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Regardless of who you are or where you’re at in your real estate career, we all have the same number of hours in each day and each week.
It’s a consistent figure — 24 hours in a day, 168 hours a week. No more. No less.
If you then go by the Australian average of 7.5 hours each day that’s dedicated to getting the required amount of sleep, that leaves you with 115.5 hours per week.
In those hours, we juggle our work, family, friends, and personal time.
So, what separates the weeks when we achieve from those when we don’t? I like to call them “extreme productivity days,” and they work like this:
Extreme productivity days
Extreme productivity days are those dates on the calendar when we go all-in, pump out the work and quite simply, get stuff done.
They’re the days when nothing stands in the way of achieving the desired result; when you knuckle down, work through your to-do list, and emerge with the knowledge a lot has been achieved.
But they don’t just happen by accident. To get the most out of each week, we need to schedule extreme productivity days, which don’t necessarily have to involve work.
They can be personal or professional. They can revolve around completing a work project or doing something for yourself like getting your taxes in order or completing a garden makeover.
Regardless of the desired result, when you embrace them, they reap very real and satisfying results that see you clock up some serious progress on whatever task you’re seeking to complete.
So, here are some tips to set up and enjoy an effective, extreme productivity day.
Set it in your diary
If you’re planning an extreme productivity day, schedule it in your diary and let everyone know.
This should be a day of minimal interruptions when you can focus on the task at hand without getting waylaid by distractions.
Set a time frame
Decide how long the workday will be and be realistic about the time required to work through the tasks you have planned.
You cannot leave this to chance and say: “I will work as long as I can.” It’s hard to go all out for more than 10 to 12 hours, so be mindful and realistic about your concentration and effectiveness levels.
Start early, take breaks
If you’re really looking to get some mileage behind you, start early. For some, that might be 7am or 8am; for others it’s even earlier.
The early accomplishments of the day will help you kickstart the motivation flow and help you establish and maintain productive momentum.
In the interim, don’t forget to take short recharge breaks. Where possible, have these when you’re transitioning from one task to another.
Keep them short, sweet and focused, and resist the urge to use them for activities you know will distract you, such as checking the news or scrolling through social media.
Minimise ‘away’ time
On an extreme productivity day, don’t schedule out-of-office appointments or activities that will take you away from the task at hand.
Minimise travel time if you can, pop your phone in a desk drawer so it doesn’t beckon you to answer or check it, and set your email or other notifications to silent.
You can then check your phone and email at set times throughout the day or for a designated period at the end of the day, if required.
Have a clear outcome
This is not a day for thoughtlessly meandering from one task to another. Instead, you must have a clear project outcome for the day.
That might involve a list of small tasks you need to get done, or one larger project that must be completed.
Remember, you are not working long hours for the sake of working. This is a day dedicated to getting results.
Enjoy
This is the most important aspect of extreme productivity days — enjoy them.
These days are not intended to be a “badge of honour” you wear for the long hours you work.
You are not doing them to prove anything to anyone or impress them by your actions; it’s only because you want to.
It’s all about momentum
Extreme productivity days can be highly valuable and effective at creating momentum.
They balance out the days that are generally moderate and those that are filled with interruptions. They’re also incredibly rewarding and satisfying.
So, take a look at your diary, get ready to mark the date, and consider which day will be dedicated to extreme productivity this week.
Manos Findikakis is the CEO of Agents’Agency
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