On this 244th MMPT episode, my goal is to challenge you to hit the reset button on how you look at time and how you spend it. It's the one commodity that is not renewable. When it is gone, it is gone. In this episode, I will show you the steps you should consider in order to protect your most valuable asset - your time.
Before I jump into today's call, I want to remind you of my professional purpose and that is to help you, the broker/advisor, optimize your productivity and help you become the best version of yourself. Why? "Because Happy Brokers Sell More Real Estate". I do that by teaching you how to handle the challenges and opportunities that you face every day. If you can effectively manage those certain situations that arise on a daily basis in your business, you'll be more productive and live a life that is the best version of you. My ask is that you listen as if you are in a one-on-one coaching session with me in my office or on a phone call. If you'd like a transcript and full recording of today's MMPT, send me an email at [email protected] and I will add you to my private email list.
Let me ask you a question: On a scale of 1-10, (1 being never, 10 being constantly), how often do you think strategically about ways that you can maximize your time, be more efficient and reinvest that time back into the things that matter most to you?
I think the challenge for entrepreneurs is that society, and especially this industry, creates a "badge of honor" for grinding it out, working harder than the next person and proving to the world that "I'm willing to sacrifice" to be successful. Listen, all high achievers have that mindset at some point. Consider me guilty as charged. I will tell you though, EVERYONE gets to the point, at some point, where the wheels come off and you ask yourself: "What is enough? At what expense do I keep doing this? Where is the diminishing return on my time spent building this business at the expense of other things in my life that are important to me?" At that point, these entrepreneurs either pull back or tap out, get sick from exhaustion or decide, once and for all, to make the needed changes to "right size.”
There are proven strategies, if executed on, that can solve this challenge that many successful entrepreneurs face. Elite Level Producers (ELP's) and Super Achievers wake up every day trying to solve this challenge while building out decision filters to protect their time.
This is how they do it:
- Is this something I really need to do? If no, don't do it. If yes,
- Automate it. Can it be automated? If yes, build out those systems to automate. If no,
- Delegate it. Can it be delegated? If yes, identify the "right" person who can handle these items so you don't have to do them. If it's a no,
- Prioritize. Is this something that I have to do right now? If no, add it to a list of items that you'll want to address at a later time. If yes, it goes to your calendar and task list to be handled immediately.
- Repeat. You repeat this process over and over, adding systems and processes and people to grow your business.
I've read and studied extensively on this topic, as it has been a major pain point for me at times, and this is essentially the proven decision-making process to gain peace of mind and time while growing your impact and your business. If you are not willing to attack your time as a resource, you will stay stuck in a time crisis loop. Again, I consider myself guilty and that's why I've spent so much time personally on this topic.
Here's a list of books that I've read, that have really helped me:
Buy Back Your Time by Dan Martell
Free to Focus by Michael Hyatt
Procrastinate on Purpose: 5 Permissions to Multiply Your Time by Rory Vaden
We as entrepreneurs can become addicted to our goals, disregarding those other pillars of our life that are so important such as our relationships and our health. John Acuff said it best last week on an Instagram post:
"If my business is successful but my family is failing, by business has failed."
I will not be able to un-hear that quote. That is how we should truly analyze our level of success. If you don't feel you are winning in this area, run all of your decisions through the 5 questions I talked about today.
