December Challenge - Scares And Gratitude in Atlanta GA

By
Real Estate Broker/Owner with Atlanta Homes ODAT Realty - Love our Great City - Love our Clients! Buckhead - Midtown - Westside

December Challenge -
Scares And Gratitude in Atlanta GA

 

What is something that I can identify as something I'd like "to scare away ... and not bring into the new year"?

EASY!!!! Disorganization.

I want to be more organized in 2022.  I want to be more consistent using my Client Relationship Manager IXACT Contact  on a daily basis. The platform began to serve real estate agents and continues to serve real estate agents. In addition to normal data storage, IXACT Contact offers newsletters, templates for letters, analytics and much, much more.

I think that I will succeed with this goal. I am so happy when all the "apples" are sorted into the correct baskets and can be retrieved quickly when wanted. Feels more comfortable in the end.

If you want to learn more about the IXACT Contact Real Estate Contact Management & Marketing program, visit Rich Gassenbeek's Blog. He carefully explains everything.

The biggest problem I face now is that when I want something, I can find it 99% of the time. Yes, that is a problem. If I couldn't find things, the incentive to change would be much more powerful.

Thinking in terms of RANDOM ACCESS MEMORY, I shudder to think of how much more I will be able to do with my time once I am not storing all those details! Might even get in that long walk each day...

Another facet of organization would be to keep documents electronically. Having paper copies that date back to the beginning of my firm, 28 years ago, means that there must be space in the office for filing cabinets to keep the all those paper files! 

Switching to a new document storage system means planning for the time to scan the old documents. Once scanned, I need to develop a clear pattern so I can still find everything I need when I need it!

Thanks for getting me to think about the  SCARY prospect! 
All the best - Lynn

 

This post is part of the December Challenge Miracles and Scares sponsored by Andrea Bedard and Carol Williams.

Comments (14)

Brian England
Ambrose Realty Management LLC - Gilbert, AZ
MBA, GRI, REALTOR® Real Estate in East Valley AZ

You just sparked an idea for me as I was struggling a little bit with what to write about for this challenge.  The company I work for is going to transition to a different CRM, so perhaps I can write about that.

Jan 01, 2022 03:55 AM
Lynn B. Friedman CRS Atlanta, GA 404-939-2727

Brian England 
Once in a CE Class, the instructor asked students which was the best CRM. Many different answers were called out. Instructor said that everyone was wrong/ He said, "THE CRM YOU ACTUALLY USE IS THE BEST ONE."   Happy Healthy New Year. Lynn

Jan 02, 2022 12:11 AM
Wayne Martin
Wayne M Martin - Chicago, IL
Real Estate Broker - Retired

Good morning Lynn. Organization is scary for me too. The more progress aI think I am making, the more I need to do. Good luck! Enjoy your day.

Jan 01, 2022 04:44 AM
Lynn B. Friedman CRS Atlanta, GA 404-939-2727

Wayne Martin   Happy Healthy New Year to start!
Glad to hear I am not the only one! Lynn

Jan 02, 2022 12:12 AM
Bill Salvatore - East Valley
Arizona Elite Properties - Chandler, AZ
Realtor - 602-999-0952 / em: golfArizona@cox.net

Happy New Year to you.  Make it your best year ever.  Thanks for the Blog and have a relaxing day. bill

Jan 01, 2022 04:45 AM
Kat Palmiotti
406-270-3667, kat@thehousekat.com, Broker/REALTOR® - Kalispell, MT
Helping your Montana dreams take root

Reducing disorganization is a great goal! I'm fairly organized in general but do let things stack up and then have to spend time getting everything back in shape (this includes my physical desktop and my computer desktop). I should follow your lead and hone my organization skills.

Enjoy your January 1st!

Jan 01, 2022 05:04 AM
Lynn B. Friedman CRS Atlanta, GA 404-939-2727

Kat Palmiotti 
Ha-Ha! Let's hope my "lead" actually appears! 
Happy Healthy New Year. Lynn

Jan 02, 2022 12:13 AM
Carol Williams
Although I'm retired, I love sharing my knowledge and learning from other real estate industry professionals. - Wenatchee, WA
Retired Agent / Broker / Prop. Mgr, Wenatchee, WA

Hi Lynn,
I love your plan for going digital with documents. My plan for 2022 includes getting rid of a lot of documents that are too old to matter for anything. They are just taking up space. I do love being organized. It's staying organized that is the challenge. 

I'm sending good vibes your way for a successful and organized 2022 !

Jan 01, 2022 05:08 AM
Lynn B. Friedman CRS Atlanta, GA 404-939-2727

Carol Williams 
Happy Healthy New Year from one side of the continent to the other! Loved how you said "It's staying organized that is the challenge"! That is so true!

Jan 02, 2022 12:15 AM
Michael Jacobs
Pasadena, CA
Los Angeles Pasadena 818.516.4393

Hello Lynn - paper can be scary and overwhelming amounts of it can be even scarier.  Managing levels of it as well as the flow of it can lead to conquering it.  

Jan 01, 2022 05:13 AM
Lynn B. Friedman CRS Atlanta, GA 404-939-2727

Michael Jacobs 
As they say, from your mouth to the ears of the gods. I will need all of them to actually get organized! 
Happy Healthy New Year!

