It's all about putting predictable businesses in place. And I still do that to this day. I still work out at the beginning of the year, how much do I want to earn this year? How much do I need to bring in for the business?

There are roles in our business, when I'm working out how to have an ideal week, that need high energy. So, I need to work out, when are my high-energy days? When is my high-energy time? And every person is different. I choose not to work on the weekends. I know that I can only do a couple of evenings; otherwise, my energy goes. I know the beginning of the week is better for me than the end of the week.

So, all my client activity is done by Wednesday morning. I won't necessarily need to speak to another client, as in an appointment, because it's all been done by Wednesday. I then spend my time with my team through the administration, handing that through to everyone, delegating all the jobs that you need to delegate. I spend my time networking. I look at all the things I need to do to set up the next week. My high-energy stuff, the stuff that matters, the stuff that brings the dollars in, is always done by Wednesday morning.

A perfect week is when you've got balance. So, you've got to see the clients, you've got to learn, you've got a network, you've got to spend some time doing exercise. You've got to make sure you're getting good sleep, you've got to spend family time together, you've got to walk the dogs, whatever your ideal week is. But you need to have that structure.

And if you're not doing a bit of everything, then what you tend to find is you have lumpy weeks. If I have loads of time off, I'm going to be scrambling and trying to get those deals in the door. But if I have had enough appointments, in my world, I do 30 appointments a week. So those appointments are generally done by mid-Wednesday.

From there, I make sure that everything's set up for the following week. My high energy at the beginning, and that's the way that we create that predictable week. Everyone is different in my team. It's entirely up to them to create that predictable business, but it's the ideal week that they get to build.

The thing about an ideal week is it doesn't always work out. The reality is there's going to be things that come at you all the time, so you're constantly juggling to get to that ideal. It's important at the end of the week, however, to look back on that week and say, “What worked? What didn't? Where was the area that I needed to balance out a little bit more?” And that's also part of what an ideal week is all about, that measure, how you can look forward to improve.

Transcript

Strategies to prevent policy lapses in tough times