Day 1158 | Hard or Smart?
If COVID has taught us anything it’s about what is really important to us. In the times that we couldn’t leave our homes, what were the things we missed the most? I would say with pretty high confidence that it was mostly the simple things. Sunday lunch with family, taking the dog for a long walk, face to face conversations with mates, beers on a Friday.... those things.
For me, it showed me something a little concerning. How I was working wasn’t healthy. I felt that doing long hours meant that I was the hardest worker and gave me an edge, but in hindsight all it did was cost me time. While I was always going at break-neck speed I wasn’t learning, I wasn’t growing and I certainly wasn’t getting more efficient.
Since then I’ve put some things in place to make sure I have some sort of balance where I’m not single focussed or trying to be everything to everyone all the time. I do school pick ups, go to the gym early in the morning instead of going to the office at 6am, take days off and do less ‘office hours’ than I’ve ever done. While I’m still hitting it hard, it’s not at a cost of everything else in my life.
And the result? The last 12 months have been phenomenal in business. It’s that whole ‘working smarter’ idea and not only am I achieving more at work but I’m more present at home. It’s a win/win.
The cherry on top? February was by far the best month I’ve ever had in real estate. Maybe it’s the market, or maybe it’s just a fresh look at things.
Take a step back and see what you can change to ensure you don’t just see the last few years as a blur. I’ve found that I can open the laptop at night for a couple of hours and achieve more in that time than I sometimes can in a whole day. Working hard is awesome and I’m a big advocate for ‘smashing in’ but there’s a real advantage to efficiency and what it provides you.
#efficiencyiskey #officehours #stepback
#hudson365