Being a busy fool – The easiest trap of the 21st Century

I doubt anyone would dispute that it’s pretty easy to fill your day, right? These days more than ever there are more and more tools to distract us – ones that promise to help us plan better or be more organised but in reality can take us off track.

If it’s not emails it’s Facebook, Twitter or Snapchat and it sometimes feels like there is no escape from potential distractions. Ask yourself,

“Are you really using these apps effectively and where do they fit in helping you to become the best you can be?”

We hear a great deal about aiming to be proactive as opposed to reactive and most of us know we need to plan out how we hope to reach our goals but it isn’t always that straightforward.

At EPIC we’ve found that making a commitment to the kind of planning that’s aligned to our personal values is essential. Make sure you
take time out to evaluate what values inspire you otherwise you are on the road to nowhere.

It’s also important to learn when to say “No”. Don’t be afraid to turn down those things that aren’t important to you or don’t fit with your game plan. If you are clear on your objectives you will find it easier to say no to those things that don’t help you reach your goals.

Remember!

“Plans are nothing, planning is EVERYTHING.”

Planning properly and communicating that plan to yourself and your team is more important than the plan itself. Undeniably executing the plan is the hard bit but it helps considerably if you understand where the plan is taking you.

As a property investor it is easy to get drawn in to time-consuming tasks that aren’t a productive use of our time. Make sure you balance your time effectively. If you get too consumed with the day-to-day management of your portfolio it then robs you of time that should be spent on finding deals, sourcing money and aiming for the bigger picture.