Work life balance. I'm doing it wrong.

Lately... okay the last few years all I have had time to do is shoe. When I had time off I was so tired I would crash, and for some reason I felt compelled to make it work for all my clients so gave up any and all free time to get them all done.

Anyways I have rescheduled some stuff so I have a bit of down time part of today and tomorrow to regroup.
I know now that all work and no play doesn't work. Last week I wanted to quit. I really do enjoy this trade and want to make it work so tell me how do you put limits on time spent working.

I do not want to become the overworked farrier that doesn't care anymore. Do you actually shut off your cell phone?

This last month or two I have had a ridiculous number of clients calling me out to look at poopsies non hoof related lamenesses. I am exhausted after trying to fit the visits in to my already full schedule just in case it is hoof related.

So how do you guys schedule things so you don't burnout. Do you have a set number of hours you will work in a day? a number of horses, or stops? I notice at a certain $ amount I start getting sore and slow so was thinking of scheduling buy the amount earned per day.

What is the trick to doing this long term and still having enough energy to have a life outside of work?

Need to raise your fees until you lose enough clients that you have time for yourself. You'll also have more time to provide better service and not be running ragged trying to keep up.

Sounds like a good plan. I know we are all different but how do you decide what is a sustainable amount of work?
I have always just piled on who ever needs me as soon as I possibly can because I feel bad saying their emergency has to wait but I realize I am not going to be able to do any work if I don't get R&R in some where.

How do you tell someone they or more importantly their horse has to wait?

Eight hours is a standard work day. So if you're pulling out of your driveway at 7:00am, you should be done and back home by 3:30pm - allowing time for lunch. That leaves you plenty time at the end of each day to handle emergencies before you come home.

Um, you really shouldn't have very many emergencies among your regular clients. We are mostly maintenance workers.

See above. What constitutes an emergency?

We have had a weird spring lots of horse injuries maybe due to the earlier extremely hard ground then sudden rain causing slick footing or who knows what but just last week I had clients who thought their horses were abscessing or foot sore and it turned out to be 1 suspensory injury, 1 hock issue, 1 something in the back/neck, another stifle.... lots of crap that had nothing to do with me but they wanted me to check in case it was hoof related.

Not to mention the 3 calls I got from randoms asking if I can come out and fix their horse's shoe because their own farrier was out of town.

Alicia, people will call you before the vet because they don't want to pay a vet, and they obviously trust you. I like this idea, 'cause you can always refer them to a vet if necessary. I hope you are charging for your services in these "emergencies". You need to get paid even if you just show up and look at the horse. That will eliminate the non-serious calls.

Also, I work 5 days a week, tuesday thru saturday, often not saturday. That leaves monday for schedule changes, "emergencies", etc.

I think you're doing the right thing by asking this question. If it gets to the point that you don't want to do it, it will probably be because of the amount of work, not the work. Make time for yourself, so you can look forward to getting in the truck in the morning to go shoe a horse.

Regards

Lol..this is common.. how many jess a day do you do and hoe many days a week do you work ..before I go into my spill..

Well each of those presents an opportunity for additional revenue. You should either charge the same as a vet for an emergency call fee or raise your fees enough that you can cover that as an included part of your service - which should put you about 25% higher than the going rate in your area.

Usually a $150 quote to replace a lost shoe will make them happy to wait till their current farrier gets around to them. You really don't want to be the "second string" farrier that people call when their "regular farrier" is too busy to service them.

I'm with tom..replacing lost shoes for another farrier should not even be a issue...when I do a call out on the so called emergency I charge for this service..if its something i think is not farrier related I make out a bill explaining my advice it to call a vet at this point with a note that says if this turns out to be farrier issue wave the charge..and I will just chalk that one up as a learning exercise.. they all seem to pay the bill so far..its easy money.......I caught hell at a farm for fixing two quiked horses one time from another farrier.. I was there and they limped the horse up so I felt bad..after the nasty text I just said from then I do not fix other farriers issues ..some go away mad and some decide to ask what I charge and its a good time to give yourself a raise so some change farriers ..not sure really what the right thing to do for you to fix others stuff..I quess you have to decide that ...

We're a little bit more formal about it down here. I warn my buddies when I'm going out of town so they know not to answer their phones.

I agree George I never go in poaching but it has happen..I provide a good service..some have no clue how much I been better to them than they are to me...I assure you that..I do have one I love to take food away from ..but the feeling goes both ways ... The problem comes in when they can't ever get out until three days later and trainers push you to take the client on ..sometimes its not the farriers fault ..they just loose one due to they own faults..I have lost a few myself..

