All Forum Posts by: Account Closed

I’d like to put some more substance into what I said yesterday, then move into a tip for today.

During your commute, listen to BiggerPockets podcasts.Or, listen to Tony Robbins.Or, listen to Brian Tracy.Or, listen to an audiobook (try the Miracle Morning, by Hal Elrod.Love that guy).

Use that “No Extra Time” (NET) productively and to your advantage.You will never get it back.If you have a 30 minute commute everyday, you’re on the road for an hour a day.That’s 5 hours per week, 20 hours per month, 240 hours per year.How much do you think you could do with 240 hours per year?

While you’re waiting in line at a restaurant or the grocery store, pop on your headphones and listen to a chapter.Use that time to your advantage.

…

Now, on to a tip for for today.

On BiggerPockets podcast show 117 (www.biggerpockets.com/show117), Brandon and Josh invited David Allen on the show to talk about how to get things done.Seems like a simple enough concept.

When I came across this podcast, I had read his book (Getting Things Done), approximately five years before.I never had acted on the information I learned, of course.

The podcast motivated me to go back and read it.

First, a quick primer for those of you that may not have read the book or listened to the podcast and need some context...
Getting Things Done (GTD) revolves around the concept of getting things out of your head (as simple or as complicated as they may be) and getting them into a trusted system.It allows your life to become simple.It clears up the psychic clutter in your head.

There are 5 parts to it.

1.Capture

2.Clarify

3.Organize

4.Reflect

5.Engage

Capture everything on paper and into your system.Capture your to-dos, your ideas, your tasks.Put them into your system.Easy-peasy.

Clarify what you need to do.Break it down into simple actionable steps, so there’s no barrier to you just doing it.If you can delegate it, pass it off.

Organize what you can into your calendar.This gives everything a due date and holds you accountable to getting that thing done on that day.Calendar is your sacred territory.

Reflect on your list as needed.If something is vague, clarify it.If something doesn’t make sense for you anymore, take it off the list.Determine if and where your priorities need to change.

Engage and get to work.Do your next action, for it is all you can do.By this point, if your system is done, the next action for you will be easy.You won’t have to dedicate any more brainpower to thinking about it.

…

After I read the book again, I went online and downloaded an image of the workflow process, which helped keep me on track through the process, which took me 2 weeks.

Here’s a good one:https://gtdrehab.wordpress.com/ (not affiliated with this site at all).

After completing the process and organizing all of my stuff, the first thing I did, which was identified early on, was declutter my house.I did this room by room.I threw away what I needed to and donated the rest.

This, by itself, was freedom.I recommend it to anyone.Let me put it this way, if I weren’t married, I would walk away from almost all of my possessions (with the exception of clothes and toothbrush).  It’s that freeing.

Once that process was complete, I went back to the system and could tell immediately where my next steps were.

This process alone will change you.It will change the way you work, and, indeed, the way you see, and interact with, the world.It will allow you to start to see your time differently, which will change your life.

Keep rockin’.

Start a time log today.Change no other habit.

Get out of bed at your normal time.Shower.Brush your teeth.

Do laundry.

Whatever it is that you do, do those same things.

But, make one small change today.

Simply log everything you do.

If you brush your teeth, make a notation in the log.

If you shower, make a notation in the log.

Write down how long it takes.Keep a stopwatch with you if it helps.

Write down how long it takes you to eat.

Write down if you take a walk, and how long it takes.

If you talk to your children, or help them with homework, or change their diaper (depending on your specific situation), write it down.Write down how long it took.

Write down how long you’re commuting back and forth to and from work.

Write down how long you were at work.

Write down how long you were on lunch eating.If you do something OTHER than eating on your lunch break, write it down.

Simple.You may feel weird doing it.That’s ok.

Do this for 3 days.Make sure these days are pretty normal days for you.Nothing out of the ordinary; just normal days.

At the end of the 3 days, or at the beginning of the 4th, look over your log.

You now have a snapshot of your life.

Figure out where you’re spending the most time.You’ll find sleep is at or near the top of the list.That’s ok.We all need sleep.

You’ll find work, followed by your commute, is at or near the top of the list.That’s ok.We all need to work.

You’ll find eating takes up a good portion of time as well.

Here’s where it gets interesting.

There are 168 hours in the week.

If we take out 8 hours (high for some people, but I’ll be conservative) during the week for sleeping, we’ll subtract 56 hours.

That leaves 112 hours.

Let’s remove 40 hours for work, which is what most people work, which includes 5 periods of eating.Yours may be a little higher or lower.Adjust as needed.

That leaves 72 hours.Let’s add a 30 minute commute on either side (again, more or less.Adjust as needed).That’s another 5 hours removed.

That takes us to 67 hours remaining.

Now, we certainly need to account for body maintenance, remaining meals, maybe some chores, etc.Random stuff that we all need to do to maintain ourself.I’ll go super, super high on this and say you spend 4 hours per day on this stuff.That’s 28 hours.(Adjust accordingly).

That leaves 39 hours during the week to dedicate to your future.

Where does your 39 hours go?

The Bachelor?Dancing with the Stars?Wheel of Fortune?

The next 5 years are going to come and go, no matter what.Count on it.

