Manage the Dashes - A New Approach to Productivity

I recently walked into one of our stores, intent on making a positive impact and ready to uplift the team. Within seconds of crossing the threshold I could feel the negative vibe of the store. Instead of the positive atmosphere to which I was accustomed, cashiers had their heads down.. The store was in a funk, and I had to quickly determine why. 

I found the manager in her work area with papers strewn about, looking like she hadn't slept in a week. It was clear that this was my answer. I quickly pulled the manager aside to see how I could help. She explained that she had been battling multiple call offs and working late into the evening to cover these shifts. A Store Manager’s typical work day starts at 7 a.m. – meaning she was putting in 13-14 hour days to make sure she had coverage when staff called out. I know from experience that this is not a recipe for success. After getting her centered with a few deep breaths, I encouraged her to refocus with a positive approach to the situation. This Manager’s success was important to me, so I quickly adjusted my day to spend the time firing up the team with a new plan of action. While I was there, the Store Manager was able to catch up on her paperwork. Ultimately though, the process was more important that a single day’s (or week’s) documentation. I was determined to drill down and find the root cause of the issue – rather than solving a surface symptom. 

As I observed the day play out, I noticed several key issues that were causing the problems in the store. Most critical was the lack of communication with staff (we’ll address that in deeper detail in coming chapters). Ultimately, when processes fell apart in the store, there were key areas where the Manager became difficult to work for. Also, I noticed several times throughout the day where the Store Manager was wasting time. It stood out to me that these gaps in productivity were all coming between tasks the Store Manager had to complete. 

As the day played out, I noticed the manager (we’ll refer to her as Amber) was taking consistent smoke breaks after completing some or all of a task. She would then return 10-15 minutes later and resume. Another 30 minutes later, she would head to the kitchen to chat with the kitchen manager (not work related). Then on the way back, she ran into a personal friend and chatted another 20 -30 minutes. I let this play out for several reasons: 1) I wanted to know how bad the problem was, and 2) I wanted to see if this behavior was consistent throughout the day. At the end of the day, I had the answer to my questions. Quite simply, Amber’s inefficiency with her time was causing long work hours and staff call off’s. 

At the end of the day, I set up a lunch with Amber and told her I’d like to share tips on reducing stress and improving efficiencies in her workday. She happily accepted, and I went home to gather my thoughts on how to best present the pressing issue of productivity in a way that would resonate.

Now, I can’t explain the functionality of the normal human brain, but I’ve spent enough time in my own head that I can typically lay out my ideas in a way that is personalized for my audience. One of the ways I do this is through analogies. They often seem to come out of nowhere, and I was lucky enough to have a “lightbulb moment” before my meeting with Amber. It came to me … Manage the Dashes!

Let me explain. As I see it, every task has a time value assigned to it. For example, it may take a Store Manager about an hour of uninterrupted time to complete the books from start to finish. Likewise, it takes 15 minutes to reconcile the safe. You get my point. In Amber’s case, it wasn't her ability to complete tasks in a timely manner, it was the interruptions and breaks taken between tasks that was lengthening her days. 

Now, imagine a list of tasks with dashes between each one. That dash represents the amount of time spent between tasks. Each time a task is started, it goes on the list (even if it is interrupted). For example, you begin your daily paperwork, step away to help a customer, and then return to complete the paperwork. In this example there are 2 dashes and 3 tasks. Paperwork - Customer Service - Paperwork.

Truthfully, not much can be done to shorten the time task take to complete. In most businesses, the time needed for certain tasks becomes somewhat predictable. Sure, with experience and repetition speed can improve, but ultimately processes all require a certain amount of time to complete.

Where most people really struggle is with the dashes. I stop and talk to Sally on the way to refill my water bottle, and on the way back I catch up with Kevin. I finish working on a spreadsheet and need to start a client email. I take a quick break to grab my phone, and 20 min later find myself closing TikTok. Yikes! I just lost 45 minutes in my day.

What I have found, both in our business and others, is that the average professional completes anywhere from 200-300 unique task each day. If you waste an average of 30 seconds between each task, you have between 100 – 150 minutes wasted each day!

Now, I know what you are thinking … There’s no way you I complete 200 – 300 tasks each day! However, I would challenge you to think of each email, word doc, excel file, phone call, etc. as a single task. Now do you see it? I would argue in some businesses, the number of tasks you actually complete is much higher. Next, you are probably thinking there’s no way you are wasting 30 seconds between each task. You’re probably right. You aren't wasting 30 seconds between each task. Sometimes you go right from task to task, but what about that 30 minutes on TikTok? What about the 20 min conversation with Kevin? This is a game of averages.

The question now becomes, how do you overcome this "dash" dilemma in a healthy way? Breaks are a very important part of staying sharp and productive right? Well, here are some tips that I have developed. When these steps were implemented in our stores, the managers saw noticeable improvement in overall team productivity. Amber will tell you that this new way of managing has changed her life, and she is now one of our best performers.

1 - Plan breaks. By planning breaks you are controlling not only the length of time spent on the break, but you’re also staying focused. You have that break to look forward to when you can relax and recharge before moving on to the next task. 

2- Avoid the water cooler - metaphorically. No … I’m not discouraging you to drink water, but I do recommend you be very mindful of the time you spent getting roped into passing conversations. It’s easy to get sucked into hot topics, the office rumor mill, or the latest gossip, but these conversations can be some of the greatest time wasters in your day. Before you know it, you’ve spent 20 minutes talking about who won the game, and you can’t get that time or productivity potential back. 

3- Schedule your day. – I’ve seen some folks who are very good at this, and it shows in their work product. By scheduling your day and building prioritized lists, you’ll find yourself accomplishing much more and moving more smoothly from task to task. 

4- Put your cell phone away. When people have their cell phone near them, they will be checking it. This has become a harsh reality in today’s world of technology. It is human nature to check it non -stop. If you absolutely must have it on you, I strongly recommend you turn off all notifications. Again, this will help with the urges to give in to distraction and pick up the phone to see what you’ve missed in the last 5 minutes.

5 - Let others know your plan. By communicating what you are trying to accomplish with this process, you both encourage others to support you and explain that you’re not being rude if you don’t respond to their call or text within 30 seconds. 

6- As a Leader, don't let your teams fall victim to this behavior. Teach them the self-discipline needed to be more productive. As a result, they will feel accomplished for completing a long list of tasks, which will give them time back in their day to rest and recuperate. 

7 – Give yourself grace. When you mess up (and you will), take a deep breath and remember that this is a journey. By improving just 20%, you could easily give yourself and extra 20-30 minutes a day in productivity.

Amber and I met and laid out these concepts that are simple to explain, but brutally hard to execute. Intent to communicate my point without hurting her feelings, I thought outside the box and was able to use video to demonstrate some of my points. I explained that I didn't want her to work 13-14 hour days, that her work was important to me, and that I wanted her to have a happy life outside work as well. Amber and I would spend the next 3 months touching base daily on her progress. Early on, we saw big improvements. Some days she fell off the bike, but I dusted her off and put her back on to try again the next day. Over time she began to instinctively know when she was off course and would make the adjustment on her own. By the end of the 90 days, she had improved so dramatically that she was able to take an hour each day to focus on developing her assistant manager. Amber is just one of many success stories that came as a result of more efficiently Managing the Dashes.

What are your dashes? We all have them. I am rooting for you and your teams as you find ways to better control those dashes and reclaim time in your days!!!