Nothing I am about to share with you here is rocket science. But if you apply these 5 strategies everyday in your remodeling business, I guarantee you will reduce your stress level, increase your ability to focus, and slow the chaos (or at least handle it better).

Most people who apply these 5 tips, notice almost immediate stress relief in their business and throughout their lives. NO drugs and NO expensive therapy required with these secrets to get results. 

1. Breathe! 
   This may seem obvious, and you may have heard this before, but seriously stop right now and notice how you are breathing. I bet you your breathing is shallow. We are naturally shallow breathers and do a terrible job introducing fresh oxygen into our bodies. Becoming a deep breather is going to take some practice no different than learning how to meditate, but before reading on, take a deep breath in through nose and exhale out through your mouth (pretend you have a straw in your mouth - that is how much space I want you to release the air out of your mouth from).

   Rinse and Repeat! This is how you should be breathing all day.

   The next time you start to feel anxious and stressed out, notice your breathing. It becomes shallow and rapid and shallow breathers naturally have tense bodies which lead to stress. Stop. Get back to your breathing and get 10-15 good inhales and exhales out before continuing on with anything. Try and keep that breathing going throughout all of your tasks. Even when you are talking, you can continue to breathe in this fashion once you get use to it. 
    

2. Stop Reacting in Real Time - Focus in On Critical Tasks
   While modern technology has played a big role and making us all more connected, it has also made us a society of reactors, and distracted people. With all of the different methods available (Email, Instant Messaging, Phone, Texting, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc) of getting in contact with people, most of us feel that we need to respond immediately to all of these requests. Study after study has concluded that not only does responding in real time lead to severe drops in productivity, it increases stress levels. 

   Now, if you are an emergency crisis worker and lives are at stake if you don't respond quickly, obviously this tip is not meant for you. But if you are like the rest of us, in our jobs and businesses we are not dealing with life or death. So why are we acting and reacting as if we are? 

   To improve productivity and reduce stress in your business, do the following now! Most of you will resist these tips and have 100 excuses as to why you can't do them, but I suggest you try it. Try it for 1 week and see how you feel. 

   Turn off your email notifications - do not respond to email as it comes in. Designate 2 times per day where you check email and that's it. Remove email from your phone as well as it becomes too tempting when you are out of the office. So many contractors feel that they can't possibly do this and I am here to tell you that you can and you will actually be more successful if you do it this way. 

   Get Better at Limiting Your Phone Use - you have to protect and guard your time like it is the most valuable asset you have, because it is! Just because your phone rings does not mean you have to answer it. I don't care if it is your project manager, lead carpenter, supplier, client, prospect, or your spouse (ok, you probably should answer that call); STOP ANSWERING YOUR PHONE EVERYTIME IT RINGS! This is pure insanity to me and one of easiest ways to reduce stress and get more focused. 

   Every time you answer your phone you are distracting yourself from critical tasks and it takes that much longer to refocus and get back to what you were doing. The world will not end if you don't pick up the phone and your jobs will still get done, and your client will still be there tomorrow or the end of the day when you call them back. 

   And please get someone to answer your main phone for you. If you are still using your cell phone as your primary number, shame on you. There are so many affordable and highly effective answering services out there that can answer your phone if you don't have an assistant or in-house staff. These answering services start at $50/month and will make your life 1,000x's easier. 
    

3. Designate 2 or 3 Blocks of Power Hours
   Most people only get about 30-45 mintues of actual productive work done every day. Designate 2 or 3 blocks of up to an hour per block as a "Power Hour". Tell your co-workers and employees not to bother you between those hours. Turn off your cell phone, office phone, social media sites, etc. Your only job during these hours is to get critical high level tasks done. 
    
4. Set Expectations With Your Team and Your Clients.
   If you are working over 40 hours per week and feel like you never get a break and everyone is at you all day, you are probably the problem. Have you set clear upfront contracts/expectations with your team as to when they can call you during the day if they have an issue? Can't they formulate their thoughts and issues throughout the day and coordinate this into one 30-Minute power meeting/call with you at Noon? Empower your team to make decisions and get stuff done without you and if they really need you and they interrupt your work, it better be an emergency. 

   Same goes for your clients...why are you allowing them to call you whenever they want? Set expectations upfront. 

   "Mrs. Client, here is how I do things. Your questions and concerns are extremely important to me and I want to make sure that I get every single one of those addressed each week. Every Friday at 9AM, I designate 30-Mins for a review call with each of my clients to review your job and answer any questions. You can send me a detailed list of questions/selections/concerns on Friday morning and I will call to discuss. Please formulate your thoughts throughout the week and we can get those addressed all at the same time. Obviously, if it is an emergency that is a different story." 

   95% of your clients are completely reasonable rationale human beings and will understand this and look forward to that call on Friday. 

   5% will not understand this and hound you no matter what expectations you set. Those 5% never should have been clients to begin with but that is a different issue altogether. 
    

5. Exercise 
   If you want to reduce stress in your business, your overall health plays a huge role in this. Exercising 45-minutes, 3 times per week is crucial. And sweating on the job with your contractors is not exercise so don't try and convince yourself that this is the same thing. While this might not be a huge secret to anyone, it might be a big reason why you might be stressed out. 

   Get a membership at a local gym or take a fitness class. If you join a gym, I highly suggest that you hire a personal trainer for 8 weeks minimum to get you started. A personal trainer will keep you accountable and get you in shape much faster than doing this on your own. A lot of people say they can't afford a personal trainer, but most gyms offer discounted introductory rates or small group training that is affordable for just about any full time employee or small business owner. 

   Now, if you can combine exercise with getting outside 3 times per week, even better! Getting outside and breathing some fresh air (preferably while you practice your breathing 🙂 will reduce your stress levels at work. Lunch break, coffee break, etc - get outside and breath in some fresh air. 

Well, there you have it! My 5 tips to help you reduce stress and get control over your remodeling business. These will not only reduce or eliminate stress at work, but will also improve your overall quality of life. Life is too short to live it when you are stressed out and working too much. We all need to make a living to provide for ourselves and our families but that does not mean you have to live the way you are. Implement these 5 strategies into your work life and everyday life and you will notice a a better you and a better business.

Need some help figuring out your strengths and weaknesses in your remodeling business? 

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