One Powerful Habit to Kickstart Your Year | Vol. 27

“Be pulled by a vision rather than pushed by a task.”

– Isaiah Hankel

Our team at  The ONE Thing  has helped thousands take the 66-Day Challenge™ to build powerful habits in their lives. Today, I want to share the most impactful habit we’ve found in the past six years.

As we wrote in The ONE Thing, it takes an average of 66 days to form a new habit. Thus the 66-Day Challenge™. A few times a year, we do this as a group for accountability and support. The habit that had the highest reported benefit was this: Review your goals before you pick up your phone.

Breathe. For real estate professionals, this may sound like we’re asking you to swim in a pool with sharks. It’s not nearly that scary!

A  study from IDC Research  reported that about 80% of smartphone users check their mobile devices within 15 minutes of waking up each morning. The challenge is that when you dive into your inbox first thing, you’re entering the domain of other people’s priorities. If you go to social media first, welcome to the world of distractions! Both your inbox and socials are kind of like the time machine in Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure. You go in and you never know when you’ll come out. There is even evidence that checking your phone disrupts your  brain’s ability to set priorities  and take action on your goals. That’s a horrible way to launch your day!

The design of this “my goals first” habit is to avoid self-sabotage. Build a habit that spotlights your priorities to start your day. Your phone is a powerful tool. It can also be a bottomless timesuck of distraction. When you know what you’ve said “yes” to, it’s a lot easier to say “no” or “not now” to things that are less important.

Start 2023 by saying yes to your goals!

One question to ponder in your thinking time: How can I design my mornings for success?

Make an Impact!
Jay Papasan

Co-author of The One Thing & The Millionaire Real Estate Agent ​