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Are We Really THAT Busy?

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Now that I’m a receptionist at a salon, I am much more aware of time. My entire day is based on scheduling clients for nail and massage appointments. I look at the schedule and find pockets of time to squeeze people in for their services. Usually, all goes well: someone has an event or is going out of town next week and they’d like their hands and toes looking fresh before they leave. However, there is that small percent of people who call because they have an event TODAY and really need to look their best. This is when it can get a little hairy.

Depending on the day of the week, I can probably squeeze you in. Tuesdays and Wednesdays seem to be pretty slow…those are good days for you to come in during the day. Don’t want to take time off work so you’d like to come in after 5:30? Those slots fill fast, whether it’s a busy day or not. There are literally four to eight people who can serve customers at that time. Services- a manicure and pedicure for example- can take up to an entire hour. If we close at 7:00, the last appointment will begin at 6:00. Everyone wants that time get their nails done in between leaving work and heading for home. Hopefully, it’s a little clearer how that time of day fills quickly and you should probably make an appointment long before then.

What I don’t understand is when someone calls because of some major life event and they want to be seen NOW. They get upset that the Planner called ahead of time and took time slots. It has given me pause…are we really that busy that we can’t take a few minutes to call the salon ahead of time–especially when we know that an important event is coming up? Is it poor planning? Or egocentrism?

Over the last few months, I found myself saying, “I don’t have time for this”, whatever this is. So I took a good look at my day. I don’t really socialize and my maximum amount of time on Facebook is about 20 minutes or less. I do work from home, but the time I spend on it is a blip on the screen of my entire day. So…what was eating up all my time? One quick look at my Netflix history gives us a major clue…so does the amount of time I play Best Fiends on my phone. Ultimately, I realized that I’m not actually that busy. Rather, I have large pockets of time that I fill with not-so-productive-or-important things. I suspect that the flustered callers who can’t be seen on their immediate time table can probably relate.

The moral to the story is to plan ahead. That way, you can get exactly the day and time that you want without the headache and frustration of being turned away. And if you like to live by the seat of your pants, you have to know that there is a possibility you will be turned away. As for me, I just booked an appointment with my most favorite stylist on the planet…now where’s my phone so that I can play Best Fiends??

Writer

CJ Heath

 

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