Are You Digitally Distracted?

View your thoughts from all perspectives. Think about how your ideas are viewed by others with different perspectives and intentions. Try to be fair, non-judgmental and neutral as you examine others’ perspectives.

Example: “How will the change in comp affect partners, staff and advisors? How will this affect the firm and our ability to be competitive, yet profitable?”

Question questions. Ask the obvious, as well as the obscure. What have you failed to ask? Examine consequences and outcomes, especially from different viewpoints.

Example: “Are we actually competitive? Am I assuming there is a situation that does not exist? If we change this structure, how will it look five years from now? Are there other situations I should be addressing? What other questions should I be asking? Is my thinking actually reflecting what partners, staff and advisors are thinking, or is it more a reflection of what I would like them to think?”

Be reasonable. Are your questions and conclusions reasonable? Is your vested interest overshadowing your conclusions?

Example: “Am I more worried about what this is going to cost me or whether this is fair and equitable?”

Test your conclusions. You will want to test your thinking by having reasonable discussions with others about your thought processes and possible conclusions. As others challenge your thoughts and ideas, stay open-minded and willing to adapt as better ideas are offered.

Example: “To what extent am I open to adopting this new proposal for compensation rather than the one I had been thinking about? Am I arbitrarily holding on to my original concept because it is my own idea?”

Finally, as you think about your digital distractions, consider some new ways of taking charge of them. Choose an hour a day to dispatch those e-mails. Inform others that you will only be responding once a day and that emergency situations require a phone call. Turn off your phone at a certain hour each night and enjoy the evening with family and friends. Remember, the Internet and your devices are your tools; you are not theirs. 

Deena Katz is an associate professor in the personal financial planning department at Texas Tech University, a partner in Evensky & Katz in Coral Gables, Fla., and the author of several books on planning and practice management.