Achieving balance in scheduling

[kitkato95]

Hi folks,

I'm interested to compare notes on how we manage our weekly schedules.

First, let's look at how it is:

Do you currently work for others (even as an IC), just yourself, or both?
Are you settled into that arrangement, or are you transitioning in one direction or another? (e.g. toward full time private practice)
Do you work any weekend days?
How much do you work during the week days? How many days a week?
How much do you work during evenings? How many days a week?
Do you have any days set aside during the week in which you do no work? If so, how many?

And how do you want it? Maybe it already is how you want it--does your current schedule fit you? Or are there things you would like to change about it? What things?

What does balance look like for you? Have you achieved it, and if so, how? If not, do you have a plan?

So here's mine so far:

Mon - spa 3-9
Tues - private practice
Wed - chair massage 11-3, spa 5:30 to 9:30 or later if it's busy
Thu - private practice
Fri - chair massage 11-3

Now this is nothing like how I want it. Eventually I want to be doing private practice full time. I'm taking a step closer to that by transitioning to a home office... this means that any time I'm not scheduled elsewhere, I'm potentially available.

But I'm still frustrated at my availability, looking at the calendar, when I factor in things like medical appointments (I have them weekly), errands, and attempting to give time/attention to my relationship and friends and family.

I'm still feeling out the whole thing on paper (one of the ways I process), but wanted to get some input from y'all, too

 

[danit-t <3]

Part-time, private practice:

Sun 10-6 (sometimes 7)
Mon - off
Tu - 5:30-10
Wed - 9-2
Thu - 5:30-10
Fri - 9-2
Sat - off

With my schedule filling up faster than usual, I am considering additional hours in the fall (once the 5 year old starts school).

 

[hermafrodite]

full time private practice:

Monday through Saturday by appt (I try to be as available as possible)
this is how it usually looks:
monday thru Thursday 10-7
Friday 10-5
Saturday 9:30 - 3

I'm just now getting so busy I am going to have to start scheduling some time off. I'm beginning to feel like all I do is work!

 

[Pooperdooper]

PT for chiro & own business

Mon, Wed, Fri 8 am-6ish pm @ chiro
Tues, Thurs Sat 9am-6 pm @ my shop
OCCASIONAL Sunday (only 1-2 clients, and ONLY ones who dont drain me! :})

If we dont schedul time off, we suffer, our families suffer (mine fusses @ me when they dont get quality time, so I make sure I have it to give) Busy is GOOD, but I need "me" time, too. I have started a watercolor class on Thurs nights from 6-8pm !

 

[scient49]

Great thread

Full time, my own private practice.

Sundays usually off - sometimes I will work during the football season
Mondays off
Tues, Wed, & Thurs 8am to 7pm
Fri 8am to 5pm
Sat 8am to 3pm

Keep in mind I cluster book, so I am not at the office all those hours. When I have 4, 5, or 6 appointments in a day, that day is full and I dont book any more appointments. If I work 5 or 6 appointments one day, I try to only do 3 or 4 the next. I usually have at least 20 hours of massage a week, but it can bounce between 18 and 25.

I want to hire someone to work for me in 3 to 4 months, so I am thinking of cutting back my hours to keep a steady 20. I would use the extra time for paperwork and managing the extra person.

 

[Scocasso !]

Hey ya'll...
My schedule seems to be rolling on all cylinders these days-here is what it looks like for now.

Sunday.....12n-4pm by special appt. only (if no appts, I am OFF!)
Monnday...8am-5pm
Tuesday....8am-5pm
Wed..........8am-5pm.....Reiki Healing Circle 7:30pm-9:30pm
Thurs........8am-5pm
Friday.......OFF,Special appiontments,Chair massage fundraising,etc
Saturday...8am-4pm

Pretty intense,but things seem to work!

Blessings and Light-
Johnny

 

[carrieo2guns]

Private practice -

Mon & Wed 9-7
Tues - No client bookings - bookkeeping/meetings/errand/MY massage day!
(also nice to have a 'shuffle day' available if I take a long weekend)
Thurs - 12-6
Fri - 9-5
Sat/Sun I don't work weekends, these are my family days.

I shoot for 20 hours a week hands on. A couple of years ago, I was full throttle and pushing 25-28 hrs a week. Great money but really tough on me. Was turning into a real b**ch @ home & started feeling a bit creaky in my wrists and shoulders. Cutting back has made a difference and I really enjoy the pace I am at and feel that my family & clients benefit.

 

[bak0ntrak2009]

Private practice with interspersed/on-call.

