Hit 500 haircuts this month and it messed with my head a bit

I do barbering full time in a small shop in Nashville, and I finally hit 500 haircuts in a single month for the first time. To be honest I didn't think my hands could keep up that pace without messing up someone's fade. I started tracking my numbers back in March just to see where my slow days were. Turns out I was booking too many 30 minute slots when I really needed 45 for most clients. Now I block out an extra 15 minutes between appointments and my shoulders don't ache as bad. Anyone else ever track their monthly count and get surprised by the real number?

2 comments

2 Comments

riverk821d ago

Yo the part about "my shoulders don't ache as bad" really hit me. I used to think tracking numbers was just overthinking stuff and you should just go with the flow. But I gotta admit you totally changed my mind on that. Seeing the actual hard data on where your time goes is huge, especially when your body is the one paying for bad scheduling. That extra 15 minutes between cuts probably saves you from burning out way faster than trying to cram more people in. I bet most barbers dont realize how much theyre wrecking their wrists and backs until they actually look at the numbers. Respect for figuring that out before you did real damage.

bailey.sandra21h ago

My buddy runs a shop down on 5th and he tracks everything down to how many sprays of disinfectant he uses per chair, still complains about his shoulder every single day. Numbers only help so much if you're still doing the same repetitive motions for 8 hours straight. The 15 minute gap thing works for some people, but I know plenty of barbers who cram back to back and have been fine for years, just depends on the person. Kinda feels like people overthink this stuff sometimes, it's just cutting hair not brain surgery.