From our executive officer

MEGAN FLOWER, EXECUTIVE OFFICER, LANDSCAPING VICTORIA MASTER LANDSCAPERS

Now is a great time to “Make Hay While the Sun Shines”. Although many would beg to differ and suggest that life has never been so gloomy, there is no doubting that the global pandemic has prompted much introspection, as Georgia mentioned in her Presidential address, and that can be a very positive thing!

One of the biggest barriers to working on your business, instead of in it, is TIME. Although many LVML Members are still busy, with shorter commute times, no footy to watch, no sport to take the kids to, no socialising... the precious time that we usually complain we have none of is now available. So how can you utilise that extra time to explore opportunities to make your business better?

Upgrade business processes

Explore new software that will help you run things more efficiently such as accounting, estimating, team management and project management - read more in our Business Automation article .

Learn a new business skill

Explore short courses that you can do online through our TAFE Partners Holmesglen, Swinburne, or Box Hill Institute. Or go global and tap into Google Digital Garage, LinkedIn Learning (you can get one month free), or Coursera. If completing a course is not your thing, there’s lots to learn from listening to podcasts, watching TED talks, or picking up a book about best business practices.

Become a better leader

Business owners are often so busy being busy that leadership is often forgotten. You need to lead from the front and have leaders within the ranks of your staff. This blog from Harvard Business School (https://online.hbs.edu/blog/ post/coronavirus-tips) contains links to many articles that can assist you through this crisis. Read some yourself and share the link with key staff you identify as leaders to encourage their professional growth.

Rediscover a lost love

I don’t mean stalking old sweethearts on Facebook. Additional time at home has meant that we’ve had to look for ways to pass the hours so why not start that project you’ve ‘not had time for’ (or finish one that has been collecting dust!). Read a good book, bake a cake, pick up your guitar, or even just get out for a daily walk with the kids. Look after your mental health by finding a new hobby or brushing up on an old one.

While we can’t do anything about how fast time passes, we can control how we use it so take this gift of extra time to review your business and personal goals because…

"All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us"

J.R.R. Tolkien