Sun - OFF / but will take out calls for hotel.
M - work at home / all office items that I don't get time for "in the office" plus wash/dry/fold sheets from the Fri/Sat. - usually an all day affair.
T - OFF
W thru F - 11am - 8pm (from 3:30 - 5:30 I go to a friends office and do some work for her)
Sat - 2 - 6pm (will work later)

--------------------
D/T the hotel work, which is pretty far between nowdays, I am occasionally out 'til midnight. But that's not a problem for me. It works well with my schedule as I generally don't get out of the office until about 9:30/10pm anyway.

Thursdays about every three weeks I work until 11:30pm on a client coming into town. It works out fine, I take a rest from 8pm - 10pm and then ready to roll.

I'm happy with my schedule as it is right now, but wouldn't mind being able to let go of the Wed. friends work. However, it is good for both of us at the time. You scratch my back and I scratch yours sort of thing.

I have tried to set up my work schedule to help the most people with the least amount of time lagging. My evenings almost always fill up, except for Weds. Wednesdays comes and goes with the different clients. Last year my whole Weds. were always filled, then a shift occurred and now my Thursdays are bookd pretty solid (and Wed. not so much / where that used to never be the case. Fridays are usually filled and so are Sats.

Hope this helps in some way.

 

[ZoomIn]

private practice - full time

my schedule is crazy and i'm still trying to remember to take time for me. i've had a serious problem with not scheduling myself ANY time off so i'm working on that.

i work 7 days a week. start at 9 am and try not to work later than 6 or 7. i try to keep my appointments close together because if i do not have a client, i'm not in the office. so that sometimes means working in the morning, leaving for the middle part of the day and then coming back for 1 or 2 more. weekends i try not to take more than 3 each day. saturdays are usually something like 10-2, 3 or 4. sundays i have weekly or bi-monthly regulars so i'll usually work 1-4 or 5 or so. however, i'll have an occasional client that i'll work late on a sat. or a sun. for. late being 6 or 7.
i try not to be gone too many evenings during the week. if i notice my schedule filling up in evenings, i'll block the others out. i have an 8 year old so i try not to be gone too much 'cause she'll get mad at me.

my big problem is, it's not unusual for me to go 2 months without a day off. i'm really trying to get better about taking more time for me. i think i'm going to look into renting another space and have another therapist so that i can take some time. it gets crazy. finding time to do laundry? :roll: that gets crazy too!

i try to keep the rule of not taking more than 5 a day. however, often there'll be 2 - 90 minutes in that day so that 5 really is more. and i've been breaking my rule and killing myself by taking 6 or 7. it's stupid. especially working 7 days a week. i'm like stonegirl in feeling like all i ever do is work! i actually like having a varied schedule though. i could never work a "regular" schedule. it would drive me nuts knowing exactly when & where i'm going to be all week! i'd go bananas~

 

[Yung Dirt]

Tera Tera Tera!!

Who is controling your practice?? You or your clients? You are going to burn yourself out!!

This is what I suggest you do:

Decide which days you want off and tell your clients AND post a sign in your office that you will be changing your schedule to include your days off a month or two ahead. This will give it time to sink in.

Have the sign say something like:

Valued Clients

Effective April 1st 2007 Terab's Clinic
will be open Monday through Saturday
and CLOSED ON SUNDAYS.
Sorry for any inconvenience

Clients will understand. Afterall, they have days off, why shouldnt you too?

 

[lalo fublilk]

Private Practice
16 appts = 20 hours massage each week.

Tuesday-Friday 10am-7pm (includes time for paperwork/business tasks).
Sat-Mon Off

I'm someone who needs time off to rejuvenate, and the 3-day weekend makes all the difference. If I did the same amount of massage spread out over 7 days, I would feel exhausted. It's not so much the hours worked that makes a difference for me, as it is the consistent time off.

 

[sniper007]

Blisss, I think I am finding something similar for myself. There's something spacious about an entire day off that goes completely missing for me if even just one client is scheduled for it.

One would think there wouldn't be much of a difference... "Oh what's an hour of massage in an otherwise open day?" But it seems to make all the difference in the world

 

[theymademedoit]

Tera Tera Tera!!

Who is controling your practice?? You or your clients? You are going to burn yourself out!!

This is what I suggest you do:

Decide which days you want off and tell your clients AND post a sign in your office that you will be changing your schedule to include your days off a month or two ahead. This will give it time to sink in.