George we need to start another thread due to thats a good topic and I really think young farriers are giving bad advice on ally of that...you can only be as good to someone as they are to you...I sat at a clinic one time and listened to one of kim turners heros sit and tell a kid that he needed to charge at very least 125..i got a call to come work on a horse at a farm he does and all over the board was 90 buck full shoes..I got called a lie..a year later back out and the board was full of 95.. i took a pic that time..most farriers are full of shit..

I didn't go fix the other farriers problems. Personally I don't take clients that are to far for me to get to in an emergency so I do not see any point in enabling others to do it. If I am already at the barn, have time and the BM asks I will fix something quick but nothing more than that and generally I do not have time. It just adds to the flinching when the phone rings to have other peoples clients call me. I will admit that I do feel a bit bad for not helping when I could but I really just simply cannot work all day, and all night there has to be a limit.

As to the emergency calls from my own clients yes I have been charging but perhaps not enough. If it takes as long as a trim that has been what I charge but when they hit all at once like that or it turns out to be something that could have waited a few days it just makes my over tired self froth a little bit.

Travis I am not sure what "jess a day" is so I cannot answer that but I have stuck to 5 days a week for the last year. Before that I was doing 6 days a week and realized fast that wouldn't work. I am married and want to actually see my husband like normal people get to.

Anyways I guess I can stop feeling bad about not helping non-clients out. I like that $150 charge but more likely will just continue to say no.

For clients though I guess as said above I need to raise my emergency fee, and maybe that will separate the urgent from the hypochondriac owners.

Thanks guys I guess this is all just part of the learning process.

Alicea, one thing to remember - You Can't Save the World. Also one thing you need to learn is the word "NO" - this means all those non client calls. Like George said - schedule 4 days a week. Once I started doing this my stress factor went down greatly. Also if you can, offer people to drive to your place. When some one calls with one of those "panic" calls, tell them no problem, just drive the horse to your place. This really weeds out the riff raff. Find what your limit for the day is and stick to it. I've found mine and that's it. This is also part of learning the word no. If you don't take care of yourself, no one else will. And I can say, that if you can't work horse owners are not going to pay you, so only you really care about yourself.

Hey Alicia, good to see you here.
Remember a few years ago when you'd look at your phone and wish you were getting more calls? Funny how that works.
All good advice above. Start with a raise in fees. The first item on my invoice is "Stable Call". Is got a blank space there so I can fill in the amount I wish.
I often think that no one could get by with out me, but what if I got hit by an airplane? I notice that when I've be hurt or my truck's down, the world seems to still go around.
As to the cell phone, once in a while I'll forget it at home. My first thought is "oh crap!", but it quickly turns to "All right".

Thanks Mikel,
I actually could do the bring the horse here thing... that way I could also write off the supplies for the isolation paddock I just buit. I like that.
I imagine no one would take me up on that but it would at least sound good to have as an option.

I think I just needed to hear I am not a lazy slob for not seeing to every hoof that I am called about.
I guess this is what is meant by " run your business or your business will run you".

Thanks guys I am glad I asked, I really do love this trade and would hate to burn out trying to live up to my own unrealistic expectations.

I believe that is what got me into this state. The whole make hay while the sun is shining thing works on the premise that the rain is due any minute. Racing against the rain is not a sustainable pace, but I guess it took me several years to figure that one out.

I should add a thank you as your tutelage is one reason I have a good size clientèle.

That really should be my first step. I have raised prices every year so far but this one, I was going to wait till next year but maybe a stable call fee would help.

BTW where do you get your invoices done? I am looking for a new source.

ha ha Bill I am guilty of this. I have also enjoyed climbing out of the truck at the end of a day/and evening and leaving the dang phone in the truck by "accident". That is a treat to know no one is going to send you a stress inducing text while relaxing after a long day.

Thanks for your help

'taint nothing. Thanks for believing and doing everything I say. PM me with your email and I'll have my daughter help me send you my invoice that a guy gave me years ago.

HEY KAREN!!!!!
Check out what Alicia said about me.

lol Karen has you all wrong! You have never steered me wrong Bill. I wish you lived closer cause I would happily exhaust myself further to sweep up for you on a regular basis.

I think the real problem is that you haven´t educated your clients of wht is emergency