The Value of Time: Manage Your Hours to Improve Your Career and Your Life

By Marshall Dahneke, Lynda Solien-Wolfe(LMT), November 9, 2016

The Value of Time: Manage Your Hours to Improve Your Career and Your Life

By Marshall Dahneke, Lynda Solien-Wolfe(LMT),
November 9, 2016

Picture two massage therapists, both skilled in their healing practice. One books eight sessions per day, back to back: Who needs breaks when people arrive so broken? This practitioner lovingly reschedules tardy clients and lingers an extra 10 unrequested minutes over one who's particularly stressed. And when another falls asleep on the table, it seems rude to wake him, so the therapist pushes every other appointment an hour later instead.

The other therapist ends her sessions promptly at 10 minutes before the hour and limits her daily bookings to six at the most. During the time in between, she changes sheets, logs notes, and rests her hands. She treats clients with kindness and respect, and expects the same from them – so she explains her policies regarding punctuality up-front, including charges for no-shows. When one falls asleep on the table, she gently calls him awake and hands him a warm cup of tea for the road, knowing he also has a schedule to keep.

Which one do you think provided better care? Which ended the day more stressed, overworked, and with more angry clients than satisfied customers?

Initially, the first therapist may seem kinder and more accommodating, but in reality, the second therapist's time management skills place her a notch above, both in business and in restorative therapy. Her realistic view of her limits, and smart structuring of her day, ultimately allow her to make the most of her two most valuable resources: her time and her trained, healing hands. (And as a bonus, she also has better odds of living a balanced, sustainable life.)

The Links Between Time, Love and Tenderness

Every first-year MBA student receives instruction in operational efficiency and time management, but few massage therapy schools cover this material. Smart massage-therapy pros, however, work to build these skills. They're critical regardless of whether you run your own practice or work in a spa, medical office, or other setting.

After all, regardless of your role, you alone have control over your allotted 24 hours each day and 168 per week. As motivational speaker Jim Rohn once said: "Either you run the day, or the day runs you." If you don't have a plan for managing your time – both for your career and your personal obligations – you're flying without a net, responding to requests and obligations in the moment with no clear sense of the bigger picture.

And lest you think terms such as operational efficiency conflict with human kindness and compassion, consider this: People arrive at your door hoping for a healing, rejuvenating experience. If you're running late, flustered in finding their file, and unclear about things like paperwork and payment policies, you've created stress for them, too. Meanwhile, seamless scheduling, a predictable process, minimal waiting, and an on-time departure enables them to relax and appreciate your work, and then proceed with the rest of their day.

Have a Good Time (Management Strategy)

Aside from enrolling in business school, how can you learn to gain control over the clock? Our combined decades of experience in business and massage therapy have offered us some valuable lessons in this regard. Not that we're perfect—we still face our own struggles, especially with balancing work and family life – but we've found these techniques and strategies helpful as we strive for improvement.

Know your priorities. Make a list of the things that matter most, be it your family, health, career advancement, or all of the above. Refer back often to make sure your schedule aligns with these values. For instance, if you say you value family, but don't make a single recital or parent-teacher conference in six months, you might need to step away from or reshuffle some other commitments.

Have a system. Some people still swear by their hard-copy paper Franklin planners; others live and die by their Outlook calendars. Whether you use a hard copy or electronic method, consistently keep your schedule in one place. That way, appointments won't slip through the cracks, and you won't have to rely on your memory to know what's next on your agenda or whether you can squeeze in that last-minute session on Tuesday. You can combine this with online appointment scheduling software (there are many options available) so your clients can easily check your availability and book their sessions in a few clicks.

Be realistic. One of the first things massage therapists learn in practice is the true amount of therapy delivered during an hour-long appointment: 50 minutes. Clients need time to dress and undress and inform you of their complaints; meanwhile, you need a few moments to change the sheets and turn around the room. Make sure you allow this leeway when you're booking out appointments. Similarly, build time in your schedule for unexpected traffic if you're driving across town, and remember that quick follow-up call to a chatty client usually takes 20 minutes. These things occur regardless of whether you plan for them. Building them in ahead of time leaves you from running behind the rest of the day.

Delegate, when you can. Even if you're a solo therapist, you can outsource some of your non-core responsibilities. For instance, using a laundry service might well be worth your while when you consider the time and expense of hauling all your sheets home or to the laundromat. Similarly, an accountant can probably do your taxes in a fraction of the time, without flubbing any of the numbers. Once your practice grows, look for team members with skills in the areas you're weakest, so you can focus on providing the best possible therapy.

Work ahead. Think long-range: consider a weekly, monthly, or yearly planning session. This helps you anticipate conflicts and work them out well in advance. You can also take advantage of natural ebbs and flows; plan things like office repairs, marketing efforts, and vacations for less-busy stretches. On a day-to-day basis, working ahead could be as simple as taking five minutes each afternoon to pull the next day's client files, so you know exactly what to expect when you walk in the door.

Include self-care. Book exercise, massages for yourself, vacations, and rest like you would any other appointment. You might think you don't have the hours, but you can't provide the best client experience if you're not well yourself. Sleep might just be the most underrated element of a massage therapists' success. Figure out how much you need and what time you need to wake up, count backward to find your ideal bedtime, and stick to it.

Above all, always keep the big picture of your priorities, goals, and deepest values in mind. As business guru and motivational speaker Michael Altshuler once said: "The bad news is time flies. The good news is you're the pilot." Managing every hour of your daily 24 wisely is the only way you can build the career – and life – you truly desire.