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WOW! What a name for a book…”Eat That Frog”. This book was recommended by the owner of RE/MAX Realty 100…Jeff Benson. Periodically Jeff will give us short books to read that can easily be related to real estate. Frogs in this title relates to the biggest, most important task that you are likely to procrastinate on. This is a quick easy read, one that I would recommend.
The one concept in this book that I thought I would share with you has to do with setting priorities. This is called the ABCDE method. Begin each day by writing down all the things you must do. Then next to each item, you label them either A,B,C,D or E.
An “A” item is defined as something that you must do. This is a task that will have serious positive or negative consequences if you do it or fail to do it. An example of an A task may be finishing a report for your boss. If you have more than one A task, you prioritize these by writing A-1, A-2, A-3 and so on.
A “B” item is defined as something that you should do. It only has mild consequences if you do or do not do it. This means that someone may be unhappy or inconvenienced if you do not complete this task. Always complete the A list before you tackle the B list.
A “C” task is defined as something that would be nice to do but there are no consequences if you do not get this done. An example of this may be having lunch with a coworker or phoning a friend you haven’t talked to in awhile.
A “D” task is defines as something you can delegate to someone else. By doing this, you can devote your time to the “A” list that must be done.
Finally, the “E” list is defined as those things that you can eliminate altogether and it won’t make any difference. This may be something that was relevant to you at one time, but not now. For every minute that you spend on an “E” task, you are taking away from the most important “A” tasks that need to be done.
The Dale Marciniak Team is a good example how we utilize this approach in many matters. The A list and the B list get done. Delegation is achieved by utilizing the people that we have on our team. Dale Marciniak, being the team leader, handles all the problems that may come up. He is the “go to” guy with concerns or questions that we have. Kevin Marciniak is his backup and handles some of the listings and most of the offers that buyers write on homes. Kathy and Sue maintain the office in an organized fashion so that each transaction is handled correctly and efficiently. Everything that is not delegated to any one of us apparently is not important and therefore eliminated. Real estate is a constantly changing field and therefore changes need to be made monthly. Monthly meetings are an integral part of keeping the Dale Marciniak Team an efficient team and one that can serve your needs whether buying or selling!
