Time Management Strategies You Can Implement Now, Ep # 11

The Agile Financial Planner - A podcast by Roger Whitney

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Business

Of course, you want the practice of your dreams, but you already have a full day working as a financial planner. How will you ever find the time to create the practice that you really want? Even though you feel way too busy, are you really that busy? Or are you doing all the wrong things with your time? I challenge you to examine how you use your time. On this episode, I’ll share my own time management strategies. You’ll learn how to create an environment where you can focus on building the financial practice that you really want. 

Outline of This Episode

  • [2:22] What are the demands on your attention?
  • [6:15] Time management strategies I use
  • [14:10] Tips to help manage your time

How do you use your time?

Do you have an attention crisis? Seth Godin says you do. Even though all of us are given the same amount of time each day, some people do much more with it than others. If you want to create the financial practice of your dreams you’ll need to learn how to use the time you have to your advantage. Discover how to cut down on all the distractions that are constantly vying for your attention. Learn how to focus on what really needs your attention, and how to make time to plan your future. 

Time is your most precious resource

Let’s talk about time. As financial planners, we are usually more concerned with money than time. Time is the most precious resource we have. The supply always stays the same, you can’t rent it and you can’t buy it, time is inelastic. Even though many of us say that our time is precious, we don’t act like it. If you want to build an amazing financial practice, you’ll need to focus on managing your time. 

There are 2 categories of time. You are either spending it or passing it. We all pass time by doing things like watching TV, surfing the internet, or scrolling social media. There are ways to set yourself up to spend time intentionally and stop the distractions. Learn how to cut out distractions and set yourself up to spend time intentionally on this episode of Financial Planner Freedom. 

I cut out distractions in my workday by using these time management strategies

  1. When I first started getting serious about using my time wisely I turned the desk around in my office. That way people would see the back of my head rather than my face when they passed by. This made it a bit more challenging to pop in and say hi. It drastically reduced the random conversations and allowed me to stay focused on my tasks.
  2. I turned off the ringer and stopped answering my phone. All calls went to voicemail or email. I could then call people back at my convenience.
  3. If I received unsolicited emails and phone calls, I stopped replying to them. 
  4. I took a 3-year hiatus on industry conferences. I wanted to get away from the group-think mentality. 
  5. I stopped reading financial media. You’ll have to listen in to discover why I didn’t miss out on much information. 
  6. I permanently deleted my Facebook account. 

Tips to help you focus and spend your time wisely

  1. Set your own rules. Don’t design your practice on what someone else thinks you should be doing. This is your practice, these are your rules. 
  2. Try the Freedom App on your computer. With this fantastic tool, you can schedule when you are allowed to interact in distracting behavior. The app will block the websites that you choose when you decide that you should be working on other tasks. 
  3. Time blocking is a great way to schedule your time. I plan a free day, a buffer day, and a focus day. Find out what I do on these days by listening in. You’ll also hear how you can time block more specific tasks. 
  4. I’ve recently started batching. I now batch when I do client work, record podcasts, outline shows, client reviews, and send client email. This has taken my time management to a new level. 
  5. I use Michael Hyatt’s Full Focus Planner as my playbook for each day. 

I’m not perfect at time management, life still intercedes. But by using these tools and time management strategies, I can set myself up for success. By always considering that my time is limited I am able to improve my time management muscles and get better about how I use my time. 

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