Saying Goodbye to Stacks of Paper and Distractions

A daily journal will save you time, reduce stress and make you more productive.

Several months ago, I visited the office of a million dollar producer. I was shocked to find that although he was in charge of an extremely successful practice, his office looked like it had been hit by a tornado. His desk was covered with client statements, yellow note pads, phone messages, post it notes, and two calendar books. In fact, every flat surface in his office was covered with stacks of paper and files.

He loved activity, but couldn't keep track of his commitments and information because he was drowning in paper. Happily, I offered him a solution to his problem.

Handing him a wire bound notebook, I said, "From now on, this is your daily journal. Each day, I want you to record all the commitments you make, your client discussions, ideas, meeting notes, and names and phone numbers. Anything you write down during the day that's not on a form will go into this book."

I explained to him that he should start a new page every day, date it and use it for all his notes. The following day he'd start a new page, allowing him to keep all his notes and lists in one place in chronological order.

"No more notes on the back of business cards or phone messages," I told him. "No more legal pads or scraps of paper. No more floating paper ? period!"

A few weeks later, this successful advisor told me that my suggestion made a huge difference in his daily productivity. He said he felt more in control, less frustrated trying to find important information, and less distracted now that there was no longer paper cluttering his desk. He asked me for more ideas that would bring "sanity" to his day. He said there's just never enough time in the day to get everything done. I told him that he just identified his problem ? he thinks he should do everything.

The solution to fitting 12 hours of work into an 8 or 10-hour day is not working harder, or faster, or starting earlier and ending later. I told him that he could do almost anything in his day but not everything. Thousands of advisors face this same challenge. Are you one of them?

A Game Plan Will Save Your Day

Like a professional athlete you need a game plan, otherwise you'll lose your day to distractions and urgencies; you'll run from one activity to another, always busy, always in motion. Starting your day without a game plan puts the other team in control and you play their game as the events in your day pull you helplessly along. You'll be busy, but not productive; motion without direction won't win the game. It's not about "doing things right", it's about "doing the right things right."

Here are a few simple steps to take to win your game everyday.

? Begin a list each day of important tasks not completed from the day before.

? Add tasks to this list that are driven by the commitments you made to others that you recorded in your journal on the previous day.

? Add any tasks that will prepare you for meetings and appointments for the day and a few days ahead.

? As a last step, prioritize this list designating the "must do today" items with the letter A, the "should do's" with the letter B, and the "could do's" with a C.

In less than 15 minutes you'll have your game plan done. Now run the winning plays first, the ones with the letter A.

A Game Plan is a Critical Success Factor

You're in the business of delivering service and advice. To inspire loyalty and trust in your clients you must keep your commitments to them. This means staying on top of the commitments you make everyday. Just 15 minutes a day of building your game plan for the day will put you in charge and give you control. Legendary football coach Bear Bryant said, "It's not the will to win that counts as much as the will to prepare to win." Win each day by preparing a game plan to win each day.

If you would like to receive an in-depth tutorial on the daily Game Plan process, send me an email with the subject line "Game Plan".

Bob Lodie is a speaker, business strategy coach and consultant to financial advisors. He is author of Three Steps to Million Dollar Production and Personal Success from the Inside Out. He can be reached bob@boblodie.com or direct at 310-552-6064

---

Getting Organized For The New Year - Part 2

In part 1, we discussed a system you could use... Read More

Memorabilia -- Use It or Lose It!

What do you do with those special items that have... Read More

Creative Storage Solutions

When the things in your home start crowding in around... Read More

Give Up Control to Get Control

For some reason, Americans think they have something to prove... Read More

Letting Go Of Your Excuses

At this point, you have probably run across some belongings... Read More

Everything Fits Together Perfectly!

Here's a little lesson I experienced while packing boxes for... Read More

Six ADD Tips for Organizing Everyday Things

Life with ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder) can be a constant... Read More

25 Tips and Tricks for an Organized Move

Worried because you're moving soon? This really doesn't have to... Read More

Basic Organizing Principles

So you've decided to get organized, but you just don't... Read More

Family Management Tip #2: Choosing the Right Organizer for Your Family

What method do you currently use to organize your family?... Read More

50 Ideas to Organize Your Home

"Organize" is a familiar word heard on many of today's... Read More

Does Your Storage Make Sense?

What do your storage spaces look like? Do you know... Read More

Thinking Outside the Box

Much of my time as a Professional Organizer is spent... Read More

Home Organizing Tips & Gizmos

Staying organized can be a constant battle. The following organizing... Read More

Choose Spice Racks That Help You Organize Your Home

Today you have almost as many choices of spice racks... Read More

Clutters Side Effects: How the State of Your Home Affects Your Life

Each area of your home has a symbolic meaning with... Read More

Clutter is Postponed Decisions?

Do you ever sit down at your desk buried in... Read More

Simplify Your Life! No Really...Simplify Your Life!

We hear it every day."Buy this product, and simplify your... Read More

Getting Organized For The New Year - Part 1

The following procedures will insure an organized and well run... Read More

The Clutter Campaign - Design Your Vision

I like a room you can dance in the middle... Read More

Organized Living in a Disorganized World

We are bombarded with so many factors that perpetuate disorganization.... Read More

Organized Living-Secrets About Your Lifes Hidden Power Revealed

An organized living lifestyle can cause you to weed out... Read More

Addiction to Clutter

Clutter is a big problem for many people. At a... Read More

10 Simple Ways to Clear Clutter from Your Home and Office

There is nothing worse then spending ten minutes looking for... Read More

10 Tips for a More Organized Morning

1. Teach your children to use an alarm clock or... Read More

5 Easy Tips on Light that You Can Use to Improve Your Day

Light, Work, and YouWinter is here-and with it, short days,... Read More

Do You Have A To-Do list?

I have a huge white board in my home office,... Read More

Are You A Collector?

Collections are the outward manifestation of a deeply-felt principle or... Read More

Heres A Great Way To Organize Your Work From Home Office Virtually

How to do keep track of all you have to... Read More

What Clutter Clearing Can Do For You

You can get a pretty good idea of the benefits... Read More

Lightening The Load

When I tell people what a FREEING experience moving is,... Read More

How Can I Deal With It All?

Are you feeling overwhelmed? Have a to-do list a mile... Read More

Four Easy Steps to An Organized Closet

The National Association of Professional Organizers has dedicated January to... Read More