Yesterday was a snow day for many of us in the United States. Those of you in tropical climates, don’t rub it in! The winter stuff and bitter cold temperatures have gripped a lot of our country.
Do you dread snow days? If you are a mother or father of young children who wake up primed and ready to take on the slopes in their sled, maybe you do. If you are a company leader and you know that a snow day will lead to less employees, little or no production, and a huge drop in productivity, you most certainly do!
Nasty winter weather can certainly drag us down for a few days. However, I think that “snow” days, which I more broadly define as days that are typically not productive, happen throughout the year. Consider the following:
The Last Two Weeks of December – How many companies lose employees that need to “burn” vacation by the end of the year? Between the lack of employees and customers that close their doors for the holidays, you just can’t get anything done!
From June 1 Through Approximately August 10 – Kids are out of school and parents take them on vacations. Again, fewer employees lead to decreased productivity.
The Two or Three Days Adjacent to Major Holidays – Good to stretch out those vacation days by taking a long weekend around Easter, 4th of July, or Memorial Day. In my part of the world, this also includes shotgun season for deer hunters!
On snow days, as well as those above and others, productivity and shipments plummet as employees use vacation and customers shut down. If you are worried about the next “snow” day and it’s resulting drop in revenue and profitability, read on! I have determined that you can turn your next “snow” day into a grow day by performing the following five activities.
Activity 1 – Enjoy the quiet. Take a minute and absorb the peace that a quiet office brings. I have been known to get up before the crack of dawn to get quiet writing time. With no distractions, you can focus on the task at hand.
Activity 2 – Make a list of things you have been putting off. Don’t pretend that this list doesn’t exist! What projects have you been putting on the back burner? Brainstorm and document all the projects you can think of.
Activity 3 – Prioritize the list. Once you have a complete list, prioritize the items to determine which projects you will tackle first. I recommend the following 1-4 rating scale, which determines priority based on the ease of accomplishing the project and the impact that it will create.
1 – Easy to Do, High Impact
2- Easy to Do, Low Impact
3 – Hard to Do, High Impact
4 – Hard to Do, Low Impact
Activity 4 – Assign a project leader and come up with potential team members for each project. When you have identified a project leader, that person can take the ball and run with it. Start with the highest priority projects and continue as time allows. If you can’t complete this task, set a date to do so on your calendar. If you don’t have the resources or expertise to complete a high impact project, let me know, I can help locate and mobilize resources.
Activity 5 – Set up a meeting with the project leader. Book time with project leaders, starting with the highest priority (number 1). As you hand off one project, move on to the next one.
Use the time that a snow day, or any other day where the office is quiet, affords to tackle those long-forgotten projects. By documenting, prioritizing and addressing your project list, your company will grow well after the thaw!
Question: How did you spend your last “snow” day?