Have the sign say something like:

Valued Clients

Effective April 1st 2007 Terab's Clinic
will be open Monday through Saturday
and CLOSED ON SUNDAYS.
Sorry for any inconvenience

Clients will understand. Afterall, they have days off, why shouldnt you too?

to be quite honest, i like it this way. in fact, i'd prefer to work sunday than most any other day of the week. i'd say most of my clients have no idea how much i work. my clients aren't controlling my business at all. i like a crazy schedule. i just need to focus a little bit more and taking some time for me. i've been better with it lately. i used to never take time off. i've worked like this since i was 13. i like to work and now that i have i job that i truly love, it's not really like work at all. i love going to the office. however, i really do hate always doing laundry! though i've come to find folding sheets kinda relaxing. what a weirdo! :roll:

i don't have my schedule posted anywhere. most people don't know when i work so i truly decide when i take clients and when i don't. a few things that i do not do is take same day appointments (on a very rare occasion this will happen but i'd say the "rare occasion" happens about once every 6 months). i (typically) do not take more than 5 clients a day. i decide who i take as a client (i actually turn away a lot of people simply because i don't want/need them as my client). the only way i'm going to get burn out is if i don't start getting a decent massage around here!! (half joking-however it's sadly true. i really need someone to crank on my forearms! i'm shocked at the number of therapists who have no idea how to work forearms-or that they should. i mean, should a mt have to tell another mt to work their forearms?)

 

[mech]

i mean, should a mt have to tell another mt to work their forearms?)

I hear ya!! you know the crazy thing - I've had a MT client who I did extra work in all the areas you would THINK an MT would need it - and next time she came back she said "don't spend so much time on my upper body, you KNOW I'm on my feet all day and need more work on my legs!"

huh? I'm on my feet all day too, but PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE work on my arms and shoulders!!! you know? Who knows...!!?!

I luckily have found a few great therapist who do some awesome work on my arms. Yum. (and I've taught my husband to do a pretty good job too, he's my lifesaver! or should I say bodysaver?!)

 

[Alison W]

to be quite honest, i like it this way. in fact, i'd prefer to work sunday than most any other day of the week. i'd say most of my clients have no idea how much i work. my clients aren't controlling my business at all. i like a crazy schedule. i just need to focus a little bit more and taking some time for me. i've been better with it lately. i used to never take time off. i've worked like this since i was 13. i like to work and now that i have i job that i truly love, it's not really like work at all. i love going to the office. however, i really do hate always doing laundry! though i've come to find folding sheets kinda relaxing. what a weirdo! :roll:

I used Sunday as an example. It could have been any day.

 

[JAP]

however, i really do hate always doing laundry! though i've come to find folding sheets kinda relaxing.

*haha* I have been saying the same thing to myself. I don't want the folding to be "kindof" relaxing, and yet it is --unless I am in a hurrry!

 

[mtmt]

Private practice
Typical week

Mondays Start 9am take 4-5 60 m appointments
Tuesday House call start @9am-12pm 2-90m.massages
Wed.- 9am taking 3-4 60 m. appointments
Thurs- OFF
Friday: week 1 in office noon to 6pm taking 3-4 60 m. appointments
week 2- 9:30am- 3:30pm Law Firm 10-14 people 20m each
Saturday 2-4 appointments
Sunday OFF
Major Holidays OFF

 

[doktor smudge]

Private practice
M, T, Th., & F

Evenings M, T, Th

12-15 clients/wk - not actively growing practice as I focus on growing coaching aspect of business.

Lisa

 

[Peter G]

Achieving balance in scheduling

My practice has changed and morphed over the years. Currently I work:

Wed. - Sun.: 11am – 8pm (I do stay later than that, for people I want to stay for. )


And, I do take off selected days. For example: this week, I'll be off on Sun. and next week I'll be off on Thurs. & Sat. evening. It depends on what my personal schedule needs.

 

[Shania]

Achieving balance in scheduling

I am balancing a part-time massage business with a part-time office positition. I'm finding it's a blend that works well for me, because the physical demands of massaging full time (even what we mt's consider full time, at 20ish hours/wk) is just too much for me. I recently have changed office jobs, to one that is less than 2 miles from my home (and I have a home practice), so my ongoing schedule will be as follows:

Mon: massage at home, 9am - 6pm, with a chiro appt for myself in the afternoon and other errands/appts (typically 2-3 hrs of massage)
Tue: office 8:30-3:30, massage at home 4-8 (2-3 60min appts)
Wed: massage 10am-3pm (4 hrs of massage) - standing chair massage gig at senior community
Thu: office 8:30-3:30, massage at home 4-8 (2-3 60min appts)
Fri: office 8:30-12:30, then 1-2 massage appts at home, afternoon only
Sat: massage 9am-2pm (2-3 60min appts) - not every Saturday though
Sun: ALWAYS OFF

I like to be right about 12 hrs of massage/week, in addition to the 18 hours of office work. That leaves me enough time to feel like my home is "running well" and I have "a life" ;-)