list, it isn’t worth any points. See that 10 It’s keeping present the primary orientation of the tasks customers are toward generating revenue, making 7 It’s marketing new products contacts, and creating tangible assets. to present customers The big tasks earn the big points. There 6 It’s improving productivity are enough small tasks that guarantee you’ll do one or two each day. That feels 5 It’s effective recruiting and good and feeling good is an important hiring resulting in proper part of maintaining a high level of staffing engagement. It’s a quality on-going I asked Ron Smith, one of our training program editorial advisory board members to 3 It’s learning new methods develop the list you see on the graphic of increasing revenues When is Something Worth Doing. Of 3 It’s using the latest course, items will change based on your computer technology particular company, but this list should 2 It’s improving community presence give most HVAC contractors a good start. Another one of my favorites is the “Compact Calendar.” Its design provides a compact view of the year, with plenty of space for making annotations. According to David, it presents the days of the month contiguously while retaining the days of the week because you get a more intuitive sense of how the days are flowing and can estimate projects accordingly. His objectives when project planning were: • How many days are available, including weekends? • When are critical deliverables? • How much calendar time is needed to finish a task? • What are the specific days we have to work around? I think many contractors would have the same criteria for project work they are scheduling. The advantages of the “Compact Calendar”: “Every Friday, we have a company meeting.” This makes it easy to see where they’ll be. Whether you decide to use the crafty productivity tools David Seah makes available on his site or the down-and-dirty whiteboard method I employ, making yourself and your organization more productive is a simple matter of selecting tools you’ll use and actually using them. u