Enhancing your productivity was probably already top of mind, considering the high volume mortgage professionals dealt with in 2020 and 2021. Whether this continues for a few more months or drops off a cliff on Jan. 1 (not likely), it’s a good idea to focus on improved productivity as your next New Year’s resolution.

Your workday consists of three items: time, energy and priorities. These things need to be on the same page if you have any hope of completing tasks. Here are a few ways you can maximize your time and energy as you work through your daily, weekly and monthly priorities. 

BLOCK IT OUT

Our calendars are our bibles when it comes to our schedule. If it’s not in the calendar, it’s not happening. So make it happen. Block it out in the calendar. A wide-open calendar is an invitation to let smaller, non-essential tasks fill our day. 

Instead, make a standing date with all your priorities. Schedule time to prospect for new clients. Time to work on social media posts. Time to deep-dive into the marketing strategies that will ensure 2022 is just as successful – if not more so – as 2021. 

CATEGORIZE TASKS

To-do lists are great, but they can get overwhelming. Unsurprisingly, a majority of people will create a to-do list and then set about crossing the easiest items off the list first…like making a to-do list. This may make you feel accomplished, but you’re not actually getting anywhere. Instead, make separate lists of your top priorities. 

Organize them by:

• Your biggest priorities that you can accomplish this week
• Your biggest priorities that will help you move the needle toward your longer-term goals
• Your quick-action tasks that can be accomplished in about five minutes

STAY FOCUSED

Once you have your list ready to go, stop multi-tasking and start knocking these items out one by one. Create reasonable deadlines to accomplish each task, block out time and get to it. If you’re easily distracted, find a minimalist space where you can work. You can even employ noise-canceling headphones or use programs that will block access to social media or other distracting websites. 

Try not to move on from one task until you’re finished – or at least until you’ve gotten to a place where you’re comfortable finishing for the day. It’s always better to put a definitive strike through an item – even if that item is “work on X project for 60 minutes” – than it is to half accomplish twice as many tasks. 

Productivity wanes even for the best of us, but with a little planning and accountability, there are ways to get back on track with minimal disruption. This will be crucial in 2022 as competition increases for fewer mortgages. Start your year out right by planning to hit the ground running!