The power of writing things down

Since I started in the business, I have experienced the power of writing down goals. And I do mean literally writing down, with pen or pencil, in your own handwriting — not a spreadsheet or computer-generated numbers or narratives. Studies have shown that there is a powerful psychological effect of writing down such things in your own handwriting.

First of all, I have three major, stated, measurable goals for the year that I always have with me in my planner. These typically (but not always) are:

1. A revenue goal
2. An assets under management goal
3. A growth-oriented goal such as achieving a designation or adding staff

Every quarter, I use a tracking sheet and forecast my number of:

• Focus days
• Free days
• Buffer days
• Client meetings
• New business to be written

This is tracked weekly for 13 weeks. I also write down the projected revenue for every 60-day period during that time.

It is both fun and gratifying to write down results that meet or exceed all of these written goals. They are helpful to see what I have accomplished in the past and how I have achieved what I set out to do.

See Scritchfield talk more about time management in the video “From Surviving to Thriving.”

Written by Randy L. Scritchfield, CFP, LUTCF, a 32-year MDRT member from Damascus, Maryland