Your friends write your epitaph: WHAT WILL IT SAY?

As REAL ESTATE is a 24 hour a day 7 day a week...52 week a year job, how can you have a life?  What is the trick to keep us from stressing out.  Do you feel like you can't get away....you can't go see a movie....can't have a uninterrupted dinner with your loved ones....can't go on a true relaxing holiday....can't sit down and watch TV without getting on the computer (crap, I am doing that now).

Here are some rules to live by for the rest of your career........  If you break the rules have penalties for yourself and tell people around you what the penalites are so they will help enforce them.  You can do this, but it will take planning on how to accomplish it.  The world will go on without you whether you believe it or not.  Learn to delegate and pass on complete responsibility to someone else.  In turn, take complete responsibility for someone else for THEIR TIME.

1) YOUR TIME: Have your golf game (or whatever your vice is) each and every week at a given time and put it on your calendar.  Never ever cancel the event for any client....NEVER.  This is your time for you.  Do not answer your phone nor listen for voice messages nor check for text messages.  You phone is only there should you get into an accident.  Your client wants to put in an offer on a $2 million dollar home, you tell them when you get free at 3pm you will meet them.  Tell whomever you want that these are the days that are your time.  If you are a golfer then play gold.  Pick Tuesday morning, Thursday morning and Saturday morning.  You are not allowed to break any golf date.  i play ice hockey and there is no way that anyone will ever break a hockey game of mine.....ever.  Saturday afternoon I am out but I can show you the home Saturday morning or at 3 on Sunday...which would work best. (Sunday morning is Church and that will never be missed as I have to answer to God.....and I don't want to know that penalty).

2) FAMILY TIME:  This could be your family, you girl or boy friend or your parents.  This is THEIR time that you set and never ever ever break it.   Set a date or two or three every week and put it on your calendar.  DO NOT BREAK THE DATE.  Don't do it for the salvation of your family. Never ever answer a phone or a text with your family.  it is rude and selfish.  The penalty I have with my family if I answer the phone during family time is that my cell phone will be taken away for 24 hours.  I promise you it is that important to your family.  Today, put the family time dates in your calendar with recurrences and tell your family this is date night and make sure that they keep you from breaking your family promise.

3) VACATION TIME:  Set a minimum of 3 weeks a year for vacation where you will not conduct any business whatsoever.  Do not bring your computer.  Do not bring your cell phone.  The only thing you are allowed to do is to buy postcards for your clientele to send to them.  Here is a little trick.  Buy the postcards but DO NOT FILL THEM OUT!!!  At the end of your vacation fill out the post cards....such as "wish you were here"....put a stamp on them and send it to someone that you met on your vacation to have them put it in the post office of that location. If you fill these out on your vacation you have failed.  Do not take less than 3 weeks a year.  You deserve it.  You will just have to figure out how to make enough money to make it happen.  Put the vacation times and places in your calendar this week for next year.

4) STRESS RELIEF TIME: Take one hour every day to take stress away.  Well, Tim that is impossible.  No it is not.  Mine is running and exercising.  Some is reading the bible....some it is yoga.....some it is an afternoon nap.  Put it in your calendar and do not bend from it.  If you do, double the stress relief time the next day.

Abiding by these rules will cause results that surprise you.  You will become much more efficient and create more results than you would otherwise.  WHY?  You are clear headed and have budgeted yourself better than 99% of agents; thus, you are destined for success.

5) GET YOUR PRIORITIES IN LIFE STRAIGHT:  Odds are close to 100% that you are someone you know well will either die or have a serious tragedy this year and every year.  If you don't do this, odds are much greater that it will be you and not someone you know.

SO YOUR FRIENDS GET TOGETHER AFTER YOUR DEATH AND THEY DECIDE THEY WANT TO PUT AN EPITAPH ON YOUR TOMBSTONE.  W H A T   W I L L   I T   S A Y ?