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Habits: The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly

By Nathan Gesner

Real Estate Broker/Owner with American West Realty and Management 12599

September 05, 2017 05:07 AM

This is in response to a challenge by Debbie Reynolds to share some of our habits. Of course, the hard part is narrowing my bad habits down!

My good habit is rising early to start my day. It's a habit instilled in me early in life because of school. We had to get up at 6:30am to get ready for school. We usually had a few chores in the morning before hopping on the bus for a 45-minute ride. I continued this habit in the military, first out of necessity but eventually it became part of my personal routine. For the past 30 years, I've woken up about three hours prior to my work day starting. This allows time to read the Bible, catch up on email, and get ready for the day. I can get more done in those quiet times than I could in eight hours during the day!

My bad habit is diet and exercise. These used to be good habits, but I suspect it was primarily bolstered by my military service and not by my personal drive. As a busy property manager, I have a terrible habit of not planning ahead because my plans generally fall apart when a pipe breaks, or someone wants to view a rental, or a Landlord walks in the door to chat with me about their current properties or to start looking for a new one. It's far too common for me to eat lunch around 2pm and then I typically grab some crap from the drive-through. This is my #1 focus to fix this year!

My ugly habit is being a work-a-holic. I love to work! I love being productive. My idea of retirement is to work 30 hours a week. You will never find me in a retirement community, sitting around all day playing cards and talking about bowel movements or grandkids! Being a work-a-holic may sound like a good habit, but there are two sides to the coin. When I am focused on work, I can easily shut everything else out. I often forget the importance of taking breaks, spending time with others, or focusing on my personal health. It's a constant struggle and - so far - I haven't found a way to break it but I am always working on it and always improving.

I enjoyed the opportunity to examine myself a little deeper and it's always fun to think about one of my favorite movies!

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Nathan Gesner

American West Realty and Management - Cody, WY

Broker / Property Manager

Thanks for taking the time to comment, Wayne Martin !

Betsy N. Robinson - Serving the Sandhills, NC I suppose a lot of us share the same struggles. Thanks for commenting!

Sep 06, 2017 04:44 AM

Nathan Gesner

American West Realty and Management - Cody, WY

Broker / Property Manager

Beth Atalay our saving grace is that we still have young kids at home and just follow their school break schedule. Without that, I don't think I would do more than take weekends off!

Sep 06, 2017 04:45 AM

Nathan Gesner

American West Realty and Management - Cody, WY

Broker / Property Manager

One thing that helps with the diet is to prepare food in advance and have ONLY healthy snacks available. Thanks for reading, Nick & Trudy Vandekar, 610-203-4543

Sep 06, 2017 04:47 AM

Nathan Gesner

American West Realty and Management - Cody, WY

Broker / Property Manager

We all share a lot of common traits, Lawrence "Larry" & Sheila Agranoff. Cell: 631-805-4400 . Unfortunately, too many of the bad traits!

Sep 06, 2017 04:48 AM

Nathan Gesner

American West Realty and Management - Cody, WY

Broker / Property Manager

If I didn't get up early, I wouldn't accomplish half as much in a given day. Although I already have the habit, I don't always use my time wisely in those early morning hours so I recommend reading The Miracle Morning by Hal Elrod. It's a short, fairly simple book that explains some morning rituals to maximize your time.

Thanks for the challenge, Debbie Reynolds

Sep 06, 2017 04:50 AM

Larry Lawfer

YourStories Realty Group - Newton, MA

"I listen for a living." It's all about you.

Our lives are built on our habits. Self awareness makes the difference in the quality of life. Time to get rid of work-aholic and replace it with live-aholic. Have fun, live, laugh and hug more people, but be careful with that, some people don't like it. hehe

Sep 06, 2017 07:06 AM

Roy Kelley

Gaithersburg, MD

Jeff Wright

Foundation First Property Group - Hanover, PA

Property Manager in Hanover, PA

I seems like a lot of our good, bad, and ugly habits are the same. I enjoy getting up around 5:30 for my quiet time, but have difficulty getting to sleep before midnight. Sometimes I think I should move my business to Mexico where I can have siesta time from 2-4pm!!

