Jake Thompson directly addresses camera:  Do you get sucked into allowing others to dictate your schedule and allow things out of your control to dominate your day? We all sometimes do, but that needs to change to get the win.
      I'm Jake Thompson, a performance coach, speaker and chief encouragement officer for Compete Every Day in Texas. Let's take five minutes to talk about how creating daily systems and processes can help you control your schedule, serve your customers and win every time.
A real estate transaction has a ton of moving parts, so it's easy to get sucked into the trap of always being in fire-fighting mode, running from house to house putting out fires versus being intentional and figuring out how to avoid the fires in the first place.
      I've worked with many Realtors and learned that creating daily processes for things within their control is a great way to minimize fires. You want procedures that give you confidence that you've done everything you can to put them into a position to succeed.
First, every day, around 3-4 p.m., write down the next day's priorities and time block your schedule. I suggest you pick three priorities. Yes, I know this seems very structured and rigid and you might want to just go with the flow, but discipline is freedom. So, make time every day to plan what you're doing the next day. Think about it: Many people start the day checking text messages and emails. These messages are other people's priorities and not necessarily yours or your customer's. Then, you start answering questions nonstop and working on items that are NOT on your priority list. At the end of the day, you're scrambling to call that loan officer, praying they answer the phone at 9 p.m.
      When you put items on your calendar, the chances of you getting them done is high because you've already made the first choice to commit to that activity.
      Next, recap your day. Do this before writing your priorities for the next day. Did I complete the three priorities I had? What did I learn today? What do I need to do differently tomorrow? By taking a step back, we build our self-awareness and improve.
      There's an exercise that many sports psychologists use but it applies to real estate. Every Friday or Saturday afternoon, depending on your work schedule, sit down and look at the last five days. I call this the Stop, Start, Continue exercise.
      Ask yourself, What is something I did this week that didn't benefit my business? Write it down. It's the one thing you'll stop doing. Or it's something you can delegate to someone else.
Then, ask, what do I do most weeks that benefit my customers? That's something you want to continue.
      Finally, ask, what did I do well last week? Write it down; that's the thing to continue. Keep a list of the activities you want to start and continue so you can refer to them each week. This is all to build self-awareness. When you make these 1% or 2% tweaks each week, eventually, they will pay huge dividends to your business.
      It's easy to get caught up trying to control the outcome. Instead, control the process. You'll have much more success. And write it down. I firmly believe that to be effective, you need to get everything out of your head and on paper. Truly commit to the process, and I guarantee you'll be pleased with the results.