It’s funny how things sneak up on you and you don’t realize it until you take a step back. What I’m talking about is Summer and all the little, non rei related, things that come up and slow down any resemblance of momentum. The sad part is, during this part of the year, my subconscious mind seems to make all the decision of what I should be doing without consulting the rational part. If you’ve read the book Switch by Chip & Dan Heath it’s a classic case of the elephant overpowering the rider.
Once the weather starts getting nice and the days get longer your friends and family are always pulling you away from your rei schedule. The last two Fridays, of which I have half days off from work, I was asked to play golf and I did. The problem was that I had already planned on finishing up some of my REI tasks such as putting together the next letters to mail and doing some networking, but never got to it cause I went and played golf with some friends.
Don’t get me wrong, it’s very good to get out and be with friends and family and I recommend you do so. Just don’t get caught up in filling up your free (rei potential) time to consistently or it will kill your momentum like it did mine. Hang out with friends as a reward to yourself only after finishing your goals for the week.
In the past I probably would not have caught myself falling into the summer trap so soon, but I’ve learned from prior experience to step back every few weeks and see which direction I’m pointing. Now I can readjust and get back on track and salvage what ever is left of my momentum.
To help me really I’m going to use Probate Monday as a place where I’m posting my weekly probate goals/tasks. In the past this has helped me really get moving.
These three goals below will be accomplished before I do anything else this week. There won’t be any work on SI Lead Manager, playing golf or anything else until my goals are completed. If I complete everything by Friday then I’ll reward myself with golf or hanging out with friends. Sound good?
Goals
1) Put Probate Letters in the Mail
2) Make sure I have enough supplies for next mailing and get what I need
3) Send out follow up postcards from last mailing
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I hear ya on getting distracted. I think the key is to ask every morning and every night. “What action am I going to take today toward my goals, and what action did I take today towards my goals.” It has to be true positive action, not just busy work. If the answer to those questions is nothing, then that should be remedied asap. Keep the momentum up.
Jason, you nailed it. Making the list every night (and in the morning if you forget at night) is soooo helpful! I rarely knock everything out that’s on the list BUT you better believe that I’ll at least knock out one item completely before allowing myself to get pulled into something else.
Scotty, get ‘er done so you can go hang out with your friends! Sounds like a nice treat
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I understand where you are coming from, Scott. For me, with the kids home from school, and everyone wanting to use the computer, it makes it very tough to work on REI stuff.
Hey Jason, you nailed it buddy! It's sooo helpful to write out the lists at night (and in the morning if you forget). I don't always get everything done…in fact rarely, but the key for me is to not allow any distractions at all until I've finished the first and most important thing on the list.
Scotty, get 'er done so you can go hang with your friends…sounds like fun!
I thought I was the only one caught with the distraction bug. lol. Looks like you are ready to accomplish your goals for the week, so go for it. I took a little break off, and I'm ready to rumble starting tomorrow, I can't wait to put all my plan in action.
Today is the perfect example of the difference between winter and summer. In the winter when I get home from work it is dark out and I want to do everything i can to stay inside. Gives me plenty of time to do REI stuff. Today however, it was so nice outside that I took my dog for a longer walk then normal. He was locked up all day and felt he needed a little extra reward. Of course that cut about an hour off my free time. But family comes first right?
I've seriously got to start righting down my daily goals in the morning. The best time for me would probably be when I first get to work I guess.
I can only imagine how hard it is to get some alone time to get REI work done when your kids are around 24/7 now that it is summer. Do you have any tips or tricks for other investors with children>?
How many action items do you usually put on your list?
Well, I'll give it a shot.
If you have someone who can watch your kids, maybe set up weekly time for them to babysit while you get some REI stuff done. Or if your kids are involved in a summer activity, use that time to catch up. And setting up a schedule for people to use the computer would be helpful, too.