10 time-management tips for a productive 2024

As the new year starts, many people resolve to manage their time better so they can improve productivity and achieve a higher level of success. We asked a couple of high-performing advisors to share their tips to help advisors manage their time, reduce stress, and increase efficiency.

When asked for time-management tips, MDRT member David Appel, with Appel Insurance Advisors LLC, had five key reommendations:

1. Make sure there is designated “work time” and “non-work” time and try not to commingle those two different times.

2. Block the time on your calendar when you are working and holding meetings and block the time when you are not. For instance, he said, “I have a “no-client” meeting policy before 1p.m. on Mondays, and nothing after 2 p.m. on Fridays, and we only stray from that under very particular circumstances.”

3. Ensure you have some time in your schedule for meeting preparation so that you are well prepared and are not scrambling to prepare prior to the meeting. “This can reduce a ton of stress when you are prepared for your meetings days or weeks in advance,” he said.

4. For Appel, Monday is “staff day,” with meetings set at 9 a.m., 10:30. a.m., 11a.m. and 12 noon. On Friday afternoons after 2 p.m., he just does not want to be stressed running around or sitting in traffic. “A Friday lunch meeting is the last meeting I will take that day,” he pointed out. Typically, his client and advisor meetings fall on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays.

5. Appel also pointed out the importance of focusing on specific tasks. When you are at work, at the office, or you are in your mind “working”, he said that you should focus on that alone and nothing else. “It’s amazing if you can focus on a 3-to-4-hour block of time. This can be equivalent to an entire day that isn’t focused.”

The need to identify time-wasters

An important time-management idea from Robert Arzt, founder and president of Polaris One and InsuranceCoachU.com, is for advisors to first identify what actions and activities are wasting their time.

6. “Discover all of your time-wasting activities and what gets in the way of your being organized,” he said. “For each timewaster, you can create an action plan to either eliminate it or reduce its impact.”

In your quest to manage your time more effectively, Arzt said that you should also:

7. Define your workflow. You should determine all of your necessary activities each week and allocate the ideal amount of time it takes to accomplish each task.
8. Create the perfect week. In performing this task, you should physically block off time on your calendar each week to accomplish each activity you identified, along with the amount of time you think is necessary to complete each activity.
9. Build reserves. Build into your schedule fail-safe time. For example, Arzt explained, you should block off every Friday afternoon as reserve time. “You can use this time to catch up on excess work or uncompleted tasks,” he explained. “If you’re totally caught up, you can head home early or reward yourself with something that gives you pleasure.”
10. Take part in laser planning. You should also set aside time every day to review today and plan for tomorrow.

Arzt pointed out that William James once said: “Nothing is as fatiguing as the continued hanging on of an uncompleted task.”

“Now is the time to get organized,” Arzt added. “Begin by scheduling an appointment with yourself to write down the steps you will take to conquer your organization and time-control issues.”

Ayo Mseka has more than 30 years of experience reporting on the financial services industry. She formerly served as editor-in-chief of NAIFA’s Advisor Today magazine. Contact her at amseka@INNfeedback.com. 

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