The number one obstacle between real estate agents and higher production is interruptions. A close second is procrastination.

Procrastination is the direct result of a lack of urgency to do what needs to be done and to do it now. Urgency is directly linked to success. You can increase your output by 30% if you work with urgency in mind.

My friend, Brian Tracy, shared with me years ago the law of forced efficiency. It is based on the premise that you will never have enough time to do everything you want or need to do, but in every day, there will always be enough time to accomplish the most important tasks. Obviously, you won’t get to the most important things if you are bogged down with tasks of low importance that could easily wait until later. Nor will you get to the most important tasks if you procrastinate.

Once you set your priorities of what are the most important tasks, take action without procrastination by following these two pieces of advice:

• Limit the time in which you can get the job done. Too much time to work can lower urgency and lead to procrastination. By identifying days off and time off, you raise the efficiency and effectiveness of your production on the days you are working.

• Give yourself deadlines. Have you ever noticed how much gets done when you are leaving on a vacation in a day or so. I’ve seen people double or triple their work output in the days leading up to a vacation. What if you operated everyday at that pace and urgency all the time? Your income and quality of life would explode to heights you never imagined.

Moving forward with a clear vision

A good deal of procrastination results directly from the lack of a clear vision or clarity about what to do. If you don’t know what you want, you can’t possibly achieve it. You can hardly hit a target you can’t see.

Clarity of purpose kills procrastination, yet fewer than 3% of all people define and write down their goals.

Answer these questions:

• What do you want to be?

• What do you want to do with your life?

• What do you want to have?

• Where do you want to go?

I know you want to be financially independent. Otherwise, you wouldn’t be in real estate sales. But what does financial independence mean to you? How much money do you need to live the lifestyle you dream about? The famous success motivator, Napoleon Hill, explains the importance of identifying your goal when he says: “There is one quality that one must posses to win, and that is definiteness of purpose . . . the knowledge of what one wants and a burning desire to achieve it.”

Clarify your desires in life. Once you are certain about what you want to achieve, you’ll find it far easier set and follow an action plan that isn’t hindered by the problem of procrastination.

Knowing your objectives

You’ll set annual goals, of course, but also remember each day that you work or play in terms of daily objectives. What do you want to accomplish today? What result do you want to achieve by day’s end?

I coached a young real estate Agent, Greg Ferrera, in Portland, Oregon. Greg had a high sense of urgency to succeed but struggled when it came to establishing plans and objectives necessary to achieve his goals. In 1998 he wanted to make $250,000 in income. He was less than a third of the way to his goal when we began working together in July of that year. Then, over the next five months, he closed deals for another $175,000! The key was setting a daily objective. Each morning he asked and answered the question: Who has the highest probability of buying or selling today? Then he focused single-mindedly on those prospects.

What big picture results do you want to achieve today?

Setting your priorities

Your priorities are the most important actions or steps you must take in order to achieve your objectives for the day. Objectives and priorities aren’t one and the same. Objectives are results you intend to achieve. Priorities are steps you must take to achieve success.

By prioritizing the importance or value of the tasks on your to-do list, you greatly increase the probability that you will be motivated to overcome procrastination and get the job done.

Most people go about creating task lists in the wrong way. They write down all of the things that they must do each day and then go to work – proudly ticking off items as they are completed and equating their level of success with the number of items they check off the list. Success, though, doesn’t result from how many things you get done. It results from getting the right things done. In other words, you need to know your priorities.

Following is an outline for the prioritization system I’ve used with success for years:

1. Create your daily task list as you normally would. Don’t think at all about what is most important. Just think about what needs to get done over the course of the day. Put yourself in brainstorming mode and get your thoughts down on paper.

2. Once you have your list, create task categories. You’re not prioritizing during this step. This isn’t about what to do first, second, or third. All you’re doing is sorting tasks into these categories:

   • You’ll suffer a significant consequence if you don’t complete these tasks today. If it means you have to work all day and all night, these items must get done.

   • These tasks trigger a mild consequence if they aren’t completed today. You probably wouldn’t stay late in order to finish them.

   • These tasks have no penalty at all if they aren’t done today.

   • These tasks can be delegated. They involve low-value activities that should be performed by someone who has a lower hourly dollar value than you.

   • These tasks can and should be eliminated. They probably made their way onto your list out of tradition or habit. They aren’t necessary, so you need to figure out a way to get them off the list. I call it pruning.

My friend, Zig Ziglar, tells a story of a little boy who asks his mother as they are preparing a holiday meal why she cuts the ends of the ham. She says, “I don’t know. My mother always did it this way.” Now this four-year-old boy (the reason I know he was four is that my son, Wesley, is four and would say the exact same thing) said, “Let’s call Grandma right now and find out.” So they call Grandma and ask why she always cut the ends off the ham. Her reply: Her roaster was too small!

Once your list is categorized, prioritize the tasks. Begin with your A category and determine which item deserves A-1 status. Follow by designating A-2, A-3, A-4, A-5, and so on. Then repeat the process for the B, C, and D categories. Go to work in the order of these priorities, and you’ll be amazed at how you can accomplish more in less time without falling into the procrastination trap.

As you master the art of prioritizing, expect to see fewer cross-offs or checkmarks on your task list. By undertaking your most important tasks first, you’ll complete fewer but more important activities.

Consider every day that you achieve closure on all your A category items a terrific success. If you complete your A items every single day you work this year, I guarantee that you’ll see your production and income explode.

Published: March 20, 2009

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Dirk Zeller is a sought out speaker, celebrated author and CEO of Real Estate Champions. His company trains more than 350,000 Agents worldwide each year through live events, online training, self-study programs, and newsletters. The Real Estate community has embraced and praised his six best-selling books; Your First Year in Real Estate, Success as a Real Estate Agent for Dummies®, The Champion Real Estate Agent, The Champion Real Estate Team, Telephone Sales for Dummies®, Successful Time Management for Dummies®, and over 300 articles in print. To learn more regarding this article, please visit www.realestatechampions.com.