by Dermot Buffini
It’s the first quarter of the year, the time when we’re still feeling that initial surge of motivation from the new year, and we’re confident this will be the year that we achieve all our goals. However, motivation doesn’t last and without it, we’re less likely to reach our goals. You’ve probably experienced it yourself: You create goals for the year in January, feeling motivated and eager to achieve them. But how do you feel midway through the year or at the end of the year, for that matter, when you remember you have goals and only a month to achieve them? How can we harness our motivation and use it to help us not only achieve our goals, but get more done each day? One of the things we ask our clients to do to “sharpen the saw” is to commit to personal growth—attend classes and seminars, read books and listen to CDs. Since one of our core values is to live what we teach, and as the CEO of Buffini & Company, it’s essential I do the same. So, I want to share a bit about a book I recently finished called The 12 Week Year: Get More Done in 12 Weeks than Others Do in 12 Months by Brian P. Moran and Michael Lennington, which offers tips to help people streamline their productivity and get the results they want in less time. It’s a timely topic—who doesn’t want to be more productive? A quick search on Amazon for “productivity” books brought up more than 36,866 results. It’s a hot topic! What struck me most about The 12 Week Year is how well the concept dovetails with our own Work by Referral system.
Instead of thinking in 12-month intervals, Moran and Lennington explain that it’s much more effective to plan in shorter, 12-week intervals. The shorter timeframe forces you to change the way you think about your productivity, which then helps you operate within a very effective and productive time frame. According to the authors, 12 weeks is long enough to achieve what you want, but short enough to help you stay motivated. Since you’re working within a short timeframe, you’ll make better use of your time and your results will show in how much more you get done each day.
The system is broken down into 12 weekly plans, which narrow your focus on the activities that matter most. Your time is divided into “strategic blocks” to complete goal-centered activities (e.g., lead generation), “buffer blocks” to complete unplanned activities (e.g., the ‘fires’ that spring up during the day) and “breakout blocks” where you focus on something other than your business (e.g., personal development). Each day you review your progress and goals, and track your performance.
Sound familiar? If you’ve completed Peak Producers® training, it should ring a few bells. Even if you haven’t completed the training, you’ve definitely heard Brian Buffini discuss it over the years during monthly conference calls or at any of our events. Like our system, the 12-Week Year requires accountability, a commitment to the system every single day and the choice to do all that is necessary to reach your goals. And, in order to get results, you have to change the way you think, create and stick to your weekly plan, and track and review your progress. Now do you see why I’m a fan of this book? It’s similar to what we’ve been teaching for two decades!
At Buffini & Company, personal growth is a vital part of what we teach. We’re always looking for ways to keep you motivated and informed so you can be at your very best. We’re excited to launch two new podcasts this month, The Brian Buffini Show and The Real Estate Success Show. Be sure to tune in each week to learn more about the latest trends, timeless strategies to boost your business and a healthy dose of motivation.
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