Search

10 TIME MANAGEMENT TIPS FOR ADJUSTERS

Shellie
Apr 3, 2017
4 min read

Time management is an important aspect of any professional's job. But insurance adjusters have a huge challenge with time management. The fact that no day or week is typical makes an adjusters time management planning difficult. It actually comes down to a day by day time management system.

Just to help you manage your time better as an adjuster, I have put together these 10 time management tips. Use them to show the world you are the best of the best in insurance adjusting.

Adjuster Time Management Tip #1: Get Proper Sleep

I had to put this at the top of the list; I know that I have been guilty of breaking this tip myself.

Staying up until the wee hours doing paperwork is not doing you any justice. Maybe it needs to be done, but if you start going to sleep at a decent hour and sleeping 7 to 8 hours, you will discover that you get more done because your brain will work better.

Adjuster Time Management Tip #2: Cut Down On Email Checking

That email doesn't have to be checked every ½ hour, hour or even 2 hours. I suggest you set 2 or 3 times a day that you check emails. Going through emails can take a lot of your time and many of those emails are not important and can wait.

Adjuster Time Management Tip #3: Organize Your Files

This is an area where many adjusters get slowed down. Having an incompetent file system can have you wasting time searching. Find a way to make your file system easy. I suggest talking with other adjusters to find the best filing techniques.

Keep coming back to this blog as I will have a post on this subject in the near future.

Adjuster Time Management Tip #4: Focus On The Task At Hand

While some people assume that they are getting more done by multitasking, studies have shown that usually less gets completed. Much of this happens because of the mistakes made during multitasking and the person has to go back and fix errors.

It is wiser to just focus on one task at a time and you will get more done.

Adjuster Time Management Tip #5: Plan And Prioritize

This falls in line with tip #4. Most adjusters have multiple claims happening at the same time. I suggest that each morning (or evening before you go to bed), plan out your day putting the tasks that are the most urgent first. Move in line of urgency and even consider which tasks could possibly be delegated to junior adjusters or assistants.

Adjuster Time Management Tip #6: Just Say No To Procrastination

Don't put off for tomorrow what you can do today. Even if you don't have the motivation or you don't like the idea of the task, realize that you will still have to do it and if you “push it off,” you may find that you have gained many more important tasks.

If you procrastinate, you can make everything more difficult in coming days. It is best to just grin and do it.

Adjuster Time Management Tip #7: Turn The Key Tasks Into Habits

Every adjuster has those certain tasks that must be completed daily. Instead of “fitting” those tasks into your day, make those tasks a habit. Do the task at the same time every day and you will soon develop it as a habit.

Adjuster Time Management Tip #8: Do A Time Audit

I probably should have put this at the start of this post, because a key to fixing time management issues is to know where and how you are spending your time.

Now I know that for adjusters every day can be different, but it still helps to just take a week and keep track (an audit) of how you spend your time each day during that week.

By doing this, you will have a great idea where some of your time may being wasted. I suggest you do an audit periodically to see if there are areas you can change to make the most of your time.

Adjuster Time Management Tip #9: Don't Skip Meals

I have done it and I believe every adjuster has made the decision to skip a meal because they are rushed. But, is it really helping you to show up at a location to meet with a family who lost their home to a tornado and your stomach starts grumbling?

Do you really think that you will pay proper attention to that family or will the attention be on your hunger?

If you would have just taken the ½ hour to eat a meal, you would have been more focused.

Adjuster Time Management Tip #10: Invest In Tools To Help Save Time

This will all come down to a judgment call, but you may find certain tools and software that can make your job easier and save you time. Maybe you have put off purchasing that new higher speed laptop with the idea you can make your old HP with Windows 7 work a little longer.

But if that new computer can make everything flow faster and smoother, the savings in time can be just as valuable as gold.