by Jack Guarnieri, PinballSales.com & ShuffleAlley.com

Making Work a Little Easier

April showers bring May flowers. I guess that's the old fashioned version of "No Pain, No Gain." We all know that we need to sacrifice, grin and bear it or pay your dues in order to get things to be the way you want it to be. Why must it be so hard sometimes?

There must be an easier way to do some of the things we need to do every day. Most of what I do on a daily basis seems to just happen. I have a plan and a list of things I need to do, and most days I get them done. Other days, I don't get past number four, and the day was very productive and profitable. Some other days, I can't get out of my own way, but thankfully that's not too often.

We can make a plan but sometimes the plan that unfolds is not our plan but rather one that seems to just happen. There are so many books about time management, priorities and managing multiple tasks that you could probably spend all your time just reading or listening to books on audio about the subject.

If you are reading this, you are taking the time to relax a bit or grab a nugget of information that you can use to be better at what you do for a living. I'm still a work in progress, trying to get better at what I do every day, so I am also learning. I will tell you that I have found a few things very helpful in managing my time and energy. By no means definitive, these are what work for me.

Rise Early: This gives you a jump on many of your competitors and customers. I can get a lot done when the phone is not ringing. Two or three hours in the morning without the phone ringing can equal about five or six hours during the day.

Set Daily Priorities: There is always a long list of what you want to do. Figure out what you need to do. Base these things on what will produce the most money for your company that day. Of course you must balance it with things that may actually cost your company money. In our case, warranty parts and service actually cost the company money. We must balance gratis service with service calls that help to make the day profitable.

Don't Get Overwhelmed: The longest journey starts with the first step. If you have a mountain of work, phone calls, emails and more, try to break it up. Take a couple of hard ones and mix in a couple of easy ones so that you don't struggle along all day.

Manage Email: I get over 300 emails in an average day not counting spam. Almost every email I answer generates another one back to me. Even with portable devices, it's very hard to keep up with the flow of email. I usually answer every mail as I receive them even if I do not have a complete answer. I acknowledge that I received it and that I will answer it completely in a short time once I get the necessary information. I have four different email addresses. One is strictly personal.

The Phone: The ringing starts at about 8AM and ends around 8PM. I like to answer my own phone. I like to talk to our customers, and I spend a lot of time on the phone. If I had a person taking messages for me, I would spend time returning calls and playing phone tag. It's better if I talk to the person when they are calling me. After all, if it's a person with a problem or a person wishing to make a purchase, I want to take care of it as soon as I can.

There is a time not to answer the phone. It's OK to let the phone go to voicemail if you are at lunch or dinner or on another phone call. If you have a customer standing in front of you, let your voicemail take a message. It tells your customer that they are the most important person to you at that time; it shows respect for them and their time too.

Meetings: This is a killer. I almost never call a company meeting. When we talk with each other I guess that's a meeting, but as a small company we almost never sit down for a meeting. I'm not saying that I believe meetings are a waste of time, but in a small company when I want to do something different I may ask for input and opinion. Then I have a meeting with myself and just do it. At lunch time, whoever is in the building will sit down together family-style at the lunch table and talk about anything.

In bigger companies, meetings are a way of life, and there is almost no way to avoid getting sucked into them. I have experimented, and it seems when I really take an active part in meetings they are a lot longer than if I sat there saying nothing. That's funny for me to think about because I have a big mouth and an opinion about everything. So it's not easy for me to keep quiet.

Before you start the meeting, try putting all of the cell phones and Blackberries in the middle of the conference table in a big pile. The mere separation anxiety from the phone can be enough for some people to get more accomplished quicker.

If you want to shorten meetings, try this: the moderator of the meeting must stand for the length of the meeting. Also, use Roberts Rules of Order, and if you plan to run a long meeting please have an agenda and include break time.

Set Time Aside For Yourself: This is hard if you have your own business. To my customers and friends it seems that I am always available to answer an email or the phone. Of course, I am not. What about family time? We all need time to recharge and relax. Find what works for you. It could be reading a book or watching TV. I actually like to play pinball (duh) to relax, and I usually read three or four books at once, finishing all of them around the same week. I am thrilled spring is here because I love to work in the garden.

Eat: Everyone who knows me knows that food is very important in my life. A few meals and snacks during the day help power me through a long day. If I have a big meal, I'm shot and tired. I don't drink alcohol unless it's a social drink on a special occasion, and I stay away from fast and junk food. There is a jar of jellybeans on my desk to remind me of my CB handle and for whoever comes in for a quick sugar hit.

Have Fun: Remember why you are doing what you do. If it were only about the money you would not be in our industry. You must love what you do and have a passion for it; that way it never wears on you, and it never actually feels like work.

I'm always mindful of the old adage: "All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy!"

Jack Guarnieri started servicing electro-mechanical pinball machines in 1975 and has been involved in every phase of the coin-op game business since then. He operated a substantial game route in Brooklyn, N.Y., developed amusement centers and was called in as a consultant to manage Mondial Distributing and State Sales in New Jersey. In 1999, he founded PinballSales.com to sell coin-op to the home market. In 2002, he founded ShuffleAlley.com and released the Parker Bohn III Pro Bowler game, reviving the shuffle alley. His positive attitude, honest insights and opinions have made him a popular figure in the trade. While managing and growing his businesses, he still consults inside and outside the industry, and his marketing, promotional and business management expertise are widely sought. He's very active in his church, community and charitable causes as well. You can learn more at his websites (www.PinballSales.com and www.ShuffleAlley.com) or by phoning him at 866/323-JACK. Email is Jack@Pinballsales.com.

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