The Secret Time Management System Used by Top-Performing Remodelers: Part 1
Do you dream of having your home remodeling business generating consistently growing high profits?
Imagine this:
Your remodeling business is a finely tuned machine, consistently delivering high-quality projects on time and on budget.
Your clients sing your praises, and your team operates with a level of efficiency that makes other remodelers envious.
You're not drowning in paperwork or putting out daily fires, and, most importantly, you're not chained to your desk.
Instead, you're spending more time doing what you love – whether it's designing innovative spaces, building key relationships, or simply enjoying life outside of work.
Best of all, YOU ARE NOT being run by your business! It’s running smoothly and growing profitably, enabling you to shape your future rather than being beat up by the daily grind.
This isn’t a crazy hallucination; This is the reality for top-performing remodelers who’ve mastered the skill of managing their time just as they must master managing their money.
Top remodelers don’t stumble into profitability by chance. The difference between a remodeling business that merely survives and one that thrives often comes down to how you manage your time. And for remodelers like you, generating $1 million to $10 million in annual revenue, effective time management isn’t just a good idea; it's a critical lever for exponential profit growth. It's not about working more hours; it's about working smarter hours.
They apply proven systems to identify where their time is going, allocate it strategically, and free up hours for high-value activities.
This blog introduces the first step in creating your "Time Budget" — a system that takes less than 10 minutes to start but lays the groundwork for transformational results.
The Foundation: Why a Time Budget Matters
To achieve consistent profits in your business, every dollar must be accounted for and invested wisely. You start by creating a formal financial budget.
Similarly, your time deserves the same discipline.
A “Time Budget” reveals where you’re spending your time each week and helps you "invest” every hour in the activities that grow your business and increase profitability.
Before you roll your eyes thinking, "I'm too busy for this," I can assure you this will be the best ten minutes you invest this week. We’re not looking for perfection, just a clear snapshot of your typical week. You won't need fancy software or time-tracking apps. What you will need is honest reflection and the simple 2-Step Time Study provided. (If you haven't downloaded it yet, grab it here: [Insert Link to Doc Here])
Many home remodelers struggle to step out of the weeds of daily operations. They’re stuck managing projects, handling bookkeeping, or dealing with other tasks that could easily be delegated or outsourced. By reclaiming even 10 hours a week, remodelers can focus on strategic growth, client relationships, and other high-impact initiatives.
Think of the Time Study as a tool to uncover a blueprint for where your time actually goes. It’s a two-part process. Here’s how to get started:
Step 1: The 2-Step Time Study
This simple exercise uncovers where your time is currently going and what it’s costing your business. In less than 10 minutes, you can identify opportunities to reallocate your time and dramatically increase profits.
Step 1.1: Hours Worked Daily
Begin by mapping out how many hours you REALLY work each day of a typical week. Here’s an example:
Step 1.2: Categorizing Your Tasks
Next, break down your time into task categories. Think about everything you do in a week: client meetings, project management, job site visits, invoicing, email communication, etc.
For each activity you listed, in the second column, estimate the number of hours you spend on it each week. Now is the time to think in broad strokes; don’t get bogged down in minutes. Just think in whole hours and add up each area that has the same task. This is where accuracy is key. Be honest with yourself. If you think you are spending three hours per week on bookkeeping, add all the smaller bookkeeping tasks together. Are you really at three hours, or is it closer to five or six?
Use a table like this:
Now compare the total hours from your daily breakdown and task categories. If they don’t match, adjust until they align. This clarity is essential for pinpointing where your time is going.
Step 2: Delegation and Outsourcing
With your Time Study complete, it’s time to identify which tasks can be handed off. Focus on low-value or time-consuming activities that don’t require your expertise. This shift is where real growth happens.
Case Study 1: Delegating Project Management
Sarah owned a successful remodeling firm that was consistently generating $3 million annually. However, she felt like she was constantly treading water. She spent an exhausting 20 hours per week managing her remodeling projects. This meant coordinating subcontractors, addressing client concerns, and solving on-site issues. Although essential, these activities were draining her and preventing her from focusing on her higher-level tasks.
After completing her Time Audit, she realized just how much time and energy was being sunk into project management. This wasn't a lack of skill; Sarah was quite good at managing projects. However, it was a massive time drain that kept her from other high-value activities.
She made a strategic move and hired a highly organized and detail-oriented Project Manager, someone with previous construction experience. She spent time onboarding and training that person. She then delegated the bulk of project management to them.
As a result, Sarah reduced her project management time from 20 hours to just 5 hours per week. What did she do with those freed-up 15 hours? She focused on strategic planning, building relationships with key architects and designers, and refining her sales process.
The results were staggering. Within 12 months, Sarah’s business doubled in revenue and increased profit by a jaw-dropping 225%! It wasn’t because she started working harder; she simply invested her time where it mattered most. She was building the business versus just working in the business.
Case Study 2: Outsourcing Bookkeeping and Billing
David's story is equally compelling. He ran a remodeling business with revenues of about $5 million per year. He was a master craftsman who loved creating unique spaces. He was frustrated because, each week, he was spending about 12 hours on bookkeeping and invoicing. He was great at building things, but he did not have a love for spreadsheets, coding, and accounting.
He knew his time was being used inefficiently, but the task felt overwhelming to delegate. The Time Audit confirmed his suspicions and exposed a major area of opportunity.
He made the decision to outsource his bookkeeping and invoicing to a professional bookkeeping service that was familiar with construction accounting practices. It was a modest investment that created big-time changes. David no longer had to worry about manually processing invoices, reconciling accounts, or keeping up with the latest regulations.
He reallocated the freed up 10 hours per week into business development, exploring new market segments, and networking with potential clients. The results? In less than 12 months, his business saw a 67% increase in revenue and profits jumped by a remarkable 112%!
The Time Budget: A Game-Changer for Remodelers
These aren't isolated incidents. These are examples of what's possible when you start treating your time as your most valuable asset and strategically allocating it towards activities that drive your business forward.
The concept of a Time Budget is simple: treat your hours as your most valuable resource. While dollars can be replaced, your time, once spent, can never be recovered.
Once you understand where your time is going, you can “EDOO”:
Eliminate: Stop doing tasks that don’t add value.
Delegate: Assign routine tasks to qualified team members.
Outsource: Hire external experts for specialized, time-consuming jobs.
Optimize: Focus your efforts on activities that maximize profitability.
Here’s how your Time Budget might look after applying these principles:
By reducing 15 hours of non-core tasks, you now have time to focus on what truly drives your business forward.
The Long-Term Impact
Adopting a Time Budget doesn’t just make your schedule more manageable — it transforms your business and your life.
Here’s what you stand to gain by implementing a Time Budget:
Higher Profits: With more time for strategic planning and sales, you’ll boost your bottom line.
Improved Work-Life Balance: Delegating tasks gives you time to enjoy life outside of work.
Scalable Systems: A team that runs operations efficiently frees you to focus on growth.
Client Satisfaction: Focusing on client relationships leads to better experiences, bigger and more profitable projects, and more referrals.
Where to Start
Completing the 2-Step Time Study is a critical first step.
Once you’ve identified your time drains, ask yourself:
Can this task be eliminated?
Is there someone on my team who can do this?
Could outsourcing save time and improve quality?
Small changes lead to significant results. By reclaiming even a few hours each week, you’ll create space to innovate, connect with clients, and build a business that thrives.
Ready to take the next step? Start your Time Study today! Download here {DELJ How can we capture emails with funnel boss?}
Stay tuned for Part 2, where we’ll dive deeper into prioritizing high-value activities and creating workflows that maximize efficiency.
