Distracted advisor tip: Empty your mind in 7 steps

Advisors who are distracted with a mind full of to-dos don’t realize that they are filling up their mind’s “working memory.” To keep my working memory clear I use the “empty your mind” process.

1. In Microsoft Excel, type in every idea, project, task and “to-do” item line by line until you empty your mind. I do this on a weekly basis and I review the following areas for info:

• Business plan
• Documents that I have created in the last week in Excel, Mind Genius, Word, etc.
• E-mail – incoming
• Files
• Loose paper notes on my desk which I file at the same time
• Notes in my journal
• Maximizer, Outlook or the CRM system that you are using
• Smartphone notes and sticky notes

2. Next, review the following categories and see what other areas come to mind and add them to the list: administration, computers/systems, customer service, financial, marketing, office management, planning, product development, production, sales, team building and training.

3. Then, in a separate column, type in the category that each idea, project, task belongs to.

4. Next, sort the ideas, projects, tasks and to-dos alphabetically by category.

5. Using another column in Microsoft Excel, prioritize by A, B and C.