Time Management for Tradies: How to Fit More Jobs Into Your Week

You're working 50-hour weeks but barely making more than when you worked 40 hours. Why?

The problem: Bad time management.

The average tradie wastes 10-15 hours per week on:

• Driving between jobs inefficiently
• Hunting for tools
• Chasing quotes and invoices
• Waiting for materials
• Re-doing jobs because of miscommunication

In this guide, we'll show you how to fit more jobs into your week without working longer hours.

Time Audit: Where Does Your Time Actually Go?

Track one week honestly:

The opportunity: If you increase billable time to 60%, you earn 20% more without working extra hours.

Strategy 1: Batch Jobs by Location

Bad scheduling:

Monday: Job in North Shore (30min drive)
Tuesday: Job in South Auckland (1hr drive)
Wednesday: Job in North Shore again (30min drive)

Total driving: 2 hours

Smart scheduling:

Monday-Tuesday: All North Shore jobs
Wednesday: All South Auckland jobs

Total driving: 1.5 hours

Time saved: 30 minutes = Extra billable hour

How to Implement This

1. Use a map when scheduling

• Pin all pending jobs on Google Maps
• Group by suburb/region
• Schedule same-area jobs on same day

"I'm in your area Tuesdays and Fridays. Which day works better for you?"

Most customers are flexible if you ask upfront.

3. Book jobs in advance Don't schedule day-by-day. Plan the whole week Sunday night.

Strategy 2: Cut Admin Time in Half

The admin time-suck:

• Creating quotes: 20 mins each
• Following up quotes: 10 mins each
• Creating invoices: 15 mins each
• Chasing payments: 20 mins each

• Quotes: 10 × 20 = 200 minutes (3.3 hours)
• Invoices: 10 × 15 = 150 minutes (2.5 hours)
• Total: 5.8 hours per week

With Paymate (or similar):

• Create quote: 2 minutes (from phone)
• Auto follow-up: 0 minutes (automatic reminders)
• Create invoice: 30 seconds (convert quote to invoice)
• Chase payments: 0 minutes (auto reminders)

Time saved: 5.5 hours = Almost a full extra billable day

Strategy 3: Pre-Stock Your Van

The problem:

• Start job
• Realize you're missing a part
• Drive to supplier (30 mins)
• Buy part
• Drive back (30 mins)
• Lost: 1 hour + disrupted workflow

What to Keep in Stock

For plumbers:

• Common tap washers
• Pipe fittings (15mm, 20mm)
• Copper pipe offcuts
• Silicone, plumber's putty
• Spare valves

• Wire (2.5mm, 1.5mm)
• Common switches and outlets
• Circuit breakers
• Wire connectors
• Electrical tape

• Nails, screws (common sizes)
• Sandpaper
• Wood glue
• Drop sheets
• Spare drill bits

Van Organization System

Time wasted searching for tools: 10-15 minutes per day = 1 hour/week

The fix:

1. Label everything - Drawer labels, bin labels
2. Tool shadow boards - Outline where each tool goes
3. Consistent placement - Same spot every time
4. Weekly van clean - Friday afternoon, restock and organize

Strategy 4: Send Quotes Same Day (Ideally On-Site)

The reality:

• Customer who gets quote first often wins the job
• 48-hour delay = 50% chance customer has already booked someone else

1. Site visit
2. Drive home
3. Write quote in Word
4. Email to customer (maybe next day)

1. Site visit
2. Create quote on phone (2 minutes)
3. Send before you leave driveway

Strategy 5: Stop Chasing Payments

How much time do you spend chasing late invoices?

Day 1: Send invoice
Day 10: Send reminder email (5 mins)
Day 15: Call customer (10 mins)
Day 20: Send final notice (5 mins)
Day 25: Call again (10 mins)

Per invoice: 30 minutes of chasing

If 30% of customers pay late (3 out of 10): 3 × 30 = 90 minutes/week

The solution: Automate it

Use software that:

• Sends automatic reminders (Day 5, Day 7, Day 10)
• Applies late fees automatically
• Lets customers pay online in one click

Payment speed: Faster (less friction for customers)

Strategy 6: Block "Deep Work" Time

The problem: Constant interruptions

8:00am - Start job
8:30am - Customer calls with quote question (15 mins)
9:00am - Supplier calls about order (10 mins)
10:00am - Wife calls (5 mins)
10:30am - Customer texts about different job (5 mins)

