You look at your watch and it's 5:00pm.
You say to yourself: "Already? The day just flew by."
Did you accomplish everything you set out to do today?
Did you follow a written list of items that you needed to complete today?
Our lives are so full of distractions from the phone ringing to people coming up to us and interrupting our thought patterns to putting up with the tolerations like having a messy, unorganized desk. (Sure, we say we know where everything on it. Right!)
The problem is we know in our heads what we want to do on a particular day, but we often end up doing other less-productive activities that in the short-term may not seem to make a difference, but in the long-term will cost us business.
If you have a listing appointment or are showing homes to a client, you know you won't miss those appointments. But it's the smaller details in your day - like making the client follow-up calls or contacting your prospect leads to schedule appointments or delegating some tasks for an assistant to complete.
The solution is to get serious about knowing exactly what needs to be done each day, so that you don't miss anything and your business will run more efficiently and profitably.
In today's world of technology gadgets everywhere, if you haven't been using a 'to-do list' on Top Producer, Word, Outlook or your Blackberry, etc., then it's time to at least use a 3x5 card or a sheet of paper and list everything you need to do in the day on it.
Did you accomplish everything you set out to do today?
Did you follow a written list of items that you needed to complete today?
Our lives are so full of distractions from the phone ringing to people coming up to us and interrupting our thought patterns to putting up with the tolerations like having a messy, unorganized desk. (Sure, we say we know where everything on it. Right!)
The problem is we know in our heads what we want to do on a particular day, but we often end up doing other less-productive activities that in the short-term may not seem to make a difference, but in the long-term will cost us business.
If you have a listing appointment or are showing homes to a client, you know you won't miss those appointments. But it's the smaller details in your day - like making the client follow-up calls or contacting your prospect leads to schedule appointments or delegating some tasks for an assistant to complete.
The solution is to get serious about knowing exactly what needs to be done each day, so that you don't miss anything and your business will run more efficiently and profitably.
In today's world of technology gadgets everywhere, if you haven't been using a 'to-do list' on Top Producer, Word, Outlook or your Blackberry, etc., then it's time to at least use a 3x5 card or a sheet of paper and list everything you need to do in the day on it.
Don't get fancy!
Right now you need to keep things simple. Simple works!
If you haven't been using an automated contact management system, like Top Producer, Outlook or ACT, then start with a sheet of paper and also simultaneously copy everything into the software program, so you can get comfortable using it.
Continuity is the key. It has to become a habit. People say a habit can take 21 - 30 days to become a part of your daily routine.
When you think of something else during the day that needs to be done, write it down. Don't put them on a separate Post-It notes or little pieces of paper.
The best time to put together your next day's 'to-do list' is the night before. Write down everything you can think of. Then in the morning before you start your day, review your list to see if you need to add anything else to it.
Next, it's time to play a game called "Hyper-Focus". Start taking the action steps of completing each item on your list. Don't answer your phone...don't talk with others...just see how much you can finish in 1 hour. When you look back at the time, you'll be amazed at how much you accomplished. What normally would take you
3-4 hours, you finished in just over an hour.
Why? Because you were 100% focused on what had to be done.
Right now you need to keep things simple. Simple works!
If you haven't been using an automated contact management system, like Top Producer, Outlook or ACT, then start with a sheet of paper and also simultaneously copy everything into the software program, so you can get comfortable using it.
Continuity is the key. It has to become a habit. People say a habit can take 21 - 30 days to become a part of your daily routine.
When you think of something else during the day that needs to be done, write it down. Don't put them on a separate Post-It notes or little pieces of paper.
The best time to put together your next day's 'to-do list' is the night before. Write down everything you can think of. Then in the morning before you start your day, review your list to see if you need to add anything else to it.
Next, it's time to play a game called "Hyper-Focus". Start taking the action steps of completing each item on your list. Don't answer your phone...don't talk with others...just see how much you can finish in 1 hour. When you look back at the time, you'll be amazed at how much you accomplished. What normally would take you
3-4 hours, you finished in just over an hour.
Why? Because you were 100% focused on what had to be done.
If you were making phone calls, you stayed on point and didn't get distracted by talking about unrelated issues. You got what you needed and moved on to accomplishing the next item on your list.
This strategy will allow you to do 'spurts' of business in record time, which will open up your time to continue onto other projects or take some time off to be with your family.
Also, because you've already accomplished them, you won't have a bunch of small tasks floating around in your head all day waiting to be done and causing you to continually be distracted form your focus.
No real estate agent should be "ON" 24/7. Work hard and smart when you're working and enjoy life when you're off the clock.
You must set up boundaries for when you work and when you play, because life goes too quickly. If you have children, you need to enjoy them before they grow up and if you have friends, you need to make time to nurture your relationships or they'll wither away.
To your success,
Dan
What's your BIGGEST FRUSTRATION in your business? E-mail me at: dan@agentsuccesscoach.com
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All content copyrighted © 2008 - Dan Weis, Agent Success Coach
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