Work Less and Accomplish More.. How? Do Only The Things Which Only You Can Do

My Way Or The Highway Is Not The Road To Success

There aren’t enough hours in the day. I can’t get it all done without working more and more. I have never liked delegating. If you want something done right, do it yourself. I want things done my way.

Have you ever made any of these statements? I know I have. Although you have become successful, do you wonder how you ended up working more hours than you did as a rookie, even if you’re working from home?

Allow Your Team To Do Work You Once Performed

If you are a tenured Financial Advisor, you most likely have a team. To grow your business and provide gold standard service to your clients, you must let go of work you once did which others can perform. Do you need to talk to a client who doesn’t meet your threshold unless there is more on the way?

Let Go Of Work Others Can Do

If you are a tenured Financial Advisor with a competent team who can handle all but the top clients, you must give up work you did before. You must focus on:

• serving the top clients
• managing your team

Unfortunately, when we change roles, we will often continue to do the job we know the best which is what we had been doing. But that is exactly what you don’t want to do.

Working All The Time Makes You Less Productive, Not More Productive

Working all the time doesn’t make you more productive; it makes you less productive. According to numerous studies, including one recently reported by the BBC, cognitive performance begins to fall off after six hours. That is, your ability to be sharp, focused, and to think starts declining.

Do Only Those Things Which Only You Can Do       

The hours you work are not a measure of success. The money you make and the satisfaction you get from helping people with their money are measures of success. Keep your eyes on the prize. I’ve given this advice to many tenured Financial Advisors and managers in financial services. It isn’t the result of a brainstorm I had from being hit by lightning; it’s something I learned over the years when observing highly successful Financial Advisors and financial services executives. 

How Do You Implement This?

You don’t do it all at once. Prepare a spreadsheet and keep track of your hours by time. Then, note what you did in those hours. It isn’t as easy as it looks because you can get distracted and say the heck with it. You’re too busy to do this. But that’s the point. If you can’t make time for this, then you can’t move forward, so stick with it for two weeks.

Review What You Spent Your Time Doing

Ask yourself, “did I need to do everything I did?” Explain a confirm? Answer dozens of emails? Do you have a reason for the ones you answered? 

Don’t Allow Clients To Set Your Schedule

Every day you receive texts, emails, phone calls which by their nature seem demanding. But just because people can use different methods to reach you, don’t give into the trap of responding immediately. If so, you are allowing clients to set your schedule. If it’s a market order, your team members an take care of that.

Decide What Is More Important?

It stands to reason that one of the most important avenues you can pursue is spending time with your most important clients, endeavoring to get their family and friends as clients. It is hardly the best use of your time to answer emails/texts/voicemails from every client, large or small, wholesalers, and your marketing department. 80% of these communications are low-level and don’t require your attention.

Focus more on key clients and issues. Work less. An exhausted Financial Advisor isn’t a big help to anyone including you.

Contributing Writer: Subject Matter Expert Charles McCain

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