Result: 4 hours of work takes 5 hours (constant context switching)

The solution: "Do Not Disturb" blocks

During jobs (8am-5pm):

• Phone on silent
• Auto-reply: "On a job, will respond after 5pm"
• Check messages at lunch only

• Return all calls/messages
• Send quotes
• Schedule tomorrow's jobs

• Focused work = faster completion
• Customers still get replies (just batched)

Strategy 7: Use Templates for Everything

What to template:

1. Quote templates

• Hot water cylinder replacement
• Bathroom renovation
• Deck build
• (Your common jobs)

• Quote follow-up
• Appointment confirmation
• Invoice reminder
• Thank you for payment

• "On my way, 15 mins out"
• "Job complete, invoice sent"
• "Running 10 mins late, sorry"

Strategy 8: Say "No" to Low-Value Jobs

The trap: Saying yes to every job, even tiny ones.

Example:

• Quote: $150 (1 hour of work)
• Travel: 45 mins each way
• Quote prep: 15 mins
• Total time: 2.5 hours
• Hourly rate: $60/hour (terrible!)

Set a minimum:

"My minimum call-out is $250. For smaller jobs, I can refer you to [another tradie] who specializes in minor repairs."

Or add call-out fee:

"Small jobs: $95/hour + $75 call-out fee"

Result: Only take profitable jobs or make small jobs worth your time.

Strategy 9: Prep the Night Before

Morning chaos:

7:00am - Wake up
7:30am - Check job address
7:35am - Realize you need specific tool
7:40am - Hunt for tool
7:50am - Load van
8:00am - Realize you forgot materials list
8:05am - Finally leave (late)

Prepared approach:

Night before:
Review tomorrow's jobs
Load all tools/materials
Set GPS locations
Print/download plans if needed

Morning:
7:30am - Wake up
8:00am - Leave (on time, stress-free)

Time saved: 30 mins/morning = 2.5 hours/week

Strategy 10: Track Your Time (What Gets Measured Gets Improved)

Simple time tracking:

At the end of each day, write down:

• Job 1: 3 hours (billable)
• Travel: 1 hour (non-billable)
• Admin: 30 mins (non-billable)
• Materials pickup: 45 mins (non-billable)

• Billable hours: 28
• Non-billable hours: 12
• Efficiency: 70%

How to improve:

• Where did non-billable time go?
• What can be batched/eliminated/automated?

Real Example: How James Gained 8 Hours/Week

James - Electrician, Auckland

Before optimization:

• Working: 50 hours/week
• Billable: 25 hours
• Income: $2,500/week

1. Batched jobs by area (saved 3 hours/week driving)
2. Used Paymate for quotes/invoices (saved 5 hours/week admin)
3. Pre-stocked van with common parts (saved 2 hours/week on supply runs)
4. Set minimum job size $300 (stopped taking tiny jobs)

• Working: 45 hours/week (5 hours less!)
• Billable: 32 hours (7 more billable hours)
• Income: $3,400/week (+36% increase)

Summary: Your Time Management Action Plan

Week 1: Audit

• ✅ Track where your time goes for one week
• ✅ Identify biggest time-wasters

• ✅ Organize van (1 hour investment, saves 1 hour/week forever)
• ✅ Create email/text templates (30 mins investment)
• ✅ Set up auto-reminders for quotes/invoices

• ✅ Batch jobs by location
• ✅ Pre-plan weekly schedule Sunday night
• ✅ Set minimum job size

• ✅ Use quoting/invoicing software (Paymate or similar)
• ✅ Set "Do Not Disturb" hours
• ✅ Create quote templates for common jobs

• ✅ Review time tracking weekly
• ✅ Eliminate/automate one time-waster per month

Tools That Save Time

Recommended stack:

1. Paymate - Quotes, invoices, payment tracking (free)
2. Google Calendar - Job scheduling
3. Google Maps - Route planning, batch jobs by area
4. Xero/MYOB - Accounting (if you need full books)

Next Steps

Ready to stop wasting time and start earning more?

Start with the biggest time-saver: Automating quotes and invoices.

Try Paymate Free - Create Quotes in 2 Minutes →

Related Articles:

• How to Get Paid Faster: 10 Tips
• Pricing Strategy for NZ Tradies
• How to Write Professional Quotes