Sep 06, 2017 08:04 AM

Roy Kelley

Gaithersburg, MD

Nathan Gesner

American West Realty and Management - Cody, WY

Broker / Property Manager

Larry Lawfer I'm not a big hugger, but I get your point. It's definitely important to regularly evaluate where we're at and how we can improve. Constant growth is important. THanks for commenting!

Sep 06, 2017 08:51 AM

Nathan Gesner

American West Realty and Management - Cody, WY

Broker / Property Manager

Jeff Wright I have no problem getting to bed early! Last night I was in bed reading around 9:45. And I do love a good power nap!

Sep 06, 2017 08:52 AM

Jeff Wright

Hanover, PA

Roy Kelley

Retired - Gaithersburg, MD

We share a couple of bad habits. I need to get more exercise and reduce my weight.

Sep 07, 2017 04:47 AM

Kat Palmiotti

eXp Commercial, Referral Divison - Kalispell, MT

Helping your Montana dreams take root

Thanks for sharing!

I did think, "hey, this isn't an ugly habit" but as you mentioned, working to the point of ignoring everything else, isn't good if it happens all the time.

I agree with your 30 hour a week in retirement comment. I'm not planning to sit around and bs all day either.

Sep 07, 2017 04:53 AM

Allie Angeloni

Oro Valley, AZ

Nathan Gesner

American West Realty and Management - Cody, WY

Broker / Property Manager

Roy Kelley , I imagine exercise and weight are two of the most common culprits!

Sep 07, 2017 06:35 AM

Roy Kelley

Gaithersburg, MD

Nathan Gesner

American West Realty and Management - Cody, WY

Broker / Property Manager

Kat Palmiotti , I would at least volunteer at the senior center or be a WalMart greeter. My retirement home is six feet under!

Sep 07, 2017 06:36 AM

Pat Starnes-Front Gate Realty

Front Gate Real Estate - Brandon, MS

601-991-2900 Office; 601-278-4513 Cell

I like your creative use of Clint Eastwood's likeness for your images! My bad habit is similar to yours, although I chose another for my post. Fast food in the car must be a universal Realtor habit!

Sep 10, 2017 08:47 AM

Allie Angeloni

Oro Valley, AZ

Allie Angeloni

Long Realty - Oro Valley, AZ

What a great Blog Nathan Gesner. Love the humor in your writing and the honesty. You are a driven person with alot of energy, and someone who makes good use of their time. I agree that whatever the word 'retirement' means, it's not in my vocabulary either - thanks for sharing! And those pics aren't 'all' Clint Eastwood, I don't think . . .

Sep 10, 2017 09:19 PM

Laura Filip

Laura Filip Broker , Opening doors for All Seasons of Life - Whitesboro, TX

What can we do for you today?

Great post , thank you for sharing, Morning is not my thing at all, Still at the office ant it is just about 9pm central time zone. Bad habit maybe but it is who I am

Sep 14, 2017 06:47 PM

Nathan Gesner

American West Realty and Management - Cody, WY

Broker / Property Manager

Thanks for commenting, Laura. We're all on a spectrum so night owls can be just as successful as early birds. It's a matter of using our time productively.

Sep 15, 2017 08:15 AM

Patricia Feager, MBA, CRS, GRI,MRP

DFW FINE PROPERTIES - Flower Mound, TX

Selling Homes Changing Lives

First of all, thanks for your military services. With regards to what you have to do and what you can do is pretty common. As humans, I think we all need structure and those of us who were raised in a culture and/or society where you respected your elders, even bosses, e.g., Military Personnel, or religious authority knew better than to procrastinate. We followed rules because we had to.

I love your honest writing. You're a great guy. Don't ever forget it.

Oct 09, 2017 07:27 AM

Nathan Gesner

American West Realty and Management - Cody, WY

Broker / Property Manager

Now you're making me blush, Patricia! Seriously, thank you for taking the time to read and leave such a nice comment. I hope you have a great week!

Oct 09, 2017 07:15 PM

Karen Feltman

Cedar Rapids/Iowa City, IA KW Legacy Group - Cedar Rapids, IA

Relocation Specialist in Cedar Rapids, Iowa

I think that A LOT of us struggle with the same things! My worst is getting enough sleep, my brain won't shut off at night and I work to try to make myself tired, which results in me not being at my best the next day. Saying no is one thing that I am getting better at though!

Oct 10, 2017 06:59 AM