I got your attention with this headline, didn't I? Because of the industry we are in, we have stress every day because we deal with human emotions. It takes you as the broker to counteract what your clients are feeling during the transaction and it's tough, takes skill and it is stressful. You leave a buyer and a seller to themselves to get the transactions over the finish line and it doesn't happen most of the time. This is why real estate brokerage has staying power. We agree that this kind of pressure and stress comes with the career so you just need to build that into your job description. We, as brokers, get paid to take on the stress of the transaction.
Stress is tension by definition. Stress shouldn't always be looked as a bad thing. It can power us to do things we never thought possible. The stress we can control is that type that is down in our DNA when we feel like we are not living up to our potential, when we don't consistently do the things that will lead to growth in our business and improve our lives. That type of stress that creates those negative conversations we have with ourselves:
"I haven't called any of my clients in 6 months....ugh"
"I feel so bad for my kids. I feel like they get the short end of the stick because of my work."
"All that marketing I said I was going to do and I haven't done any of it."
"I haven't worked out in a month. I feel like crap."
"I haven't taken time off in months. How much longer can I do this?"
If any of these statements sound familiar, take notes and I promise you there is a better way. The key is to create and live by guiding principles you'll use to operate your business and live your life. Today, I want to share with you the 7 Guiding Principles I've developed and used that have drastically improved my quality of life:
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Play on Offense, not Defense: When you control your day, you are playing on offense. When the day controls you, you are playing on defense. The only way, in my opinion, is to have time in the morning to plan. 27% of you are not morning people so you will need to have an evening planning session before you go to bed. My Morning Ritual is one of the most of important discoveries of my adult life. I found out fairly quickly that if I planned in the morning, the rest of my day went well. This time in the morning gives that needed time with myself to stay to connected to my purpose and my goals. I take this time to meditate and exercise.
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Develop Boundaries: "If it's not a hell yes, it's a hell no." Run every new client, every purchase, every invite, every use of your time through this filter. Ask yourself, "Is this going to make me better or drag me down?" Life is made up of micro moments, micro choices. Choose wisely and you will win in life. The most stressful moments in my life started from making a bad choice.
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Daily Review: Do a daily review of all of your text messages, your email, your calendar, your DM's and make sure that you have communicated properly with each person. If you have items that are actionable, move them to your task management process of choice. Review all of your recurring tasks in your calendar or tasks/reminders. Once you've planned your day, normally during a morning or evening ritual, dive into your email. Strategically schedule your emails to go out using Outlook on Mac, GMAIL or other email scheduling software. You can also drop your emails into DRAFT mode and send them out as you see fit.
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Plan Well: Take 30 minutes of your Morning Ritual to plan your day and review your recurring tasks and calendar for the day. Do a mental dry run. Some days are crazy so you need to mentally prepare for the craziness. Most importantly, review who in your database you need to contact that day and how.
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Develop an Ideal Day: Your day, while awake, will be built in sections. I've got my:
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Morning Ritual (3 Hours)
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Family Time (Start of Day) (1 Hour)
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Execution Time (9 Hours)
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End of Day Wrap Up (1 Hour)
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Family Time (2 Hours)
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Each section will require a different version of you. Learn to transition from version to version. Protect your time with each. Set expectations with clients and your family about how you operate within these parts of your day.
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Weekly Review: Take one hour on Sunday and do a review of the previous week and plan for the upcoming week. Who do I need to follow up with? What big meetings and presentations do I have on the calendar? Where am winning? Where do I need to put effort? Get it all out of your head and in your calendar or on your task management tool of choice.
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Be Unwaveringly Consistent on the Above: I can unequivocally tell you that most of my success to this point has come because I have made a commitment to these guiding principles. Am I perfect? No. Do I get off course for more than 2 days in a row? Rarely. If I do, it's done for strategic reasons.
All of these concepts are low cost, high impact. They require only 2 things: proper planning and disciplined execution. New habits are not easy to introduce but wow are they worth the effort. When I execute on the above, I don't worry about the future because I know that if I win the day, I'll win the week. If I win the week, I'll win the month. If I win each month, I'll win the year. If I win the year, I'll win my career. I don't have issues falling asleep at night or even sleeping through the night because I have habits, systems, rituals, boundaries and routines to support my desire to live a simple, healthy, wildly productive and happy life. Honestly, isn't that what we all desire over a shallow, stressful life where we just wander from day to day?
I'll be in a conversation on this topic with a broker and I'll say: "Do I seemed stressed to you? How's my energy?" Most, if not all, have replied with "You don't seem stressed at all." I'll go on to remind them of my span of control of my responsibilities and point out that I am INTENTIONAL about limiting the stress in my life. INTENTION means that you DESIGN how you live. If you want to minimize the stress in your life, "self medicate" by implementing and executing on those habits, systems, rituals, boundaries, and routines that alleviate stress. You will always have stress in your life and business but the definition of "alleviate" has Latin origins in its definition that means "less severe."
So, the point I wanted you to take away is that you have to execute with intention. If you don't, your life and business will feel out of control. Lack of control/no plan = stress. Stress can impact you in a lot of really negative ways, including your health and relationships. If you want to create that powerful flow that you desire, you need to create those habits, systems, rituals, boundaries and routines that lead to a happy and productive life and business. If you've followed me for awhile, most of this content is not new to you but my challenge to you today is: "Are you ready to internalize it and finally take how you live your days, weeks, and life seriously?"
