Monthly Archives: August 2011

6 Ways To Conquer Procrastination – A Primer For The Claims Professional

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Putting Your Way To The Next Claim File?

Last post I wrote about 7 Steps To Effective Problem Solving For Every Claims Professional as taken from Business Insider War Room author Martin Zwilling.  In reviewing more of Zwilling’s work, I came across Six Ways to Overcome the Urge to Procrastinate that is so applicable to anyone in business, let alone claims professionals, that I decided to include it here.

Jan Yager, in her book, “Work Less, Do More” talks about procrastination as a primary obstacle to efficient time management. She describes how you can grow so busy doing everything but what you should be doing, that you’re unaware that you’re failing to address what’s really fundamental to your success.

Here are some techniques Zwilling espoused from Jan Yager and others for conquering procrastination:

  1. Plan your daily activities in advance. Make whatever it is you’re avoiding the very first task you do on a given day. Don’t start the day by checking e-mail, surfing the Internet, or reading the newspaper. Get a priority task done first every day, then take a break or do some low priority work that you enjoy more.
  2. Set up a personal reward system. Pick a reward that will be a real motivator, something you truly want but have been denying for yourself. For example, as soon as you complete your financial projections, you can call your business partner to skip out for that round of golf he keeps mentioning.
  3. Try creative procrastination. If you are finding your top priority to be too daunting, try tackling the second or third most important items on your to-do list. You will accomplish all your day’s priorities, but in a different order. That’s better than substituting a trip to the doughnut cart.
  4. Arrange for gaps in your schedule. Build space into your schedule so you actually have some free time that will still permit you to get the priority project done without the tendency to put yourself down or engage in the self-criticism that too often accompanies procrastination.
  5. Face the truth head-on. Take a few minutes to contemplate why you are delaying something. What does the postponement provide? What will it take to get you to act now? Write down the real deadline. Maybe it’s time to hire an expert, or assign the task to someone else on the team. Move the ball.
  6. Define a period without distractions. Make a resolution to turn off the phones for the first hour of a day, or close the door to your office to discourage interruptions. Do not let anyone distract you from your priority tasks during these periods.

As someone who fights procrastination on a regular basis, I was particularly happy to get these suggestions.  Claims can be a job with new and exciting information at every turn. On the other hand, it can also get repetitive at times requiring another new way to think about old problems.

What are some of the ways you fight procrastination?

7 Steps To Effective Problem Solving For Every Claims Professional

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Don’t Go In Circles To Solve Your Problems

Let’s face it solving problems in claims is a core reality to what we do. From the second a claim hits your desk until the minute it leaves it there are a series of problems that need to be solved.  Should this claim even be accepted? Was there any liability? What experts should I hire? How much is it worth? What are my next steps?  At every turn there is another problem that needs to be solved.

As you probably have experienced, some people are very good problem solvers and others are not. In claims, however, there is no escaping the need to solve a variety of issues on a daily basis. Don’t fret if you don’t consider yourself a good problem solver as it turns out there is help for you.

Problem Solving Can Be Learned

Business Insider War Room author Martin Zwilling wrote in  Nine Steps to Effective Business Problem Solving that  “managing any business is all about problem solving. Some people are good at it and some are not – independent of their IQ or their academic credentials (there may even be an inverse relationship here). Yet I’m convinced that problem solving is a learnable trait, rather than just a birthright.”

Zwilling, taking a page from Brian Tracy, in his book “The Power of Self-Discipline” suggested 9 ways to train yourself to be a better problem solver.  I took 7 of these that I believe are applicable to the claims world.

  1. Take the time to define the problem clearly. Many executives like to jump into solution mode immediately, even before they understand the issue. In some cases, a small problem can become a big one with inappropriate actions. In all cases, real clarity will expedite the path ahead.
  2. Pursue alternate paths on “facts of life” and opportunities. Remember, there are some things that you can do nothing about. They’re not problems; they are merely facts of life. Often, what appears to be a problem is actually an opportunity in disguise.
  3. Challenge the definition from all angles. Beware of any problem for which there is only one definition. The more ways you can define a problem, the more likely it is that you will find the best solution. For example, “sales are too low” may mean strong competitors, ineffective advertising, or a poor sales process.
  4. Iteratively question the cause of the problem. This is all about finding the root cause, rather than treating a symptom. If you don’t get to the root, the problem will likely recur, perhaps with different symptoms. Don’t waste time re-solving the same problem.
  5. Identify multiple possible solutions. The more possible solutions you develop, the more likely you will come up with the right one. The quality of the solution seems to be in direct proportion to the quantity of solutions considered in problem solving.
  6. Prioritize potential solutions. An acceptable solution, doable now, is usually superior to an excellent solution with higher complexity, longer timeframe, and higher cost. There is a rule that says that every large problem was once a small problem that could have been solved easily at that time.
  7. Make a decision. Select a solution, any solution, and then decide on a course of action. The longer you put off deciding on what to do, the higher the cost, and the larger the impact. Your objective should be to deal with 80 percent of all problems immediately. At the very least, set a specific deadline for making a decision, and stick to it.

Make the decision is my personal favorite.  So often claims professionals are waiting for the next great piece of information that will save the day.  More often than not, that information doesn’t alter the outcome that much. Making the decision to change the reserve or settle a claim should be made after careful problem solving has been considered. But regardless, the claims professionals job is to make the decision.

What suggestions would you make to help solve problems?