I spent a lot of time in Punxsutawney with my grandmother (Grace) over the years. So I’m a big fan of the movie, Groundhog Day.
In one scene, Phil Connors (Bill Murray) says…
“You want a prediction about the weather? You’re asking the wrong Phil. I’m going to give you a prediction about this winter? It’s going to be cold, it’s going to be dark and it’s going to last you for the rest of your lives!”
He’s miserable.
The problem…Phil (not the groundhog) is forced to live the same day over and over again. And it’s NOT a day worth repeating.
Phil is not alone.
Overwhelmed. Burned-out. Exhausted.
All common descriptions I hear about financial advisors today. Too many advisors are living the same day over and over again.
Why?
A big culprit is trying to do too many things at the same time. I call it trying to wear the badge of the “multi-tasking master”.
It is NOT a badge of honor.
It is a badge of INSANITY.
Studies tell us projects take 40% longer when they are not given your full attention. In hour terms…that means an 8-hour workday could take more than 11 hours.
A 40 hour work week might require 2 extra days.
What if you’re already putting in more than 8 hours a day? No need to wonder what’s happening to evenings and weekends.
It’s time to ditch the stress.
How?
Eliminate. Delegate. Automate. Prioritize.
I consistently work with advisors who get hours back in their weeks because we find bad habits to eliminate from their daily routines. The way you choose to handle email, incoming phone calls, texts, social media and the buzzes and beeps from your smartphone absolutely matters.
Eliminating the trivial becomes liberating.
Thinking “it” will only get done (or done right) if you do it yourself is self-defeating. You end up doing $10 dollar an hour work when you’re actually worth 100 times that amount.
Delegating places you in a position of strength.
Doing the same things over and over again because you don’t take the time to create automated processes sucks the life out of you. Which routines that you choose to repeat frequently could be put on autopilot?
Automation opens opportunities for growth.
And once you’ve eliminated, delegated and automated, your to-do list shrinks to a manageable level. You end up prioritizing the stuff that really matters. You operate in a zone of peak performance.
Prioritization actually becomes a reward
Please give me some feedback. Does this make sense?
Are you fighting battles with overwhelm…burnout…exhaustion? Do you feel like you’re living the same day over and over again? Or do you have some daily rituals that keep you on track?
Either way, send email with “Punxsutawney” in the subject line and tell me about it.
Tell me what’s holding you back.
Tell me what’s working.
I’ll personally reply with ideas and suggestions. And I promise to write another post with the most important things I learn.