Howie Bartz is the president and founder of Meditech, a medical service company that seeks to provide both quality products and services. Since its creation in 2007, Howie Bartz has continued to develop and transform the company.

Meditech supplies durable medical equipment like braces and conductive garments, compound pharmaceuticals, physical therapy systems, and urine site collection. Howie Bartz uses both his business skills and his scientific knowledge to develop products. He also created the Bartz Bracing Systems, a product line of specially designed back, knee, and neck braces, as well as TENS units.

Howie Bartz earned his bachelor of science in physical therapy from Daemen College, graduating summa cum laude. After graduation, Howie Bartz worked as a physical therapist for five years in two outpatient centers that he owned and operated. He then worked as an account manager for RS Medical from 2000 to 2007, where he was in charge of the sales and management of durable medical equipment.

Aside from physical therapy and his work with Meditech, Bartz is interested in stock and option trading, having completed both live and online coursework in these fields. In his spare time, he engages in theater, surfing, golf, travel, snowboarding, and tennis.

We interviewed Howie Bartz who shared his insights into how he keeps a work-life balance and the keys to managing his workflow effectively.

How do you prioritize your work?

First I like to distinguish what work needs to be done during workday hours and what items can be done anytime and prioritize accordingly.

Next, I look at deadlines and make sure I’m scheduling time to meet any deadlines.

I also like to look at a weekly snapshot of what I have scheduled to make sure all aspects of the business are being addressed in the upcoming week.

How do you find a work-life balance? How do you like to spend your free time?

Finding a work-life balance is always evolving.

I started my business 15 years ago when I didn’t have a family to take care of and come home to. After having our daughter my priorities changed and I created a work schedule that allowed me to spend as much time as I could raising her.

Now that she is in school full-time, I have taken on more of a business role and can spend more time on my endeavors. In my free time, I like to also create a balance of “family time” and “Howie time”. Family time is often spent at playgrounds, swimming, and traveling. Howie time is usually spent walking on a golf course. It’s a great way to get exercise and see friends. Plus, I find it very mentally and physically challenging.

Can you share your personal approach to managing an effective balance between life and work?

I like to prepare and schedule my week ahead of time so that I have balance and time scheduled for all the important aspects of my life.

For me, the important aspects are family, daughter, wife, business, and self. I pay particular attention to spending one on one time with my wife and daughter along with time with the whole family.

I like to use a calendar that lets me color code each and see the weekly ‘big picture”. Most people will schedule meeting and work deadlines but not the most important things like quality time with family.

How do you manage your workflow effectively?

I manage my workflow with 5 steps:

Get organized
Tackle difficult tasks first
Delegate tasks
Schedule each day efficiently, leaving time for breaks
Use a workflow management tool like Slack to keep everything in order

What are some of the keys to effective decision-making?

First, you need to look at and explore all the possible outcomes from the best to the worst. Next, you should assess the risks and rewards for each of those outcomes. Then, assess the resources required. Finally, assess how the decision will impact your customers, employees, and yourself.

Thanks again to Howie Bartz for sharing his time and insight!