Running a financial planning practice can be a lot of fun. But it can also be a lot of late nights, hard work and stress. So, no matter how confident you are in running your business, at some point you will feel stuck, like some pieces of the puzzle just aren’t fitting right, you don’t know which piece is causing the issue, and you don’t have the time or the ability to take a step back and address the issues objectively.
Most people will hang in there and just accept that it’s all part of the job – especially now in a time with constant change and challenges. But, these feelings of being stuck can leave you feeling worried, anxious and irritable. In general, causing your stress levels to hit the roof.
If you’re running a financial planning practice, you probably know this feeling well. You’re running on all cylinders trying to build your business. You have a never ending mental to-do list that grows longer every day. 24 hours is not enough, sleep is for wimps right?
Sound familiar? Is your brain a mush with too many ideas, too many deadlines, and not enough time to fit it all in? You’re certainly not alone. Fortunately, there are steps you can take to ensure you’re caring for yourself and your business at the same time.
Write It Down
One reason you might be overwhelmed is that your brain feels overloaded with information. You might be mentally juggling a long list of tasks that breed to those negative thoughts I mentioned earlier.
Get a piece of paper and make a list of everything that you need to get done. Don’t try to evaluate or organize every task, you can do that later. For now, just get those tasks out of your head and onto paper.
This technique can help to reduce the feeling of overwhelm. Your brain doesn’t have to deal with all the competing tasks and deadlines. You’ve cleared your mental block and have a tangible representation of what’s required.
It’s about the journey not the destination
It’s great to the end goal in sight, maybe that’s increasing revenue, increasing your client base or simply writing more business. But problems arise when you let the goals get in the way. When it comes to sitting down and actually completing tasks, all the roadblocks that could hinder your progress raise their ugly heads and mark their territory. What should have been a simple task, is now weighing you down.
Instead, stop thinking about how your simple task is going to help you write thousands of pounds worth of business, you should focus on the process of the task itself.
Break down the projects and then schedule the time in
Breaking down massive projects is a great way to reduce the overwhelm that builds from massive projects and tight deadlines.
Let’s use your Consumer duty implementation plan and CIP document as examples. The FCA has said they do not view these plans as being set in stone, but rather expect firms to develop them between now and the implementation date.
First, identify milestones for the plan, this could be determining good outcomes, training and identifying relevant data and metrics. Then go one further and think about the steps involved in reaching these milestones. Then, just as you schedule meetings with clients, schedule specific times for these tasks. This will ensure you stay on track with completion and are not overwhelmed at the last minute.
Finally, let’s get real.
The solutions above are all short term fixes that aren’t going to the root of the problem. If you’re feeling consumed by the overwhelm lets identify the issue at the source. It’s about working smarter not harder.
You’re an experienced adviser, but maybe you’ve never ran a financial planning practice. Or you’re running a business but it’s not going right, you’re not getting the clients you expected, your worried about finances, using the right suitability templates, or getting the propositions in place. It’s a struggle navigating the ever increasing complexities of running a financial planning firm, and maybe you need a little extra help, someone to offer paraplanning and coaching support, as well as reassurance and guidance. Maybe you need an outsider to take an objective view of the situation?
If this all sounds very interesting, email or call us on 01472 728 030. Let’s have a chat to see how we can get you back to loving what you do, and get a good night’s sleep to boot.