2012 The Year of Doing MORE by DOING Less

by Scott Cowan on January 2, 2012

I started this site and then promptly fell back into my decades old habits of being busy all of the time while not doing the things that needed to be done.

This site is my online diary if you will. A place for me to put my thoughts out there and on some levels hold myself accountable for my actions. Or more accurately; hold myself accountable for my NON-Actions.

I finished 2011 off strong with multiple closings on transactions that were not your typical run of the mill real estate transactions. Both had challenges that I had not had to face before. This made both of the excellent learning vehicles for me.

I learned:

  • I need to be a day ahead as often as possible
  • I need to have more things in the escrow pipeline
  • People do not always do what they say they will do. EVEN if it benefits them greatly
  • Pick vendors carefully and review their service levels frequently

In 2012 I will hire my first assistant. Do I need an assistant right this moment? No I do not. Do I want an assistant? Not really. I know I NEED an assistant. Someone to counterbalance my skillset which while strong does have some holes that allow water to come into the boat at a rapid rate. Bailing water is tough work. It really detracts from making sure you are on course. While bailing water you are working hard but not going anywhere. I spent the past few years bailing water and going in slightly larger circles. It is time I plot a course and navigate to my destiny.

At first my assistant will have a lot of little tasks that really are daily duties that I should be doing but always seem to find excuses to not do. As the role evolves though I see this assistant being the behind the scenes genius that makes it so I can go out and do what it is I am great at. Their duties will in many ways be more important than mine.

All of this will allow me to do less of the things that I am not good at and more of the few things I am really good at. If done correctly this will allow me to work my goal of four hours a day in 2012 and make my income goal as well.

What are you doing to make a difference in 2012?

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Deliberate Practice meets the Real Estate Agent

by Scott Cowan on November 16, 2011

Deliberate Practice meets the Real Estate Agent

In my quest to improve my performance and to reduce the amount of time that I am actually working I am spending time researching deliberate practice strategies.

Deliberate Practice and the Four Hour Real Estate Agent.

Deliberate Practice and the four hour real estate agent

If you are not familiar with deliberate practice it is the concept that doing the right type of work will create enormous results vs. just doing work. I want to be a great real estate agent and not simply an average one. To get better I have been reading A LOT! There are a number of books that have been written that cover this topic. One of them Is Geoff Colvin’s Talent is Overrated.  Another is Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell. Many of the strategies have been used by students who are trying to master their course work in as efficient of manner as possible Athletes use deliberate practice methods to improve their results rapidly. Both the academic and athletic results have been well documented. Since it has been a long time since I was a college student much less an athlete I have been looking to find more information on how it can help improve professional performance. Thus, I am dabbling in deliberate practice research.

Since I recently revisited the Four Hour Work Week I was exposed to the concept that working smarter not harder is one of the key components to reducing the amount of time necessary to accomplish my goals both personally and professionally. This awakening has lead me to reading the above mentioned books along with finding some new blogs to keep tabs on. One of the more interesting blogs that I have found is Study Hacks. Study Hacks Deliberate Practice is the blog of a 29 year old computer scientist and assistant professor at Georgetown University who is interested in finding out what makes some people so successful while others are not. I have spent a good amount of time reading the articles posted there.

Read More on Deliberate Practice

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To Do More; Start Dealing With Less

November 1, 2011

Reading the Four Hour Work Week has reminded me that focusing on the core duties are where I will make the most improvements in my business. How is it that I can do more by dealing with less? Let me give you some examples of my recent efforts. Unsubscribed from 90% of the email newsletters [...]

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You’re Early to the Party!

October 29, 2011

Hey thanks so much for stopping by. I know the invitation said we would start now but like most good plans things have gotten in the way. You’re not early I’m late. Please make yourself comfortable and let’s get this party started. Don’t mind your host who is running around with his hair on fire. [...]

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Turning Off ALL Of The NOISE

October 24, 2011

I LOVE my Gadgets!!!!   My love affair with gadgets almost ruined my business and my love life. Like millions of others I simply could not spend even a few minutes without checking one of my gadgets. Getting my gadget fix I would excuse myself from the room for a moment. Who the hell was [...]

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Coming Soon! The Four Hour Real Estate Agent

October 23, 2011

The Four Hour Real Estate Agent   Just what the heck is The Four Hour Real Estate Agent?   Tacoma, Washington Real Estate Agent who is frustrated with the direction my business is going in. I just re-read the Four Hour Work Week by Tim Ferris and found myself thinking that I could do that! [...]

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