Finding it hard to focus?

Director of Hunter Galloway, Nathan Vecchio, started broking in 2015 and using the techniques from Joshua's Top Broker Handbook, is writing big numbers, leading to Vow Financial naming him Broker Partner of the Year Rising Star in 2016.

Between the phone ringing, emails blasting, people talking around the office and all else that follows, it can be hard to get into a distraction-free environment.

When distraction hits and procrastination is at an all-time high, going through 65 emails in the morning doesn’t seem like a great option and Facebook never looked so good. But there are a few things I do to get my motivation back in check.

Set time for technology – Bach tasks

If sorting out paperwork for settlements is what you’ve got to do, it’s time to set yourself apart from technology for a couple of hours. I’ve spoken about my regimented day as a broker and how I set apart my morning, midday and afternoon. The key is to bach tasks together so that you can get more done, more efficiently.

A few things to consider are setting aside the following:

• Emails
  Schedule time to check your emails and do this during low productivity times. I try to respond to emails late in the afternoon when my energy has started to decrease. I’ll respond to the urgent emails in the morning, but save the unimportant ones for later in the day.

• Social media
  Don’t leave social media websites open in your browser and turn off push notifications on your phone, so that you’re not constantly being updated about what other people are doing. This is nothing but distracting and takes your focus away from what’s important.

• In the office
  Wear noise-cancelling headphones so that you can get stuck into work. If you’re in a busy atmosphere, this will help you to focus and not get distracted by talking and noise in the background. This one makes a huge difference!

• To do list
  Set a to-do list and focus on your three most important tasks for the day. Remember what motivates you, try to get enough sleep and make sure you’re hydrated. Hydration and eating well are the key to being able to charge through the day and have fewer slumps.

Meetings
Get your clients to prequalify before you meet with them so that you don’t end up in meetings that aren’t meant for you. Go into each meeting with an agenda that you’ve set in advance and stick to the start and end times. If you really struggle with time management, set an alarm on your phone to go off as a reminder when the meeting needs to end.
Visitors

I try to get my clients to refrain from ‘just dropping in’ as this is one of the biggest time wasters. Make it known to people that you don’t take walk in’s and that they need to prearrange a meeting before they drop in. This can be communicated through emails, on your door, on your website or via social media too. This doesn’t work for all businesses though, however if you can implement it, it makes a huge difference.

Use a weekly planner
My weekly planner is important for ensuring that my day unfolds as planned and I get everything done. The weekly planner is a visual way to be able to see what I’m up to and where I need to be. I have a weekly, monthly and 90-day plan I follow which helps me keep on task.

Time management is important when it comes down to organising your day and having ways to stay focused. We’re all only human and some days you’ll find might be a complete write-off, so it’s important to stay grounded and on these days not to beat yourself up about it. But for the most part, use these strategies to stay on top of your game as a broker.

PS: I’m going to be taking over here at Top Broker for a little bit while Joshua focuses on a few big and exciting projects we are looking forward to bring you in the next few weeks. A quick background, I started broking in 2015 and using the techniques Joshua has given in the Top Broker Handbook I have grown my business in a very short time to writing some big numbers, and was fortunate enough to be awarded Broker Partner of the Year Rising Star in 2016.