WOULD YOU RATHER….Eat a spider, or call a FSBO?

How To Beat Procrastination (Part 1)

Everyone procrastinates. Those who are most successful at building their real estate business have learned to do the hard things in spite of their natural tendencies.  So how can you join their ranks?  There are 10 techniques to choose from.  Here are the first five:

One.  SET A DEADLINE.  Procrastinators know that deadlines work.  Setting a date helps you take action.  In the words of the immortal motivator Norman Vincent Peale, “Action is a great restorer and builder of confidence”.   Deadlines help us to take action which begets confidence. But did you know that the most powerful deadlines are those imposed by others?  Finding a partner to hold you accountable increases the likelihood that you’ll take the action you plan.

Two.  RE-SET.  A new way of re-setting your procrastinating tendencies is to count backwards. Saying 5 – 4 – 3 – 2 – 1 out loud breaks the “loop” of discouraging self-talk.  It’s a matter of playing a trick on your brain.  Instead of your inner voice repeating, “I’ll do it later” or “Hit the snooze button once more”  – counting backwards requires attention from your thoughts. It “breaks the loop.”  And at “1” – you move.  Move your body toward your objective.  You’ve “re-set” your thinking.  The best part of this one?  It becomes a new habit easily and works for almost anything.

Three.  START.  Kenneth McGraw’s research proved that when we are interrupted on a task – even one we don’t need to finish – our minds continue to pursue the task.  By starting, even in just a small way, we are directing our thoughts toward the finish line.  Do you have a big project you’ve put off beginning?  Spend ten minutes to start it.  

Four.  BREAK IT INTO SMALLER STEPS.  Sometimes the size of the project can feel prohibitive.  Spending time with a notepad gives you perspective to see the “big task” as a series of smaller steps.  

Five.  GIVE YOURSELF A PRIZE.  Setting mini-goals with an incentive can help you do anything.  You can have that cup of coffee when you’ve handled the Buyer who wants to back out.  You can call your best friend after you’ve invited 25 neighbors to the Open House. Putting even a small “carrot” as the reward helps us get through the drudgery of tasks we’d prefer to avoid.

I’ve got five more techniques to help you avoid procrastination – but I’m going to write the rest of this article later.