By Wealthy Adviser Club
💭 Feeling Overwhelmed? You’re Not Alone
Every adviser has been there.
One day you’re smashing sales, leads are flying in, clients are happy — and the next, you’re drowning in admin, chasing missed calls, and wondering where the day went.
You hit the pillow at night thinking:
“I’ve been flat out all day… but what have I actually achieved?”
That, as Terry Blackburn put it in this session, is the life of the busy fool.
You’re doing a lot — but not necessarily the right things.
The solution?
Time Blocking.
It’s not just a productivity hack. It’s how top-performing advisers — the ones pulling six figures and beyond — structure their entire week for control, consistency, and performance.
⚙️ The Problem: Chaos Disguised as Productivity
Terry started the session with a truth bomb:
“If you’re all over the place — some months great, others a mess — it’s not that you’re bad at sales or lead gen. You’re just chaotic.”
Most advisers don’t fail because of lack of skill. They fail because of poor structure.
They’re constantly reacting — answering emails, chasing docs, putting out fires — instead of working proactively on the highest-value tasks.
And in the world of mortgages, protection, and finance, that’s a recipe for burnout.
🧱 Step One: Structure Beats Speed
Terry shared how he discovered time blocking while running two companies — Mortgage Genie and Bespoke Financial — simultaneously.
He had employed staff, self-employed brokers, internet leads, referral partners, multiple offices… and a family.
“It was chaos. I was drowning. I knew people doing more than me — but with the same 24 hours. So I went deep into time management, diary design, and efficiency. What I found changed everything.”
The core of his discovery came down to three things:
🧩 1. Efficiency
How quickly you complete tasks — from admin to appointments to lead follow-ups.
📅 2. Structure
What your ideal working week actually looks like — mapped into your diary in blocks.
💪 3. Discipline
The hardest (and most important) one. Sticking to the structure — every single day — even when you don’t feel like it.
“Setting the structure is easy. Sticking to it when it’s cold, raining, and you can’t be arsed — that’s where 90% of people fail.”
🕹 The Default Diary: Your Blueprint for High Performance
Every top adviser should have a default diary — a set weekly schedule that doesn’t change unless there’s a serious reason.
Here’s how Terry builds it:
1️⃣ Start With YOU
Before blocking work, block personal time.
If you go to the gym, walk, run, or spend time with your kids — those go in first.
“If you’re not right, your business isn’t right. You’re the foundation.”
Terry’s rule:
- Gym: 6–7am (every weekday)
- Family time: dedicated nights per week
- No work on Sundays
He explained how family chaos or poor health eventually spills into your business performance — making consistency impossible.
2️⃣ Add Reoccurring Commitments
Team meetings, training calls, one-on-ones — anything that happens every week at the same time.
Then block admin time — ideally mornings when your brain’s fresh.
“Don’t waste prime selling time on admin or CPD,” Terry warned. “Do it early before calls start.”
For most brokers:
- 8am–11am: Admin, emails, prep
- 11am–12pm: Follow-ups
- 12pm–5pm: Appointments
- 5pm–9pm: Sales calls
3️⃣ Block Prime Selling Time
Sales hours are sacred.
At Bespoke, Terry’s team had one rule:
“Between 5pm and 9pm, you sell. That’s when people answer their phones. That’s when you make money.”
It’s during these hours you:
- Book new appointments
- Follow up quotes
- Re-engage past leads
- Close deals
If a client can’t do those times, fine — be flexible. But otherwise, protect those hours at all costs.
“Don’t ask when the customer can do — tell them when you can do. You control the diary, not them.”
4️⃣ Add Your High-Value Tasks
Your day should revolve around three core activities:
- Generating appointments
- Doing appointments
- Finalising and following up
Everything else is secondary.
Terry’s rule:
“If it’s not one of those three — it’s probably not making you money.”
So, when you get white gaps in your diary, fill them with high-value tasks — not random busywork or admin.
🎯 The Fun–Income Matrix: Know What Matters
To help brokers identify what to focus on, Terry uses a simple but powerful exercise — the Fun–Income Matrix.
Draw a cross on paper with four quadrants:
| High Income | Low Income | |
| High Fun | Focus here — these are your ideal tasks. | Still do them, but don’t overinvest time. |
| Low Fun | Automate or delegate. | Eliminate completely. |
Then list out everything you do in a week — from calls to cleaning your house — and plot them into the matrix.
“If it doesn’t make you money and you don’t enjoy it — stop doing it or delegate it. Time is too valuable.”
He even recommends outsourcing cleaning, laundry, and non-essential admin — freeing up 3–6 hours weekly for higher-value activities.
⚙️ Tools to Save You Time Instantly
Terry also shared some game-changing tools that can automate low-value work:
💌 Fixer.ai
An AI email assistant that analyses your inbox, filters junk, and drafts responses.
“It literally replies to client emails for you. It saves me hours a day.”
🎙 PLaud.ai
A voice device that records and transcribes all your calls, Zooms, and meetings — automatically.
It then tags and stores them, so you can search conversations by name, client, or topic.
“If an underwriter says something and denies it later, you’ve got it in writing — automatically transcribed.”
These tools free up hours each week — time that can be spent on what matters: sales, relationships, and growth.
🔄 Why Discipline Wins Every Time
Terry reminded everyone:
“Motivation comes and goes. Discipline is what keeps your income consistent.”
He referenced how top producers like Ollie Lodge hit record-breaking months for years — not because they’re always motivated, but because they’re relentlessly structured and disciplined.
Ollie even prints the company leaderboard and creates “imaginary competitors” to keep his drive alive.
“Nobody stays motivated forever. But if you’ve got a structure and discipline — you don’t need to be.”
🧭 Final Takeaway: Own the Day, Don’t Let It Own You
At its core, time blocking isn’t about control — it’s about freedom.
It’s how you stop being reactive and start being intentional.
Structure gives you peace of mind.
Discipline turns that structure into income.
And consistency turns that income into freedom.
Terry ended the session with this challenge:
“Set up your diary today. Not tomorrow, not next week — today.
Because every day you delay, the less likely you’ll ever do it.”
Start with these steps:
- Block time for you
- Block time for family
- Add recurring tasks
- Add follow-ups & sales time
- Stick to it daily for two weeks
Do it long enough, and it becomes who you are — a structured, confident, unstoppable adviser.
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