Learn How to Pace Yourself

Surely you’ve heard of the old axiom: “It’s a marathon, not a sprint.”

Training for a marathon requires a strategy. You can burn out if you train too hard too soon. By the same token, if you wait until the last minute to start training, you won’t have the endurance needed to complete the 26 miles.

The same type of thinking applies to your career, especially if you’re in the real estate business. It’s great to be passionate, but too much passion without any control can lead to burnout.  On the other hand, if you have a lax attitude toward your business, you run the chance of never building any momentum.

That’s why real estate professionals must learn how to pace themselves to sustain themselves over the long haul.  Here are a few tips:

• Use your tools. If you find that you’re losing focus, it may be that you’ve stopped following the basic tools of your trade. Write out and maintain a strict schedule and stick it for 90 days until it’s ingrained again. Your scheduled needs to include time for script practice, calling and role-playing.  Plus, don’t forget exercise and healthy meals.
• Set reasonable goals. Just as runners begin their training with short distances , you should set small, achievable goals. For example, maybe one week you set a goal to make 20 calls each day and get one listing appointment for the week. You’ll feel enthusiastic upon reaching your goals.  You’ll also be encourage to be ready to add more assertive benchmarks the next week. In this way, you progress to higher levels.
• Plan Ahead. Elite runners keep their eyes on the middle distance: They know that looking behind or straight down can trip them up. As such, you should write an annual plan and break it down into quarterly or monthly goals. But also consider a three-year goal. Update it every year as you review what’s worked in the prior year and adjust for the next year.
• Hold yourself accountable. Having an accountability partner works for just about every task, be it athletic training or professional life. Working with a partner to review goals and your progress in meeting them is a key component to staying on track in your journey.
• Visualize success. Athletes who mentally run courses or jump hurdles typically perform better than those who don’t. You, too, should empower yourself by visualizing what you want, be it a certain number of listings or to be a broker in charge of other agents. You have to see what you want in order to stay on track.

Remember, long-term success isn’t about who starts out fastest, but about pacing for continued success. You don’t need to be a runner to see the wisdom in that.