Sorry to hear that the ideas didn't catch on.
I think that one of the reasons they caught on with my players is that the mats and cards were a fait accompli. When the players walked in, everything was pre-done for them. Of course, it took me an hour ahead of time, doing up cards and mats for everybody, but I'm happy I did.
As for people sitting and doing the math again and again each turn, yet balking at the idea of doing it all at once at the beginning of the day ... sadly, that's just part of human nature.
My wife worked as a Six Sigma specialist (a Master Black Belt for those in the know) so she basically worked with streamlining processes and procedures which sometimes people had been doing the same way for decades without re-examining them. She would run into that mindset each and every day. You can even explain to people, showing them on a stopwatch, that they've spent 3 or 4 times more the actual time necessary, over and over, doing the process over and over again during the day, but they'll simply argue that having it spread out over the day makes it *seem* less like a chore.
... and then they'll do it again for the next work day, and the next (or the next gaming session, and the next ...)
My only advice?
Try doing it for them, ahead of time. Present them with everything all filled out. Then put the character sheets away (another big thing is to remove the temptation to fiddle). Sure, it is more work for you, but it might sell the point, and make things go more smoothly.
And once they're sold, then they're willing to do it for themselves when they level up, and the numbers change.