Between long hours, tough deadlines, a short-staffed crew and project uncertainty, working in the contracting business sure comes with its fair share of stressors. While it’s impossible to eliminate it completely, there are some practices you can adopt to help reduce your overall daily level stress level.
Get Organized
Keep an ongoing calendar and to-do list with hard deadlines for yourself, and make sure to keep your list handy to easily add notes so you don’t forget. Every morning, create a new checklist in order of most important to least important and mark off items as you go. This will give you a sense of accomplishment and drive to continue on!
Delegate
Don’t fear assigning some of your tasks to other team members. You’ve hired these people for a reason, and they should be able to be trusted. In addition to on-site, hiring an office administrator can work wonders for relieving your daily workload. Having payroll and paperwork off of your plate gives you time to focus on your crew out in the field.
Take Some Time Off
Once you’ve grown and developed your trusted team, appoint a second-in-command who can run the ship when you’re away. While you may be the captain, you’re only human and you need a break. This doesn’t mean taking weeklong vacations every month, but it could mean going home a few hours early or taking a weekend off every couple of weeks to relax, rest and spend time with friends and family.
