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By
Real Estate Agent with Real Estate One

“The secret of getting ahead is getting started.” (Agatha Christie) from the Jack’s Winning Words blog.

 

Jack certainly has a knack for finding quotes that seem to be particularly applicable to real estate. Procrastination is perhaps the biggest roadblock to success in real estate. There are many reasons for putting off getting started on things – fear of failure being one of the biggest. Other reasons include poor time management or poor prioritization of the use of your time, lack or planning or preparation for the task at hand and lack of personal accountability.

 

The point is that if you’ve identified something that needs to be done in order to increase your man at starting linesuccess, to get you ahead; then you should commit to get started on it. Sometimes getting started is putting together a plan and allocating the time and resources needed for the task. Not everything can just be jumped into immediately without prep time; however, you need to give yourself encouragement that the work you are doing to prepare IS part of the task. You are getting started when you have started preparing.

 

One thing that many personal coaches will tell you is that you should hold yourself accountable and a way to help yourself do that is to tell someone else (usually a life mate or friend) that you are going to do whatever it is that is at hand , so that you also feel a sense of obligation to get the task done, now that you’ve told people you were going to do it. That, too, is part of getting it done. I kiddingly tell my wife that I’m in the “fixin’ to” stage at that point – I’m fixin’ to do something. Sometimes I get stuck in the fixin’ to stage and she has to gently remind me that I never really got around to the actual doin’ stage. That helps me get started.

 

Sometimes the  big roadblock to actually getting started can be the imagined size of the task at hand. If you have a really big project that is daunting and causing you to pause before getting started, experts will tell you that a way to overcome your inertia is to break the task down to smaller sub-tasks and start by tackling a few of those small parts. Then the accomplishment of each little sub-task will feel like a win and make moving on to the next part easier. Still the real challenge is to get started. So look at your to do list of tasks and figure out the best approach to each, but GET STARTED. I’m fixin’ to do that right now.

 

Posted by

 

 Norm Werner

Real Estate One

 

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Norm Werner 2009-2011 All rights reserved

Comments (11)

Lenn Harley
Lenn Harley, Homefinders.com, MD & VA Homes and Real Estate - Leesburg, VA
Real Estate Broker - Virginia & Maryland

And the longer a task is put off, the harder it becomes.

Sep 11, 2012 09:38 PM
Michael Setunsky
Woodbridge, VA
Your Commercial Real Estate Link to Northern VA

Norm, I think accountability is the major factor in accomplishing tasks. Sometimes we put things off for tomorrow so we will have something to do tomorrow.

Sep 11, 2012 10:38 PM
Fernando Herboso - Associate Broker MD, & VA
Maxus Realty Group of Samson Properties - Clarksburg, MD
301-246-0001 Serving Maryland, DC and Northern VA

Is all about a comfort zone. . .no one likes to be extricated from an easy habit that you know very well to do or not do. . .success is found outside that comfort zone. .you have to want it bad enough!

Sep 11, 2012 11:02 PM
Margaret Goss
@Properties - Winnetka, IL
Chicago's North Shore & Winnetka Real Estate

I recently wrote a post about using an Accountability Partner - I found mine here on Active Rain. We communicate twice a week - once to share what our task that week will be and once to confirm that the task was completed.  Works for us - I would not be getting so much done without being accountable to her.

Sep 11, 2012 11:27 PM
Beth Atalay
Cam Realty and Property Management - Clermont, FL
Cam Realty of Clermont FL

For the most part, we know exactly what we need to do to get us where we want to be BUT!! There's a BIG BUT, that day never comes for whatever excuse we could come up with. I agree with Fernando, most of us are afraid to get out of our comfort zone, however, to have things you've never had, you must do things you've never done.

Sep 11, 2012 11:27 PM
Anna Tolstoy
Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage - Natick, MA

Norm, that is so true! The key for me is to bring it down to the smallest and esiest first baby step possible, and then do it. You eat an elephant piece by piece, right? But I feel we spend too much time walking around this elephant looking for the perfect piece to start...

Sep 11, 2012 11:28 PM
Richie Alan Naggar
people first...then business Ran Right Realty - Riverside, CA
agent & author

If it comes up on my radar, that is step one....from there, I am open to anything

Sep 11, 2012 11:35 PM
Ron & Carol Young
The Ron Young Team - Keller Williams Real Estate - Fort Washington, PA

Very true! Thanks for sharing.

Sep 11, 2012 11:57 PM
Harry F. D'Elia III
WEDO Real Estate and Beyond, LLC - Phoenix, AZ
Investor , Mentor, GRI, Radio, CIPS, REOs, ABR

The best thing to do is meet the task head on and obtain assistance to get it down faster

Sep 12, 2012 12:01 AM
Shelley Gillman
Water Pointe Realty Group - Palm City, FL

Just what the doctor ordered.  Like Nike says, "just do it".

Sep 12, 2012 12:44 AM
Eric Michael
Remerica Integrity, Realtors®, Northville, MI - Livonia, MI
Metro Detroit Real Estate Professional 734.564.1519

Hi Norm, this one hit home. I'm a perfect example of a procrastinator. In fact, I just got off the phone with my wife. She told me she's going to call a plumber in the morning because I've put off fixing a leak in the shower.

Sep 12, 2012 05:40 AM