Jan 02, 2022 12:17 AM
Grant Schneider
Performance Development Strategies - Armonk, NY
Your Coach Helping You Create Successful Outcomes

Hi Lynn - have disorderly documents is scary as you say but look you are getting on track now.

Jan 01, 2022 07:04 AM
Lynn B. Friedman CRS Atlanta, GA 404-939-2727

Grant Schneider 
Happy Healthy New Year to you and yours. 
Staying on the track is the challenge. Lynn

Jan 02, 2022 12:19 AM
Nina Hollander, Broker
Coldwell Banker Realty - Charlotte, NC
Your Greater Charlotte Realtor

Good morning, Lynn... I can totally relate to the idea of being ever more organized. It's a never-ending job, it seems. Fortunately, I got into the habit of using and maintaining my CRM 20 years ago... so it's not an overwhelming project for me... just daily maintenance. I also stopped printing paper a lot over the past few years and have diligently been culling my paper files for months now. That takes a ton of time, but I also know I have no reason to keep many files from 15 or 20 years ago.

Happy organizing to you in 2022!

Jan 01, 2022 07:13 AM
Lynn B. Friedman CRS Atlanta, GA 404-939-2727

Nina Hollander, Broker 
Your words are inspirational!
Happy Healthy New Year - Lynn

Jan 02, 2022 12:20 AM
Myrl Jeffcoat
Sacramento, CA
Greater Sacramento Realtor - Retired

Knowing how much paper shredding I've done these past couple years, going digital seems far more beneficial than paper.  Yet, when I do digitize, I have this unexplained need to keep a hard copy.🙂

Jan 01, 2022 01:36 PM
Lynn B. Friedman CRS Atlanta, GA 404-939-2727

Myrl Jeffcoat 
YES!!!!  Also have "this unexplained need to keep a hard copy." Happy Healthy New Year - Lynn

Jan 02, 2022 12:22 AM
Myrl Jeffcoat
Sacramento, CA
Greater Sacramento Realtor - Retired

CONGRATULATIONS Lynn, on having this blog FEATURED in the Old Farts Club group!  

Jan 01, 2022 01:36 PM
Lynn B. Friedman CRS Atlanta, GA 404-939-2727

Myrl Jeffcoat 
Thanks - my FIRST Feature there!
Appreciated - Lynn

Jan 02, 2022 12:22 AM
George Souto
George Souto NMLS #65149 FHA, CHFA, VA Mortgages - Middletown, CT
Your Connecticut Mortgage Expert

Lynn being more organized and keeping more in touch with our clients is something we should all strive in 2022!!!

I hope you had a very happy and enjoyable New Year's Day, and that 2022 exceeds your expectations.

Jan 01, 2022 03:38 PM
Lynn B. Friedman CRS Atlanta, GA 404-939-2727

George Souto 
And keeping in touch with you as well! Lynn
Same wishes to you - "hope you had a very happy and enjoyable New Year's Day, and that 2022 exceeds your expectations."

Jan 02, 2022 12:24 AM
Andrea Bedard
Thompson Company, REALTORS® 240.593.2860 - Silver Spring, MD
Fluent in Real Estate & German, M.A. ABR ASP CIPS

I started the scary process of sorting through years of paper files at the beginning of last year! I am not done yet - because life and Real Estate - but have made much progress. It seemed like such a daunting task when I started and I definitely procrastinated for quite some time, but now I am breaking it up into more manageable segments, i.e. a couple folder at a time, or that stack sitting over there.. 

Thank you for your contributions Lynn! I very much appreciate it! Have a wonderful 2022!

Jan 02, 2022 10:34 AM
Lynn B. Friedman CRS Atlanta, GA 404-939-2727

Andrea Bedard   Carol Williams 
Yes, when we volunteer to sponsor a Challenge, "scary" can enter. What if no one participates?  Thanks for doing it - I enjoyed the impetus to think about 2022! And now it is here! All the best - Lynn

Jan 02, 2022 07:43 PM
Debe Maxwell, CRS
Savvy + Company (704) 491-3310 - Charlotte, NC
The RIGHT CHARLOTTE REALTOR!

Great goals and entry for the challenge, Lynn! I also use IXACT and LOVE it! I tried Ben's but, there were a lot of bells & whistles that I just did not need - and it was down more than it was up! LOL

About 15 years ago, I started scanning everything in and now, I always take my laptop (which has my client's file, all email correspondence and text messages on it) to Closing. It's liberating and I am confident you will love it too - and love getting all of that filing space back!

Happy, happy new year!

Happy New Year!

Jan 02, 2022 12:56 PM
Lynn B. Friedman CRS Atlanta, GA 404-939-2727

Debe Maxwell, CRS 
I tell people that IXACT Contact is like a digital 3x5 card system - SO EASY TO USE! And over the years, they have added lots of bonus features. I enjoy using it very much! Happy Healthy New Year - Lynn

Jan 02, 2022 07:44 PM
Debe Maxwell, CRS
Savvy + Company (704) 491-3310 - Charlotte, NC
The RIGHT CHARLOTTE REALTOR!

Lynn B. Friedman CRS Atlanta, GA 404-939-2727, it REALLY is! I do love it and think the fact that it is user-friendly is the reason I've stuck with it.  

Happy, healthy new year to you too!

Jan 02, 2022 09:24 PM