Blogs (11)
Shares (1)

In today's fast-paced, constantly connected world, it’s easy to get exhausted in a short period of time. Think about it: When your production is down, what’s usually your first reaction? For most of us, it’s to work more hours with the intention of closing the gap, right?

Unfortunately, this approach often has the opposite effect for most advisors.

Your success is less about the total hours logged out in the field, and more about what you are doing during your peak hours. Your peak hours are those times of the day that your mind and body are in their most focused and energetic state. The real issue is often not how we manage our time, because we all get the same numbers of hours per day. It’s how we manage our energy that counts.

Most likely, you are in far better shape to sell when your body is in its peak state. You’ve gotten the right amount of sleep. You’ve taken a break or two throughout the day to recharge. You’ve rested and refueled so when you're in the field selling, you’re at peak performance.

Just stop and reflect for a moment on your biggest producing weeks or most effective meetings with your most satisfied clients. If you are like me, you will find that it happened when you were bursting with energy; happy, excited, optimistic, confident and connected to your clients. You were passionate about your products, and everything seemed to fall into place perfectly.

With that in mind, here are my tips for managing your energy throughout the day:

• Focus on your most important tasks first. Identify those few “big rocks” you most need to complete today, and build your day around them.


• Schedule your time in 30 to 90 minute chunks. Break your day down, and assign your “big rocks” to specific time chunks, with emphasis on your peak hours.


• Take breaks periodically throughout the day to clear your mind and recharge your batteries.


• Get eight hours of sleep. It’s more important than eating.


• Stay clear of energy vampires. These are the people that are always in crisis, always complaining and always sucking the energy out of you.


• Exercise regularly. Make time to maintain your body. It’s the only one you get.


• Schedule time to check your email just a few times a day. Don’t let email, or anything else for that matter, take control of your day.


• Don't waste time worrying. Recent studies have shown worrying is the top thief of our energy. (Worrying is exhausting and usually pointless.)