A Minute to Think with Juliet Funt | Buffini Podcast
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As the founder and CEO of her own company, Juliet Funt is known for providing “tough love” to executives who find themselves mired in busy work that keeps them from increasing their productivity and reaching their goals. Too often, she said, real estate agents also fall into this category as they try to be “24/7” for their clients.
Recently, Juliet was a guest on Brian Buffini’s It’s a Good Life podcast, where she discussed practical strategies on how agents can break out of that perpetual state of busyness and, in turn, become not only more productive but happier in their lives.
‘Strategic Reduction’
Juliet noted she had never seen as “frenzied a community as the real estate community.”
“But that nervous system agitation is counter to everything they want,” she added. “They want those deep, rich, confident relationships, but nobody trusts that spastic energy.”
The key, she said, to reducing that frenzy was to focus not on prioritization but on “strategic reduction.”
“Prioritization is taking your 23 things and putting them in the right order. Reduction is where, at the end of it, there are only 16. And that is a very, very, very different surrender — terrifying for leaders,” she said. “We all want to do every single project and plan, but we need to learn the gear of taking things out as well.”
An example, she said, is: “If you’re not a good writer, why are you blogging? Why are we doing every single thing as opposed to figuring out where our strengths are?”
Recognize the ‘Four Thieves’
In her research, Juliet said she identified what she calls the “four thieves” that start out as positive attributes but can quickly turn negative.
“Drive turns into overdrive. Excellence turns into perfectionism. Information turns into information overload. And activity turns into frenzy,” she said. “Being aware of how these thieves can quickly get out of control can help you avoid that happening.
Seek ‘White Space’
Juliet said that in the world we live in, we are constantly overstimulated with “content gluttony” and “hallucinated urgency.”
She recommends scheduling a “wedge” or “white space” into your day that allows you to stop and reset.
“For me, white space is also abstention. Walking through the airport without a podcast. Sitting when the plane takes off without a book. Choosing to abstain from fillers,” she said.
It may be hard to do at first, she added, but the clarity and peace you gain will be worth it.
Click here to listen to the entire podcast episode.
