How Hospitality Professionals Can Save Time While Making More
By Daniel Zolinski | August 14, 2023
I recently took a 10-hour road trip from Abingdon, Virginia to Grand Rapids, Michigan. They may seem like random places to travel between, but I have family in both locations. I got to unplug from the digital world, listen to some audiobooks, and enjoy the scenery around me as I made my way across states. This was on a Friday. Although it was during the work week, my business still functioned without me. How? There are 3 things I’ve incorporated into my business that any hospitality professional can do too. I believe if you incorporate these systems into your business, you will make amazing strides.
System #1 – Pick a Routine and Stick to It
Routine is the bedrock of productivity. It can even fuel creativity. Your time is your most valuable asset. Don’t waste it. I get my most urgent tasks done within the first couple hours of waking up, which then frees up the rest of the day to take phone calls, write, take care of unexpected things that come up in the day, or even take a 10-hour road trip! I don’t unexpectedly wake up and try to think of things to complete for the day. This all starts the night before with 30-60 minutes of planning. As Dale Carnegie said, “An hour of planning can save you 10 hours of doing.”
System #2 – Leverage Tools to Cut Hours
While prioritization is essential for productivity, a lot of hospitality professionals LOSE time by executing the tasks on their to-do lists. Keep track of everything that:
- Takes you more than 15 minutes to complete.
- You find yourself having to do more than once a day.
Here are some tools I recommend to save time:
- TextExpander + Text Replacement – Allows you to templatize commonly used responses or messages
- Freedom – Blocks or puts time limits on websites
- FollowUp – Automates email follow-ups
- Grammarly – Automatically proofreads your content
- Notion – A workspace for staying on top of tasks, building company wikis, and housing templates
System #3 – Build a Collective of Weapons
One of the biggest ways to save time is simply outsourcing time-consuming tasks. Being a CEO, president, partner, owner, or even manager in the hospitality industry can be chaotic. You’re continuously trying to raise the bar and achieve your goals. You can’t do it alone. To help save yourself time and achieve your goals quicker, here are some positions I suggest you fill as soon as possible if you haven’t already:
- Virtual Assistant
- Copywriter
- Graphic Designer
- Finance Specialist
Having roles filled, such as a copywriter, will allow you to dedicate more time to the company rather than spending time writing content for your hospitality blog, social media, or newsletter. Strategically filling roles with the RIGHT people will allow you to exponentially grow in a shorter amount of time.
Routines, tools, and weapons will make you a dangerous candidate to compete with in the hospitality industry. Play the game smart. Save yourself time and make more by implementing these foundational systems into your hospitality company.
