Time is Money, Save Both With These 7 Tips

Whether you’ve been selling insurance for decades or are brand new to the field, being intentional with your agenda and taking a hard look at what you’re spending your time on can make you more successful. Then, follow these steps to see where you’re losing time:

1. Track your time. If you’re not already doing this, track your hours for a few weeks, ideally in 15-minute increments. Create a spreadsheet or grab a notebook and note everything you do in chronological order like this: New leads – 8:00 – 9:45 AM, Cross-selling – 9:45 – 11:00 AM, Break – 11:00 – 11:30 AM, etc. Or, you can make a list of categories and add a hash mark for every 15-minute increment you spend on it.
2. Craft your “Ideal Schedule”. In a perfect world, what would you get done? Don’t be afraid to think big and focus on things that would make your business run more effectively, like expanding your education, implementing new technology, or updating your marketing. Once you have a list, estimate how much time each task will take you to accomplish, and note whether it’s a one-time or ongoing task.
3. Prioritize your ideal list. Take a look at the list you just made and prioritize each item, thinking about what you can handle on your own and what you’ll need help with.
4. Compare & contrast. Now that you’ve been tracking your time for a while and you have a carefully prioritized wish list, look for discrepancies. For instance, if you see that cross-selling has been profitable and doesn’t take much time, but you don’t currently do it very often, flag that. If you saw an influx of new customers after your last ad campaign, but that was two years ago, it may be time to prioritize another campaign.
5. Create a new agenda with mandatory tasks. Start by looking at your mandatory ongoing tasks, or things you do frequently like calling new leads, and set up a repeating appointment to do each task at a frequency that makes sense to you (daily, weekly, etc.). Do this with each mandatory task – this ensures you’re giving yourself enough time to do the things that make you successful. Also, include a regular chunk of “Admin/Flex Time” to handle any unknowns that may pop up.
6. Add in infrequent or one-time projects. After you have the essentials added in, look for spaces of time where you can begin tackling items on your ideal list. Break each bigger project into smaller tasks that you can handle one at a time. Be realistic and generous with the amount of time you schedule – projects can often take longer than you originally anticipated.
7. Evaluate. Now that you have your mandatory tasks and ideal projects combined, take a look at your schedule. Is it manageable? Are there things you can move around to make it more realistic? Are you taking on too much? Sometimes, this exercise can highlight the need for more team members or freelancers to help lighten your load.

A well-organized schedule provides direction and keeps you focused on the tasks that make your company successful!