Looking at my content calendar this morning, it felt ironic to see that I was going to discuss overcoming salon distractions. I had already made two trips to the kitchen in less than 5 minutes; one for my coffee, the other for a spoon… Never had I been so focused. Or not.
In a world that constantly tugs at our attention, it is to wonder if we are experiencing a crisis in our ability to focus, or if we are simply now required to have the ability to deal with being interrupted every other 10 minutes. You can hire the best staff and put together the greatest team with these salon interview techniques, but I’ll tell you this: no one is safe from being distracted. Learn how to recognise what affects you!
Salon Distractions Are Everywhere: Learn To Recognise Them
Work Environment
Ridiculous as it may sound, think about your salon environment. Is your lighting distracting? Is it too bright, leading to tired eyes and making you uncomfortable? What about your heating? Make sure you and your clients aren’t too cold or too hot, or this will have you thinking about how uneasy you are instead of focusing on your tasks or client experience.
Reception & Administration Workspaces
Do you find yourself sifting through papers at the reception desk? Cleaning out your desk and keeping it tidy will help you focus on the important things you need to get done. Set up daily folders -place papers in order of importance- keep important information safe and away for prying eyes and try to clear out your daily folder by closing time. By doing this, you will instantly start feeling better about finishing your tasks.
Visitors & Break Times
A regular client of yours might drop by without notice to say hello, book an appointment and have a chat. Awesome! Sometimes it might be great timing, but, if it’s not, you need to recognise this as a distraction. Same goes for going on breaks and chatting away to staff.  The most important thing is to be aware of distractions. In the end, it’s all about you being pleased with your daily accomplishments alongside creating a ‘WOW’ experience in your salon or spa.
Tackle Salon Distractions With Task Lists
Before writing anything down, you will need to figure out what’s the best way to help you concentrate. There’s no wrong method; I tend to go with a combination of an app for an overview weekly and monthly schedule, and then go for a post-it/write it down old school method for my daily to-do list. Writing down the tasks I need to accomplish reduces my stress. Find what works best for you, and then plan away your day.
Whatever You Do, Remember To Keep Two Lists
At the very beginning of your day, put down your tasks into two lists: one for urgent matters and another for important but less urgent ones. By doing this, it becomes a lot easier to have an overview of what needs to be done and in what deadline, saving you precious time you could have spent stressing over these said tasks.
Save Small Tasks For Last
How nice is it to know that the hardest or most stressful part of your day is behind you? Think about accomplishing the things you are more prone to procrastinate about first and let the day roll out peacefully after! Coffee works miracles for this by the way. 😉
The first step in triumphing over salon distractions is to become aware of what your main distractions are and when exactly they interfere with your work. A clear mind will positively affect your perspective on things thus changing how you experience work. Only when you see things clearly will you be able to establish some guidelines for yourself, providing you with more discipline and a productivity boost!
What do you do to focus?
Thanks for reading,
#LetsGrow