What are you doing today for your future?What are you doing today for the future of your family?

Keep a time log.It will help you see where your time is truly going.

Keep rockin’.

You are dying.You will be dead soon.

Soon is a relative term.It may take 5, 10, 20, 50 or 100 years (dependent upon our medical advances at that point).But, you WILL die.There is no doubt about it.There will be a moment when you are on your deathbed, hopefully staring up at your loved ones, getting ready to move on from your earthly body.Then, you will die, and what the world knows as you will no longer exist; ever again.

The time you have in between that moment and this moment is all that you have in this life.What you choose to do with that time is 100% up to you.

What does that mean?

You can choose happiness.You can choose to be an a-hole.You can choose joy.You can choose to be upset about everything.

You can choose your reactions.You can be nice or mean.You can be loving, or you can live in jealousy.You can choose everything.You can choose to be crappy to the server, or janitor, and nice to the CEO (which really means you’re just choosing to be an a-hole).Or, you can treat everybody with the same respect, because we are all human.

This does NOT mean you have control over everything.You never will.It does mean, you 100%, at all times, have the choice of how you react to what is happening around you.It does mean, you 100%, at all times, have the choice of what you are going to do next, in this coming moment.

You can choose what you do for work.You can choose who you want to spend time with, and if they agree, you will get to spend time with them.You can choose to start your own business or not.You can choose to do real estate, or not.

You can choose to work hard, or not.You can choose to be grateful for all of the wonderful things you have, or not.Your focus, and choices based on your focus, determine the quality of your life.Your attitude changes your reality.Choose your attitude.Choose your reality.

You can choose to learn, then act.You can choose to put in that purchase offer, looking fear in the face the whole time, or not.You can close that deal, or not.

Today, what are you choosing?

What are you choosing to focus on today?What will you spend your time on, which is what ultimately determines your reality?This question means, what reality are you choosing?

Why are you here on Biggerpockets?Are you here to learn, for the purpose of moving forward and taking action?Or, are you here to learn, for the purpose of feeling like you’re doing something, so you don’t have to move forward into the hard action?

Your life is all up to you.Your destiny is all up to you.The ultimate outcome of your life is all up to you.Your decisions, and habits based on those decisions, will shape you.

WHO are you choosing to be?It is all up to you.

Choose wisely.

Keep rockin’.

Hello Bigger Pockets,

I wanted to start a thread (and hopefully add to it as the years go by) on ways that I've learned over the years to establish and maintain high productivity.  There's a LOT to know and do in this game.  Having high levels of productivity will allow you to move forward to your goals and dreams much quicker.

First and foremost, above anything and everything you will ever learn; ever.  And, I mean ever....Nothing else matters.  YOU HAVE TO KNOW WHAT YOU WANT.

What do you want?  Most people will answer money.  That's a BS cop-out answer.  I totally believe you when you say you want money.  But, if I were to press you, I would guarantee most of you have no clue WHY you want it.

Why do you want money?  If I gave you 10 million dollars in liquid cash today, what would you do with it?

Write down where you want to be in 5 years.  What is your ultimate vision of where you want to be in 5 years.  Make it detailed.

Here's the thing.  95% of you reading this won't do this.  Why?  Because it's a lot of work.  You think you want to do real estate.  But, then, the cold-hard reality of the work hits you.

For the 5% that will do this, write down what you want.  Make it so detailed that there is no doubt as to what you are looking for.  Make it so that if an outsider were reading it, there would be no confusion.

"In 5 years, I am going to be...."

Do it.

Second, once your vision, dreams and goals are mapped, make your plan to get there.  This should take you NO LESS than a solid two hours.  Write down the action steps you should (probably) take to get from here to there.

Now, for the 50% of the 5% that have gone this far, there's one more filtering aspect coming up which will cut off another 50%.

You actually have to DO stuff.  Start taking action.  If you start taking action, you WILL get results.

Condition yourself to think that if you stop because you are afraid of something (it will happen, no matter what) that you will keep going in spite of it.

I PROMISE you, future you will thank you for pushing through.

I'm going to put a little meat on this sandwich, and then close for the day.

Once you have your process, ever night before you go to bed, take ten minutes.  Look through your vision and your action plan.  Pick the top three things to do to move you forward (the three things that will move you the MOST forward).  When you wake up and are ready to proceed, start work on the first thing.  Do NOTHING else until the first thing is complete.

Then, move to the second.

More soon.

Keep rockin'.

I'm an active flipper in the Southern Indiana area.

If you'd like to get together and talk shop, let me know.

Are you a GC?

Welcome Mike.  I'm somewhat new to the game (1 flip behind me).

I'm on the other side of the river, but if you ever want to get together and talk shop, hit me up.

Jolene,

I am in Clark County (invest in Jeffersonville at the moment).

Are you still looking for individuals?

7% sucks.

I took mine out at 3.5%.  General loan.  $24K.

Opportunity cost was the amount I lost by taking that out.

But, my cash on cash return was 208% for the year.  Never gotten even 10% of that in any year in my 401K.

So....

I've bought, rehabbed and sold 1 house.   It took me only that transaction to start getting my license.  The points above are all valid and don't provide any value repeating.

Louisville here.