I’m sure you’ve heard the expression ‘work smarter, not harder’ a thousand times. It’s a great strategy, but what does it really mean? Working smarter is about getting more done in less time, with less effort. It has nothing to do with laziness, though. It’s about finding new, more efficient ways to grow a sustainable, successful business. So, how do we make the most of our time? Here are some of the best ideas for LOs to begin working smarter:
Avoid Being Busy
Being busy is often an indicator that you’re not working as ‘smart’ as you could be. When you have a demanding job, it’s very easy to link ‘busy’ with getting things done. However, feeling busy frequently slows you down. When you’re racing from one meeting to the next, feeling disorganized, with not enough time in the day, there’s no way you can be working at your best. Instead of seeing busy as the natural response to a full day, see if you can reframe and start seeing busy as a red flag. When this type of energy appears, it’s usually a sign that we need to slow down, introduce some productivity strategies, trim back to the essentials, and create some space.
Find New Ways to Simplify
When professionals grow in their careers, they tend to find their workloads increasing. If you want to be able to sustain and continue your growth, you need to be able to determine what doesn’t need to be on your plate. This is where automation and delegation become important. Try to get into the habit of regularly skimming your to-do list for things that you don’t really need to do yourself. If you’re writing a brand-new email for every prospect, it’s probably time to create some templates that you can customize. If you’re posting every day to social media, consider using a CRM that automates the process. You may also be able to delegate some aspects of your work as well. Automation and delegation can be powerful tools if we utilize them fully.
Manage Your Schedule
As I touched on before, being busy is not working smarter. The key to avoiding the busy trap is to maintain a manageable schedule. This means carving out time for yourself between tasks, setting boundaries between work and your personal life, and knowing when to say no to additional requests for your time. “No” is a very powerful word, but it’s not always a bad word. The ability to say no when someone asks for your time can be difficult, but if what they’re asking does not fit in your agenda/schedule for the day you’re doing that person a disservice by saying yes to a task you will inevitably not dedicate enough time to.
Value Your Rest
Though it may seem counterintuitive when you’re trying to get more accomplished, making time to rest and recharge is a smart strategy. From having a few short breaks throughout the day to getting to bed at a reasonable hour, making adequate rest a priority better prepares you to work smarter. You need to be functioning at your best to be productive and efficient. As loan officers, we often forget we are allowed time for ourselves and our family. The constant connection we have in today’s day and age exacerbates that problem. Blocking time away from work and technology is a part of a responsible work hybrid lifestyle.
Never Stop Learning
New ways to work smarter appear all the time. The good news is with today’s technology it’s easier than ever to constantly learn. Blogs, podcasts, audio books, and streaming information are easy ways to stay informed with very little time or effort invested. When you regularly follow industry trends and professional blogs, you’ll stay current on the new tools and methods available to you in the mortgage industry. Also, learning keeps the brain active. Though you might be doing similar work day-to-day, when you regularly learn new things, you encourage your brain to stay sharp.
Would you rather work harder or work smarter? As loan officers the choice is both. We will always have to outwork our competition, but if we don’t reassess the ways we operate and look for strategies to improve, we are only choosing to work harder. On the other hand, if we work to incorporate new methods that streamline our schedules and free up our time, we can get those same work-hard results with a small fraction of the time and energy allowing us to multiply our time, increase productivity, and scale our businesses.
If you have any questions about any of these ideas, or you need help developing a strategy to ‘work smarter’, please reach out. I’m always happy to block off some time to connect.
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