Time Management

Let’s talk about Time Management for Financial Advisors or what I like to call “Taking Charge Of Your Priorities” so here’s some things you might want to know about what allows our methodology to yield such transformational results.

I recall the time before my business transformation in 1999 when I worked more than 80 hours a week. I knew my clients weren’t getting the attention that they deserve and expected but my plate was always full and things were always falling off my plate onto the floor. By all industry measures I was a great success.

I had been the number one producer at my nationwide broker dealer firm for many, many years but everything else in my life was suffering including my family, my relationships and even my health and it’s no different from any Financial Advisors today.

They’re struggling with the same issue of overwhelm and lack of time. I dislike the term Time Management and I seldom if I ever use it because it misstates the problem. I only use the term Time Management in this piece because that’s what Financial Advisors are seeking help with this issue call it. Of course, we all know that whether you’re a billionaire or a business owner or a fry cook at McDonald’s, we’re all given the same value of hours each week to get everything done.

Why is it we look at some people who seemed to manage time so effortlessly while others seemed to scramble around and they seemed busy while constantly missing deadlines and disappointing nearly everyone?

There’s so many books and courses on Time Management and I thought I had tried everything until I stumbled upon a few simple strategies that brought the chaos to a stop. Most of the strategies taught to Financial Advisors are either hopelessly complicated which is never a good fit for fast moving business people who are so busy delivering on promises. They don’t need another set of complicated processes designed just to keep everything organized but the other problem with time Management systems designed for Financial Advisors is that they’re being taught by people who’ve never been a successful Financial Advisor themselves.

They haven’t actually walked in our shoes, they’re either management types or academic types you know teachers or gurus or whatever, but not actual Financial Advisors who’ve actually had to juggle these demands. It’s all in theory for them and you could tell when you try to implement their systems.

There are many useful tips here and there throughout this programs but who has the timed for all that?

If you’re anything like me you just want to know the top 1% of what really works so that you can get it into place and move on to the next dilemma. That’s what I’m going to do in just a minute. But just in case you’re a little dispirited know that there are effective Time Management strategies that work for Financial Advisors.

As a matter of fact, these subjective of high demand and we devote significant portions of our various training courses and Financial Advisor programs resolving this very problem.

We detail the three keys that I utilized as well as other tools and productivity shortcuts that I’ve discovered to successfully conquer this Time Management problem. I did find strategies and tactics allowing me to finally master the skill of honouring my commitments but to give you a specific example. I’m going to provide you with one of the most successful strategies right here. Let me share one of the very best strategies that really worked to help me tame my calendar.

Back in 1989, I read Steven Cover landmark book –The Seven Habits Of Highly Effective People. A book that many of us believed we’ll end up being one of the most influential business books of all-time and in that book call this habit number 3 of 7 is to put first things first.

After reading and implementing that one habit from the book my Time Management transformation began. That single strategy would have a profound and almost immediate positive impact but for years after reading that I just ignored it but then finally, 10 years later I went ahead and implemented what Dr. Covey described in that habit number 3.

And it was remarkable within weeks, not months my frenetic pace slowed down and I began getting all my important commitments done and before the dates promise for a change. After literally decades of a crazy amount of hours work per week averaging 80 hours with gusts over a 100 hours per week at a time. For the first time, my hours at week per work began to steadily drop simply by putting first things first.

Now, I could describe this strategy for you and I do in many of our programs and materials but why don’t you just listen to Dr. Steven Covey described the strategy in his own words?

Just below me you’ll find a 4 minute video posted by Franklin Covey where Dr. Covey describes the concept step by step himself to a woman in his audience that, he puts it in terms that anyone can use to immediately implement so while we can’t cover the entire topic of effective Time Management here. Rest assured there are strategies and productivity tools available that can specifically help Financial Advisors, and most Advisors intuitively know that improved Time Management will lead to a more prosperous and enjoyable business. As much as anyone, I understand how high the stakes are for most Financial Advisors. I mean, we’re coordinating people’s money, their accumulation of a lifetime and our clients own vision of their financial futures on the line.

For many clients they’re counting on us to get it right, to give them the best advice that we can master and help guide them along the path to achieving their lifelong financial objectives. Believe me when I say, I get it and if you’re anything like me you’re highly motivated to manage time as productively as you’re capable.

In The Mark Of Mastery™ we call this the “Critical Path” to getting more done. There is hope if you’re struggling with this problem and you can’t seem to get everything done there are effective strategies for Financial Advisors to gain control of your schedule to not only ensure you fulfill every commitment you make but to make it look effortless to your clients to everyone looking at you from outside.

If you’d like to invest more time understanding how to manage your priorities, you can do so by becoming a free member of The Mark Of Mastery™ community.

You’ll get full access to all the Financial Advisor resources available at no charge to members including the free course –The Only Game in Town™: Ten Game-Changing Strategies For Financial Advisors which includes an entire lesson about Time Management called “The Critical Path To Getting More Done”.

That lesson, along with the free workbook that’s provided will give you more ideas about how to master the Time Management problem once and for all.

My name’s Mark Little, and I welcome you to join us in The Mark Of Mastery™ community.