EP #56: How to Get Control of Your Day and Get More Done With Todd Bookspan

Todd Bookspan breaks down why most loan officers lose their day to other people's urgencies and how to fix it with intentional time blocking before noon. He walks through his Win By Noon quarterly planner system, how he protected his mornings as an originator, and how LOs can use the same planner as a value-add tool to teach agents. Best for LOs who feel reactive, scattered, and behind on their most important business-building activities.

Takeaways you can run this week

• Set your calendar so no one can book you before 11:30 a.m. Tell your team explicitly: morning hours are off-limits except for true emergencies. When a client or agent proposes a morning meeting, say 'I have a commitment then — does 1 p.m. work?' Todd found 99 out of 100 said yes.
• Record a voicemail greeting that tells callers your return-call window (e.g., 'I return calls between 1–3 p.m. — leave a message and I'll get right back to you'). If you have an assistant, forward your main line to them during your blocked hours so callers still reach a live person.
• Structure your morning block in this order: (1) clear email and voicemail, (2) lead and app follow-up calls, (3) proactive prospecting calls to agents or borrowers. Everything reactive — update calls, fire-fighting, client meetings — goes after noon.
• Every Monday, spend 15–20 minutes planning the week: how many partner calls, lead calls, live meetings, and applications do you need to hit your closing goal? Every Friday, do a written review: what went well, what didn't, who still needs a follow-up?
• Buy the Win By Noon real estate agent edition (winbynoon.com) in multipacks and teach a time-blocking class in a real estate office. Todd will share a PowerPoint to LOs who ask — email todd@winbynoon.com. Running this class positions you as a business-growth resource, not just a rate quote.
• Track these five numbers every single day in a paper or digital planner: partner calls made, lead/client calls made, quality conversations (name them), live meetings, and applications taken. After 90 days you'll know your exact conversion rates and how many dials equal one closing.

The playbook

1. Step 1 — Set the boundary: Block your calendar every day until 11:30 a.m. Inform your team and closest agent partners why (to improve execution for everyone).
2. Step 2 — Monday planning: Review the week ahead; set specific numeric goals for partner calls, lead calls, meetings, and applications.
3. Step 3 — Daily morning block: (a) Clear email/voicemail, (b) lead and app follow-up, (c) proactive outbound calls to agents and pre-approved borrowers.
4. Step 4 — Post-noon reaction block: Schedule a 1–2 hour window (e.g., 1:30–2:30 p.m.) specifically for returning calls, handling file issues, and taking client or agent meetings.
5. Step 5 — Daily tracking: Record every call, conversation, meeting, lead, application, and closing in your planner. Note top 3 priorities, a daily win/loss on morning routine, and whether your day was proactive or reactive.
6. Step 6 — Friday review: Look at the week's totals. Identify gaps — who didn't you call, where did you fall off the plan, what needs to carry to next week?
7. Step 7 — Quarterly reset: At the end of each quarter, review conversion rates, set goals for the next 13 weeks, and order the next quarterly planner.

Worth quoting

“Either you run the day or the day runs you.”

“If you know exactly what activities I need to do today, how many calls to make to hit my closing goal — that would be great.”

Best for

LOs who start every day with good intentions but end it having never made their prospecting calls because fires and other people's urgencies took over.