Making meaningful changes in how we work is one of the hardest tasks we can attempt.

Change is possible however – recently I had a conversation with an advisor on a large team that had succeeded in implementing some significant new initiatives since the beginning of the year.

The key was time blocking, setting aside time each week for a major new undertaking and implementing a proven formula for change behind that commitment.

Recognize the obstacles to change

Change is an incredibly powerful force – it can word for you or against you. The trick is to harness it to work in your favour.

Focus your efforts

This advisor and her team started by agreeing to concentrate on one and only one new activity.

Limit the commitment

She’d tried to get her partners to buy into time blocking into the past without success – this time she proposed they each commit three hours a week to new initiatives for just 30 days, a much easier sell. Each team member blocked this time in their calendar for that four week period.

Give change priority

Once you’ve blocked time for a key activity, you need to treat this seriously – cancel that commitment on the same basis that you would an appointment with a key client.

Create accountability

This advisor and her colleagues carved out time in each weekly meeting to talk about how they had done on their key activity in the past week.

Celebrate success

We all know that success breeds success. Focus on little wins to build momentum behind your new activity.

Maintain momentum

Once they had momentum behind one new activity, they shifted focus and used the time block that each team member had dedicated each week to concentrate on the next initiative they would tackle.

In summary

You can think about how to organize your time each week in two ways.

Most advisors have their activity drive their schedule – they identify what they want to do in the coming week, then set aside time to do it.

Time blocking reverses that process. Rather than activity driving your schedule, your schedule drives your activity – by blocking time off for priority activities, those time blocks then define how you spend your day.

For those of you who aren’t sure about how to get started in making changes in your business, consider these words from German philosopher Johann van Goethe:

“Whatever you dream, begin it – but be bold. Few things have the power of boldness”.