Unlocking Your Professional Creativity

If you had 20% more free time each week, what would you do? Most of us could probably answer this question in our personal lives. Chances are you have a list of hobbies, trips, or leisure activities that you would love to pursue if you had extra time.

But what about your professional time? If you could take 20% of your work time to do whatever you wanted, what would you do? Could you become a better financial planner if you had the chance to pursue something new or interesting related to your career?

I’ve been thinking about this concept a lot and wondering whether it’s something that financial planners should implement. What would happen if we tried this in our practices?

Free time boosts motivation

In the book Drive, author Daniel H. Pink states that having “free time” in your professional life is an intrinsic motivator. And most of us could use some extra motivation from time to time.

The idea is to give yourself the time and freedom to do something creative in your professional life. Take one day of each week (assuming you work a standard five-day week) and use it to pursue whatever you’re interested in.

Creating the opportunity for professional creativity

So if you did have the time to pursue something new at work, what would you do? Maybe you’d develop a new service model. Or you’d learn more about different organization methods or project management concepts to find one that would work better for you. You might even develop an entirely new system for yourself, your employees, or your clients.

What would you do with some extra time?

Most of us struggle with the feeling of not having enough time to do everything we want. And while you probably feel this in your personal life, it might also be true of your work life. Finding ways to carve out some free time at work may have just as many benefits as making time for yourself outside the office.

I think this idea could offer us some amazing benefits as financial planners. It could help us stay motivated during times when we feel unappreciated or frustrated. It may also help us unlock our creativity and develop some new ideas, systems, or services to benefit our clients.

If you could take 20% of your workweek and pursue something you’re interested in, what would you do? Do you think it would benefit your career and your clients? Are any financial planners doing this? I’d love to hear your thoughts!

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