Do you ever feel overwhelmed by all the little things that you have to get done for clients, prospective clients, team members, and friends?
Stephen Covey often referred to this as being in the “thick of thin of things.”
While many advisors will have clearly defined goals and objectives, each day gets filled with “little” requests. One request by itself seems small – five minutes here, 15 minutes there. Usually it’s something that “won’t take long.” But each “little” item, when taken in aggregate, can take up all the time in the day. As a result, your productivity can die the proverbial “death by 1,000 cuts.”
Perhaps you’ve experienced similar things:
The challenge is that these topics are important. That friend could turn out to be a client. The exception client should be served with excellence. You do want to be helpful to your colleague. But on a relative basis, they are not as important as other activities (such as advising a client through a major life-changing event, in the way only you can).
Covey recommended using “time-blocking” where you plan your day (or week) by scheduling time for the “big rocks” (the most important things). All the smaller items could then be worked on in-between the big rocks.
Reverse time-blocking is where you set aside time to work on the smaller but important items and you decide that is the only time that you will work on them.
For example, you could set aside two hours every other Friday morning where you make yourself available for “pro bono” type work. If someone wants to get your advice on something, schedule time in the next available slot.
Similarly, you could decide to work on non-time-sensitive requests from lower-tier clients only on Wednesday afternoons. As long as you appropriately manage expectations with the client, you can wait to work on the item and keep your time free to do what has the most impact for your clients and for your practice.
We all get the same amount of hours each week; it’s up to you to decide how best to use them. Reverse time-blocking may help you make the most of your time.
Brought to you by Pathfinder Coaching & Consulting, https://pathfinderadvisor.com/.
The representations and opinions herein are the opinions and view of Pathfinder Coaching & Consulting and are not the opinions or views of EQIS. The information is believed to be reliable but is neither guaranteed by EQIS nor any of its affiliates. EQIS and Pathfinder Coaching & Consulting are not affiliated. EQIS is not responsible for the content or availability of the third-party websites made available.
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