When making your business plan for 2008 don't forget to make a personal plan too.
Burnout is all too common in this career. Real estate agents work weekends (yes, I'm showing property this Sunday two days before Christmas), schedule evening appointments, and I've even met a client at 6:30 AM to sign documents before he left the country on business. His schedule became my schedule, and I wouldn't have it any other way, but the hours can get pretty crazy. The demand of juggling so many balls without dropping one requires not only an agile and organized mind, but creates its own anxiety.
2007 was a rocky year in the real estate industry, but seasoned professionals know the market can change on a dime. A hot seller's market can disappear almost overnight. After fifteen plus years in the business, one thing I've learned for sure is to plan in pencil!
So as you type out your business plan for 2008 pencil a few things just for you and those you love in the margin of each month.
Here are my 12 Staying Sane and In the Game 2008 Margin Activities:
1. Plan a trip to someplace I've never been. Last summer I went to Italy (see photo insert) and after I stopped checking my messages I had a marvelous time. There's something decadent, but oh so relaxing about drinking wine in St. Mark's Square in the early afternoon!
2. Learn to Tango. I took six lessons thirty-five years ago--now I want thirty-five lessons in the next six months.
3. Keep two books on my bedside table--one a classic I may have missed or be revisiting, the other a scintillating page-turner of the best seller genre. Take a break from reality and visit some good fiction.
4. Visit a new restaurant each month. I hate ruts--I love food.
5. Take a friend to lunch each month (can be combined with the above).
6. Indulge in a weekend yoga retreat. Remember, just b r e a t h e!
7. Schedule a massage after each closing! This is the best way ever to close a deal--it's done, now let it go!
8. Always have fresh flowers or a blooming plant in my office. They make me smile. :)
9. Buy the most exquisite thank you notes I can find and send hand-written notes excessively. Random acts of kindness never go out of style.
10. Run away weekend trips are a favorite of mine--no plans just take off and let a couple of days unfold. It's Friday afternoon and the calendar is clear for an escape adventure--just do it. I once ended up in Rosarito Beach, Mexico and my morning walk on the beach included helping a Mexican family dig for clams and watching wild horses run on the beach--talk about beautiful! The memory is still vivid and one I often call up when I ask Calgon to take me away!
11. Continue to raise the bar on the art of the bath! It relieves stress, promotes sleep and I don't have to leave home to indulge.
12. Spend more time with those I love. Time is our most precious asset. Share it with those you love.
Work hard and smart in 2008,
but don't forget to play a little too.
Norma Toering & Team RE/MAX Palos Verdes Realty
(310) 493-8333 / Office Phone: (310) 831-0800
South Bay Los Angeles cities I sell real estate and homes in: Palos Verdes Estates, Rolling Hills, Rolling Hills Estates, Rancho Palos Verdes, San Pedro, Long Beach, Torrance, Lomita, Redondo Beach, Hermosa Beach and Manhattan Beach.
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