Written By: Daniel Garcia
Do you find yourself feeling overloaded at times? Do you often have to work late in order to meet your closing deadlines? Do you seem to be going from one crisis file to another? If so, you may want to take a few steps back…breathe…and ask yourself, how well am I managing my time?
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In our business, time management is essential if we want to be successful in our jobs. We all know we can be managing our time a little better but may find it somewhat difficult to identify the things we are doing wrong and to even know how to correct them. Over the next couple of weeks, we will discuss some common mistakes that we all make when it comes to time management and we will offer some ways to correct these mistakes. So here we go…
1. Failing to Keep an Up-To-Date To-Do List:
Ever get that feeling that you forgot to do something, say… order a VOE or check on the status of that appraisal? We’ve all been there. This is where your handy To-Do List comes into play. The trick to using it is to prioritize your tasks. There are many ways to do this. Some have used a simple numbering system (1-5) or lettering (A-D), the most pressing tasks on top. One thing to remember though is details. You might find yourself prioritizing the files by name but fail to list what you need to do on each file. Then when it comes time to work the file you have to go through it to make yourself remember what it is exactly you need to do. This can be frustrating especially if you have 10 -15 files at once. Ultimately, this defeats the purpose of the To-Do list in the first place. So, be detailed.
2. Failing to Manage Distractions:
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This is one we are all guilty of. Distractions come in many forms: emails, colleagues, calls from clients. All of these things can easily siphon our time away. Now, it’s understandable that you will have to take that pressing phone call or return that email immediately especially if it has to do with your high priority files. The point is to manage your distractions. As stated in previous articles, set specific times to respond to emails and phone calls. Minimize in-office social chat with colleagues. All of these things take away your focus and time. Since our whole job is driven by deadlines, time is our best friend. Let’s not take it for granted.
Next week we will touch on a few more mistakes in time management that we may be guilty of making. So, stay tuned and make it a great week.
About The Author
Daniel Garcia - As an NAMP® staff writer, Daniel Garcia is a loan processing instructor for Loan Processor University (www.LoanProcessorTraining.org). Daniel also currently works for a non-profit housing and community development corporation where he serves as a senior loan officer and heads up the organization’s homebuyer education program. Daniel provides consultation services to other non-profit housing organizations nationwide, training in the areas of mortgage qualification and processing, state and federal laws, adult education training methods, and credit/foreclosure intervention counseling and program setup. He has gained a variety of experience, from mortgage processing and loan originating to loan servicing and loss mitigation. If you're interested in becoming a writer for NAMP®, please email us at: contact@mortgageprocessor.org.
