Friday's Food for Thought Archives - Page 34 of 64

Listen to the Music!

How music can improve your productivity & work day

Perhaps one of the crowning achievements of civilization is music. It impacts our emotional state of mind, energy and focus within seconds. “People’s minds tend to wander, “and we know that a wandering mind is unhappy,” Dr. Soodsaid. “Most of that time, we are focusing on the imperfections of life. Music can bring us back to the present moment” said Dr. Amit Sood, who practices integrative medicine at the Mayo Clinic. Do you need some melodic relief?

Here are a few insights on listening to music at work.

1. Keep in mind that while your mood may be improved others nearby may not share your joy. Be mindful of your work environment.

2. If you are working on tasks that require intense concentration, try to avoid songs with lyrics. Listening to songs you may be unfamiliar with that have lyrics requires your brain’s language centers to process the lyrics while you are writing, much like trying to talk while another person is blabbering in your ear.

3. Create playlists based on your context or setting.

Download the video transcript here.

productivity

What’s Your Mindset for 2017?

Many have grown their business despite adversity

3d human head and o open zipper. Concept of intelligence It was refreshing. Attending a recent sales meeting of mortgage brokers the keynote speaker lit up the room. He outlined how he refused to accept that his business would shrink due to the housing crash and the countless regulations that followed. Tough words coming from a mortgage wholesaler, but true. Not only did he survive but he actually exploded his business while others accepted defeat.

life coaching success

Managing Email Expectations

Managing & Setting Expectations in Email Communications

reverse mortgage news Toister Performance Solutions, who assists organizations with customer service, conducted an annual survey on how swiftly customers expect businesses to respond to their emails. In 2014, a four-hour response time was deemed acceptable (the point at which about 80% of people were happy). By 2015, this had moved up to about one hour. In 2014, only 4% of people said they expected a response within 15 minutes; by 2015, 14.5% expected that.

This survey illustrates the importance of setting expectations clearly and at the outset of initial communication. One way to accomplish this is to setup an auto response message that informs users when they can expect a response. Be specific whether it is the same business day or within a few hours. Include a means for urgent requests to reach you encouraging such individuals to call you directly. Here’s one example of an autoresponder to set expectations…

Download the video transcript here.

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Are You Productive or Busy?

13 Questions You Should Ask Yourself

Are you pulling your hair out throughout your day in the office? Do your professional demands outweigh your time, available resources and energy? Such a predicament led me to ask what is the difference between a busy person and a productive one? I’m going to keep it simple this week. List-simple. Here are the key differences between a productive person versus a merely busy individual. Perhaps this is the lifeline you’ve been waiting for.

1. Priorities. Productive people only have a few priorities. Busy people have many priorities which can lead to burnout, time conflicts and job dissatisfaction.

2. Saying ‘No’. Productive people know when to say ‘no’. Busy people say ‘yes’ to every request. Set reasonable and realistic expectations with others and yourself.

3. Think twice. Productive people think twice before taking action. Busy people respond in haste without much….

Credit to Ricky Tang, Contributor to Lifehacker.

Download the show transcript here.

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The New Year Resolution Trap & How to Avoid It

5 Tips to Avoid Common Pitfalls

I am bracing myself. For what? The fact that my once quiet gym will be crowded with those starting their New Year’s resolutions. The good news is that by February there should be plenty of room and machines to choose from during my early morning workout. All kidding aside, resolutions do hold some value but many fail.

The value of interruption

Sometimes it’s best to avoid January 1st as the start date of our resolution. Why? Once we have made the internal commitment to improve postponing taking action sends the unconscious message that ‘this too can wait.’ Those who have successfully quit smoking have shared that they made a point to throw away half of their last pack. Friends who have committed to losing weight often begin in the middle of the week or the middle of the month. The importance of pairing our decisions with immediate action is key to keeping our internal promises to ourselves.

Looking ahead to 2017 perhaps we should reconsider our approach to New Year resolutions.

Download this week’s transcript here.

