Establishing your daily priorities will help you make each day a "10”. I am giving you a tool that I created a few years ago that really enables you to get maximum value from your time. It is our Real Estate Champions Daily Priorities Tool.

Step #1: List the activities that need to be done for the day.

When you are listing activities on the right hand side of boxes, you are brainstorming to get your thoughts down on paper. Just focus on what needs to be done … all of it. Do not let your mind think about importance or order of completion. If you do, that will stop the brain storming process.

Step #2: Categorize the activities that need to be done.

Most people, once they create a list of activities, number them or create an order. The Champion categorizes them to determine their level of importance. Assign each activity a category based on A, B, C, D or E.

A – Something that has a serious consequence if you don't complete it today

B – Something that has a mild consequence if you don't complete it today

C – Has essentially no consequence if it is not completed today

D – Can be delegated to another person on your Team or an Affiliate

E – Should be eliminated because it is unnecessary

Once you have categorized them all using the system above, you are ready for the final step.

Step #3 – Prioritize the categories.

Select the A category activities and determine which one is the most important. Number them and write them in the squares on the left hand side.

My belief is that, each and every day for the remainder of your sales career, A-1 and A-2 are already spoken for. A-1 is always prospecting and A-2 is always lead follow-up. You are really starting at A-3 each day. I believe the most significant penalty or consequence comes from not prospecting and doing lead follow-up daily.

The reason most of us don't think there is a penalty for that is the results of not doing it doesn't show up today. It appears in ninety days when we fail to prioritize those activities higher on the scale and do them. It is usually easy to place something else in the A-1 or A-2 slot. Usually, the Quadrant I activities or emergencies will try to crowd out the prospecting and lead follow-up. The most important activities in the A category are the Quadrant II activities. They are the activities that, if they don't get done, have a significant penalty. You just can't see it today.

Proceed down through the Bs, Cs, Ds, and Es. If you want to earn what a Champion Agent earns, don't waste your time on Ds and Es.

For me, during my sales career, and even today, the most important question is did I get my As done? If I got that done, I had a great day. There were times that, when I really looked at my priorities for the day, the only As were prospecting and lead follow-up. I would give myself a choice on those days to go home or head to the golf course early after prospecting was finished as my reward!

Time management is a problem that will never go away for any of us. I view time management as a muscle that needs to be trained and worked out to strengthen the skill. It is a series of systems or skills that we all need to acquire. I have shared with you a tool that really works to help you take your time management skills to the highest level. Make the commitment to start using it tomorrow.

There is a law called the Law of Diminishing Intent. The law says that the motivation and desire and emotion to change is high when you first recognize a change is needed. The farther you get from that moment, the lower the probability that you will actually do it. Don't allow the Law of Diminishing Intent affect your desire and need to change your time management plan and skills.

Published: November 19, 2010

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Dirk Zeller is a sought out speaker, celebrated author and CEO of Real Estate Champions. His company trains more than 350,000 Agents worldwide each year through live events, online training, self-study programs, and newsletters. The Real Estate community has embraced and praised his six best-selling books; Your First Year in Real Estate, Success as a Real Estate Agent for Dummies®, The Champion Real Estate Agent, The Champion Real Estate Team, Telephone Sales for Dummies®, Successful Time Management for Dummies®, and over 300 articles in print. To learn more regarding this article, please visit www.realestatechampions.com.