Have you ever been so engaged with an activity or project that when you look up, you see that many hours have passed without even realizing it? You have been in a flow state, and you’ve lost all track of time. The work was fulfilling, your focus was intense. The work itself was challenging, but not too hard. You could even describe it as “fun” most of the time.
I’ve had that experience on many occasions… whether strategically trimming trees, carefully spreading mulch between flowers, or even (especially) thinking about a new design for a client.
Now imagine that you look up to realize that not just hours have passed you by, but days, weeks, and months! That’s the general feeling we have here at Lakefront. As it does for so many landscape companies, it began sometime back in February. Plants are beginning to wake up from their winter sleep, and human beings are suddenly much more interested in getting to their outdoor projects. Then the phone calls and emails pour in.
We are in Autumn now. As the grass cutting slows down and the leaves begin to fall, the workload for some landscape companies tends to slow down a bit. There is a definite “off-season,” even though it is a short one here in Georgia. Since we do a lot of planting at Lakefront, and fall and winter are great times to plant (see the last blog post), our project calendar is as full as ever, for which we are extremely grateful.
One of the unfortunate downsides to having a super busy year is that we simply can’t help every customer that contacts us. We do our best, but there is always room for improvement in how we manage time and resources. If you have contacted us about work, all I can say is: thank you for your patience. Even though we may be gardening in a time warp, our customers are back in the real world, wondering what is taking us so long. I understand.
Lakefront has had an amazing 2019 so far. We’ve grown in our knowledge and approach. We’ve added some tremendously talented team members. And we have hiring plans for the coming months as well, so give us a call if you’re a landscape superstar.
Gardeners do what they do for many reasons. Yes, it is one way to pass the time, but the pleasure and satisfaction derived from a focused effort is one reason we are compelled to get out the door and put on the work gloves. We’ll continue to garden in a time warp, enjoying the moment, even if it is passing by too quickly.
Kyle Burgamy
Landscape Architect