Productivity.

I just read an interesting article about a corporate vp of marketing for a large company and how productive they have to be on a daily basis. The article touched on balancing the demands of the job with what someone can realistically handle. And of course how important it is to be organized and balanced.

And I immediately thought of production arboriculture. What can you handle on a daily basis, how much should you take on, how do you stay organized and most importantly, how do you keep clients happy?

It must be an ongoing conversation with oneself, this productivity thing. Of course, we want to be better arborists, we want to be productive every second of the contract, but there are so many variables. Injuries, life, cancellations, weather, all these things can affect how productive we are with a work schedule.

Here's a few things I think help my productivity:

Make a constant schedule, with regular hours, and commit to them. Keep a checklist of jobs to check off. Limit your time for doing business so that there is a good balance away from all things work. And feel a sense of urgency to get business done during business hours. Keep it realistic.

Keep a clean journal. I always detail the jobs I do, note specs, the tools I used, the tree and an average size. It's my idea that I'm creating something every day and it matters on a personal level to write down that legacy of arboriculture.

Understand what you're capable of. I'm sure everyone has made the mistake of thinking they are capable of unrealistic things. It hurts financially, and it also hurts mentally. Give yourself enough time  to enjoy the work you do. Rushing through things will almost always lower the quality. Poor quality is bad business.

Stay organized. Tools, taxes, finances, vehicle, insurance; be sure to have your ducks in a row. This way, there will be less surprises.

All in all, when you set yourself up to be productive, you will be. It must be that simple?