That time is here again, the start of the holidays. Every
year we probably all ask the same thing…where did the last year go?
The busier we all get, the faster time goes. The last two weeks for me has been a blur. Two weeks of over 80 hours, this week alone I just
finished 91 hours of hands on actual work. That is one downfall of having a
shop where we live... never can get away from it.
When every night turns into being in the shop till midnight or later,
something is way out of balance. If you read this on a regular basis, you
remember I wrote about margin in our lives. Well I have messed up my margin in
a big way recently.
As I sit here tonight, I am wondering why this is. Is it all
me and poor time management? Is it outside forces? Is it just the way it has to
be? I don’t think any one of those is the only issue. I think
they all come in to play to a certain extent.
Man power is a big factor. Tyler our Apprentice did recently
decide to move on. That leaves 8 plus hours a day that has to be made up.
Speaking of Tyler, I wish him the best. I hope his time with us will stand out
as a good memory of his time as a carpenter. I feel he was brought to Applewood
Builders for a specific purpose. At first I thought the purpose was to help us
in our day-to-day workload and be part of Applewood Builders for our sake. Now
I see the purpose as being something different. I see him joining us for a
short while for the purpose of re-directing his life and his goals. He found that the construction world maybe wasn't for him, and that may be the very
reason he was brought to us. For his direction, not to fulfill our needs. "Tyler, some day when you buy that first house of yours, you will remember with
a smile how Adam and I taught you some things about houses, and you will have
some basic working knowledge as to how things work. Find your passion and you will do well."
Ok, manpower. Yes, a lack of it has been a factor in our
schedule. We have been blessed with a boat load of work this year. Because we
try to do so much of it without subs, it does stretch things thin.
Time management. I have always known the power of good time management,
and the power of bad time management. I can look back and see where I have excelled and failed. I think I need to learn how to see further ahead in our jobs instead of
working with blinders on and only dealing with the task right in front of me.
Better time management will be a strong goal for 2015.
As I look back 35+ years now, I can see where a mentor and
leader in my life would have been a good thing. I started working for people
when I was 18 years old just teaching myself along the way (well I did graduate from St Paul Technical College from their construction program), not having anybody
to bounce things off of or to emulate. That is a tough way to go. If I am able
to pass along anything, I hope my years of good and bad time management will help my
employees to see what works and what does not work as we move ahead.
Speaking of employees, I think I am there. If you know of
any good carpenters looking for work, please send them our way.
Happy Thanksgiving to you all!
~The Carpenter
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