Do These Famous Habits Still Work?


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Do the 7 Habits Still Apply today?

7-habits-of-highly-effective-people-book-summary-sidekick-content-stephen-coveyMost of you are familiar with Stephen Covey’s famous book on personal productivity and success entitled, “The 7 Habits of Highly Successful People”. Do his principles still work into today’s fast-paced, technology-driven culture? Welcome to Friday’s Food for Thought brought to you by Open Mortgage, where better is possible.

Let’s briefly examine each of the seven habits and see where they may apply in your daily routine as a reverse mortgage professional, spouse, parent or friend.

#1. Proactive. This is to focus on the things you can control and then devising a strategy to improve that particular undertaking. This stands opposed to reactive people who focus on what is out of their control and use their energy to complain.

#2. Proactive. Start with the end result in mind. Visualize the goal, reputation or situation you desire. Next, write down the necessary action steps to reach that goal. This requires prioritizing your life, which means learning what to say yes and no to.

#3. First Things First. Speaking of what to say yes and no to, Covey spent considerable time in his book outline the importance of priorities. His prioritization strategy centers on dividing tasks or goals into four quadrants: 1- important and urgent, 2- Important but…

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Closing the Gap

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Strategy is the needed bridge between dreams and reality

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On this show, we have discussed how each of us can achieve our goals, increase our productivity and improve how we get things done each week. However, there is one missing ingredient needed to realize our dreams.

Every one of you watching has their personal and professional dreams. That is, the ultimate desired outcome you desire. The advantages of achieving your goals and dreams are numerous and may include:

  • You develop a new skill
  • New experiences reveal hidden character strengths
  • Your marketability as a sought-after professional
  • Your income increases
  • You will smile more

Stretching ourselves is uncomfortable…

Download a transcript of this episode here.

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5 Ways to Adapt to Change

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5 Tips for Reverse Mortgage Professionals

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If there is one constant denominator in reverse mortgage lending it is change. We are not alone as technology, politics and business practices are ever evolving. What is challenging is not so much change itslef but the pace at which we mustadapt.

Here are five tips to help us adapt to change. Timely considering HUD’s recent announcement this week of additional consumer protections to be enacted in the near future.

1. Acceptance. The faster we get used to the notion that everything is in a state of flux the easier we will adapt to the continual evolution of our industry. Consider for a moment how much you have changed in the last 15 years or even childhood friends. Change, while often unwelcome, is a natural part of our personal and professional development.

2. Improvement. If you’re a fitness fanatic then you already know that if you keep doing the same exercise…

Download a transcript of this episode here.

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Strip it Down

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Four Ways to Simplify & Take Control of Your Life

reverse mortgage newsSpeaking from personal experience there comes a time in your life when you actually want less than more. Do you ever look around your office or home and wish you could rent a large dumpster and fill it?

If there’s one word that describes most American’s lives it’s clutter. A mishmash of paper, trinkets, emails, constant notifications, emails, and social media clutter our life and consciousness. It’s no wonder that many are more stressed each year suffering the physical consequences of the unrelenting strain. I believe that each of us have the power to create the environment we want to live in. Too often many of us give in to letting our stuff control us. How do we identify the ‘stuff’ that clutters our lives and simplify? Here are a few tips.

1- Analyze where you spend your time. Purchase a small notepad and log down how you spend your day. Log your time as soon as you wake and be sure to include mundane activities. When you wake how much time do you spend checking emails, social media or watching TV. Could that time be better spent?

2- Ditch the physical clutter. Look at the things you haven’t even touched or used in the last six months. Chances are they are…

 

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Looking for more reverse mortgage news, commentary, and technology? Visit ReverseFocus.com today.

8 Productivity Game Changers

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8 Ways to Unleash Your Personal Productivity

Beyond strategy, drive and opportunity is one factor that will build or destroy your success as a reverse mortgage professional. reverse mortgage news

Last week I read an article by Bruna Martinuzzi which captured the twelve productivity tips from extremely busy individuals. How do businesspeople who are at the top of their game manage their time? Bestselling author and speaker Brian Tracy says “personal productivity is a key differentiator between those who succeed in their chosen field and those who do not.” Here are 12 tips each of us should consider implementing or improving.

1. Single Purpose Focus. Pick one thing and just do that. Laser focus brings clarity, vision in our efforts to be the absolute best at what we do.

2. Block out distractions. Every distraction can cost you the ten to fifteen minutes it may take to get your mind back on the task at hand. Time block your calendar with your top priorities, lock the door when needed and turn off the email and phones periodically.

3. Create rituals. Before you leave the office determine what your top priority is for the following day. If you are time blocking it should be on your calendar. When you arrive the next morning accomplish that key task.

4. Early to rise. One of our most innovative and successful founding fathers Benjamin Franklin had it right when he said “early to bed and early…

 

Download a transcript of this episode here.

Looking for more reverse mortgage news, commentary and technology? Visit ReverseFocus.com today.

 

Are You Fully Present?

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4 Steps to Intentional ‘Conscious’ Living

Do you grapple with the ever-present need to be connected to every tidbit of information? What’s going on with my friends social media accounts? What’s the latest political or economic news? What is the latest development in the reverse fully-presentmortgage industry? While the desire to absorb information is helpful to stay informed it can also take us directly out of the present moment.

