Thanks to COVID, most of our routines have changed. Those moments when we could stop, think and evaluate have been modified. As a personal example, I do my best thinking in the car and my best writing on planes. Not sure why, but these are the two places where ideas tend to “click.” Take a moment to think about where and when you do your best thinking. Has that routine been altered in any way over the past year, and if so, how can you reclaim it?
Setting Aside Thinking Time
As a retirement plan advisor, you are probably also a business owner. That means you’re responsible for profit, loss, sales, marketing, corporate leases, regulatory updates, staffing, new ideas and much more. And when faced with running a business, most topics require deep thinking to find a worthy solution. Examine your new normal and try to find space to set aside for thinking about business growth strategies.
Find Your Quiet Place
We have a client with three kids who works from his home office, and there is never a quiet moment. Being proactive, he takes one day per month and books a co-working office space. This is his reserved time. He jokes that he gets more accomplished in this one day than in the whole rest of the month.
Another client still goes into the office; however, every Thursday he works from home until noon. This is his thinking time. He doesn’t turn on emails, his phone is stored away, and he treats this time as sacred.
Read more commentary by Rebecca Hourihan here.
Why is Thinking Time Important?
Thinking time can be used to complete any business activity. The goal is to help you visualize your business in the future and identify steps you can take proactively to get there.
Much of last year, everyone was adjusting and trying to figure it all out. Now that some of the chaos has settled, it’s time to resume our business growth strategies and think through any hurdles needed to get to the next level of your retirement plan business success.
Thanks for reading and Happy Marketing!
Rebecca Hourihan, AIF, PPC, is the founder and CMO of 401(k) Marketing, which she founded to assist qualified experts operate a professional business with professional marketing materials and ongoing awareness campaigns.
