4 Steps to Start Working Less but do More

By Breakthrough Academy.  

Get your work-life balance back with advice from owner Ryan Steward in the Contractor Evolution podcast. 

Working in construction can be chaotic. If you are feeling like you are pulled in so many directions that, by the end of the day, nothing gets accomplished, you are not alone. It is easy to get so focused on putting out little fires that you miss the big picture.

At some point, you need to stop. If not, your business, your family, and your social life will suffer, along with your health. Just ask Ryan Steward, owner of RJS Construction in Vancouver. Five years ago, after wrapping up his year-end and congratulating himself for strong numbers and steady growth, he realized it was taking 70+ hour work weeks and all of his family time to get him there. “I said to myself, ‘I can’t grow more if I carry on this way. I’m going to end up getting a divorce.’” 

Time to change! What he did next turned his business – and life – around. 

Fast forward five years and Ryan works less than 40 hours a week, spends quality time with his wife and two kids, gets to play in nature AND has doubled his profit margin, with an $11 million contracting company and a 25-member team. 

Ryan, our guest on this episode of Breakthrough Academy’s Contractor Evolution, talks to us about the four simple steps that gave him his life back. 

Step 1 – Brain dump 

You know all those thoughts whizzing around in your head? If they keep whizzing with no place to go, your mental health can suffer. Welcome to the brain dump! “The start to be able to schedule your priorities is to get those thoughts out of your head,” Ryan says. “I have a personal brain dump and a work brain dump, and from there I organize my priorities.” Ryan uses his computer to store the information, or, when he’s at home, he leaves his phone alone and uses a good old-fashioned pen and pad. “When you brain dump, there is an instant sense of relief,” he explains. 

Step 2 – Prioritize your priorities 

Your clients need something, NOW! Your onsite PM needs something, NOW! Your office manager needs something, NOW! But Ryan says nothing in construction is an emergency: “If there’s an actual fire, then call the fire service!” Prioritizing means understanding what is most important for you and the organization. “The starting point is knowing what you want to do, not what everyone else is demanding of you. When you’ve figured that out, don’t let distractions get in the way! Once you’ve listed your priorities, don’t get distracted. Finish that item. When you do, you’ll feel better.” 

“The starting point is knowing what you want to do, not what everyone else is demanding of you. When you’ve figured that out, don’t let distractions get in the way! 

Step 3 – Block scheduling (shut the door!) 

This is priority number one! At RJS Construction, when the team is working on something all the alerts are off on everything (yup emails, social media, messaging, all of it) – and 100% focus is maintained. Ryan says, “The first thing I started doing was block scheduling and setting aside time to do that. I tend to do it Monday mornings. I look at the day, week, month, even a year out. Yes, you also have to have the space being in construction to react when necessary, as things will come up. Your plan is your best guess, but if you can follow it 90% of the time, it’s a success.” 

Step 4 – Spend time on the things you love 

Ryan loves to spend time in nature, fishing, skiing, and he especially loves spending time with his family. So how does he not let work interfere? “I have a personal brain dump and that is my main priority. Work is important, but home life is important as well. If your home life is chaotic and messy, that will impact your work. There’s probably a high divorce rate with business owners as they put all their energy into the business and then it derails the whole thing.” When he’s at home, Ryan’s phone is out of the way, because, as we all know, the constant pings are incessant! 

We’re just skimming the surface here and Ryan has more amazing golden nuggets in this episode of Contractor Evolution. Join us to learn how you can fulfill the ultimate contractor dream of nailing that work/life balance! 

Learn more about Breakthrough Academy in their RoofersCoffeeShop® Directory or visit btacademy.com. 

Original article source: Breakthrough Academy 

About Breakthrough Academy (BTA)  

Breakthrough Academy (BTA) helps roofers systemize their companies to grow. We inject contracting businesses with the infrastructure they need to scale, help them make more money, and help owners to work a lot less by implementing intelligent systems. During the first 12 months in the program, average Members see significant time savings, 21% increase in revenue, and 40% increase in net profit.  

BTA works with over 450 contractors across North America, managing over $1.3 billion worth of revenue, and was one of the fastest growing companies in the nation by The Globe and Mail’s Report on Business in 2021; the fourth consecutive year on a national growth list for the brand.