Here are some tips I have learned from my friend and hard-earned personal lessons I’ve taken with me along the way.

1- Setup Filters. Ask yourself the question “is this information useful to me?”. Much of what we spend our mental energy on is fluff, filler and background noise. Will what you are doing help you be a better husband, wife, parent or coworker? Does this information encourage me or drag me down into cynicism and despair?

2- Just one thing. Seems odd but try to do just one thing at a time versus trying to mentally unwind one issue while your hands are busy doing something else.

Download a transcript of this episode here.

Looking for more reverse mortgage news, commentary and technology? Visit ReverseFocus.com today.

Meetings: The Death of Productivity

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Getting Control of Meetings

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Have you ever done this in a meeting?

Meetings. If you work in a large company or have you can empathize with the statement that meetings are the bane of productivity. Meetings do not have to be a productivity killer with some simple, intentional pre-planning.

Meetings are necessary when working with a team of other professionals. They serve to shape strategy, improve efficiencies and address challenges. Ironically meetings can become time-wasters in their own rite.

20 years ago I was a marketing manager for a large nonprofit. Each Monday we would have a management meeting and every time I left feeling frustrated that I just wasted another 2 hours of my day that would inevitably push me into the late evening hours. That experience taught me several valuable lessons. Here are a few tips to get the most from your meetings or ideas to respectfully suggest.

1. Create an Agenda. Seems basic but many meetings lack a clear and defined roadmap or agenda and consequently end up in the weeds of the irrelevant. Laser focus is required for efficient meetings. The agenda should be specific enough so all participants now what is to be discussed. If someone gets off topic add it to a list of ‘parking lot’ topics which can be addressed in the future.

2. After Action Reports. One of the greatest tools for meetings is the…

Download a transcript of this episode here.

Looking for more reverse mortgage news, commentary and technology? Visit ReverseFocus.com today.

5 Tips for Annual Review & 2016 Planning

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A Once a Year Opportunity

The holidays being at the end of the calendar year give each of us the unique and limited opportunity for both retrospective insight and strategic planning. The question is will you take time this month to lay the foundation for the coming year? Welcome to Friday’s Food for Thought brought to you by Reverse Focus.reverse mortgage news

Unfortunately none of us have a Delorean time machine that allows us to go back in time to fix the world’s woes and ensure our future success. What we do have though is the opportunity to reflect on the past year and apply the lessons learned to the coming year.

Here are just a few ideas to help you plan for success in 2016.

1. Review your calendar. If you kept a good record of your time go back and review just where you spent your time in 2015. Look for meetings that yielded business referrals, conferences attended, marketing efforts and more. Write down what activities you wish to continue, enhance or discard in 2016. You may be surprised just how you actually spent your time.

2. Track your 2015 sales. Go back and look at your sales metrics by month. For example, the number of…

Download a transcript of this episode here.

Looking for more reverse mortgage news, commentary and technology? Visit ReverseFocus.com today.

Tips for a Productive Holiday Season

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5 Tips to Avoid the Holidays Sales Slump

The holidays are upon us. Christmas parties, company get-togethers and other events fill our calendar. Pastries, rich foods, and irregular schedules are all part of the American ritual of celebrating the holiday season. As a result, our productivity can slow to the pace of thick eggnog being poured into our favorite reindeer glass.

 

Let me say I am all for enjoying the holiday season. What should be avoided however is squandering this once-a-year opportunity for greater professional growth. Here are a few tips for each of us to put into practice in the coming month.

1. Don’t buy the lie. As salespeople, we often convince ourselves that our prospects don’t want to hear from us during the holiday. Sure, that’s the case on Christmas eve, Christmas day, or New Years’ but not necessarily the case for the entire season. For many of your potential customers, the holidays are a stark reminder that their financial situation is not all they wish it was. During this time at least engage your prospects, send out a quote or schedule a time to meet during or shortly after the holiday season. Don’t let your sales pipeline collapse unnecessarily.

2. Put a bow on organization. Springtime is often when we clean out the garage and organize our homes. The winter holiday season is your opportunity to ‘wrap up’ your…


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Looking for more reverse mortgage news, commentary and technology? Visit ReverseFocus.com today.

 

Stopping the Insanity

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Mental Overload & How to Stop the Insanity

Mental sludge. It’s the stuff that gums up our though process leading to a mental vapor lock or worse, the paralysis of being overwhelmed. Quite honestly this is something that I have strove to master for years and even though I’ve won several battles I have realized it’s an ongoing war.

Here are a few tips I have put to use in recent years that have freed up my mental capacity for greater efficiency, productivity and happiness.

1. Restrict decision making: Have your ever come home to say “I don’t want to have to make another decision today”? Perhaps you’re on to something. Every small decision we have to make in our daily routine taps our mental energy reserves needed for major decisions. Some examples are: what should I wear? What am I having for dinner? Am I working out enough? Planning, structure and routine can eliminate these unnecessary daily quandaries…

 

Download a transcript of this episode here.

Looking for more reverse mortgage news, commentary and technology? Visit ReverseFocus.com today.