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Why You Should Leave

When You Should Leave the Office and Why

If you find yourself constantly distracted at the office unable to work on a task, it’s time to leave. Too often the tyranny of the urgent robs our time and prevents us from dedicating our attention and time to projects.

efficiency productivity

Results vs. Intentions

Why Our Results & Intentions Always Match

“The road to hell is paved with good intentions”. This popular aphorism underscores the importance of putting action behind our plans and internal promises. During a professional coaching class I attended several months ago one instructor took it a step further stating, “results and intentions always match”.

In Brian Klemmer’s book, “When Good Intentions Run Smack into Reality” he outlines several steps to the path to better results. Here are just a few that we should consider.

1. Identify the result. It’s the familiar ‘work backward’ from the goal approach. Envision exactly what you want, desire and dream of. Is it more loans? A better marriage? Improved health and energy? Be specific.

2. Set the context. The context or environment in which you work toward your result influences everything. Identify the ideal context in which your goals would be achieved. Don’t stop at declaring your context but create it. This could be changing your…

Download the episode transcript here.

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Are You a Hermit?

From a hermit to a social butterfly

Even without the advent of a new year, are entering a new era of reverse mortgage lending. More financial professionals are embracing the product, a new administration will be taking office that seeks to curb the powers of the CFPB, and interest rates are certain to begin to increase. As with any new era we are faced with both opportunity and challenges. The question is, what are you going to do about it?

Wise mortgage professionals have mastered the art of letting go of what they cannot control, and instead, work on what they can influence. Generally speaking, you can quickly determine who the successful HECM originators are by their activity. Honestly, some need to let go of their hermit ways, and go out into their city and community and mix it up. If you’re not visible, you’re not thought of. Sound harsh? It’s true. Call it selfishness, or call it reality but we are all busy living our own lives so we rarely think about those we don’t see on a regular basis unless it’s our dear mother.

Sitting at the office, sending countless emails and waiting for the phone to ring will not grow your business in 2017. In fact, your business will shrink as modest interest rate increases make prospects with high mortgage debt ineligible. You’ve got to get out. More specifically, you must get out and mix it up. Consider for a moment the…

Download a transcript of this episode here.

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Don’t Worry, Be Active

Why Action Defers Anxiety

If there is one trait nearly every mortgage professional has mastered it is the art of worrying. Typically our worry as reverse mortgage professionals centers on the fear or rising interest rates, industry regulations, and our industry’s overall outlook. This week we examine how to transform our worry in to action.

Despite being a highly-organized individual, I still grapple with worry. Last year with a looming deadline ahead I had an epiphany. As I began to chip away at my unsavory project it hit me- a phrase that was almost audible in my mind- “Action Defers Anxiety”.

Salespeople run on a volatile mix of intellect, drive, and emotion. It’s the emotional additive to our fuel mix that can often create problems. We typically relish the emotion of a closed deal, a funded loan, or a successful meeting but overlook the impact that negative emotions, chiefly worry, have on our business.

Let’s be honest, the more closely you follow the news, the more prone you are to worry. The trick is not to let the news sabotage your daily activity. A Swedish proverb cautions “worry often gives a small thing a big shadow”. Are you worried about rising interest rates, potential HECM product changes or the real estate market? Does FHA’s recent report to Congress concern you? The good news is there are some practical steps you can take to transform your anxiety into positive action.

1. Get it out. Keep a journal of your worries in a notebook. The mere physical act of writing it down helps us remove the negative thought from being top of mind. Later you can review your worry list to only realize how few of your fears ever became reality.

2. Stay active. The worst thing you can do when worrying is to slow down. Why? Slowing down your daily activity will only give your mind more…

Download a transcript of this episode here.

productivity

Meet The Wizards of Sales Engine

A sneak peek inside our development studio

We seldom get the chance to see the people who build the technology we use each day. Such is the case with Sales Engine. This week we meet Blair and Julian. Not included in this episode is our Chief Technology Officer Mark Lockett, Caleb and Abraham. Today we recognize and thank our dedicated, talented and innovative developers.

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