Peak performers write stuff down.
- Tasks
- Goals
- Worries
- Feelings
- Thoughts
- Debriefing (make-it-better notes)
Journaling is one of the fastest ways to dump stress and gain clarity. I use the High Performance Planner by Brendon Burchard.
“Your brain is for having ideas, not holding them.”
Why Writing It Down Works
Every open loop you carry in your head takes attention away from the work in front of you: the call you need to return, the contract deadline, the worry about next month. Get it on paper, and your mind is free to do its real job.
A Simple Daily Practice
- Morning: write your top three tasks and the one result that would make today a win.
- During the day: capture every new task or idea the moment it shows up.
- After every appointment: write a quick debrief. What went well? What would make it better?
- Evening: put what’s still on your mind onto paper so you can let it go.
Make It a Team Habit
The same practice works for a whole office:
- Start sales meetings by having each agent write their top three actions for the week.
- End coaching sessions with the agent writing their next step in their own words.
- Keep a shared list of wins and lessons from recent transactions.
When people write their own commitments, follow-through goes up, and you stop being the one holding everyone’s to-do list. Try it at your next sales meeting: five minutes, a pen and an index card, then ask who’ll share one item out loud.
Paper, app or planner, the tool matters less than the habit.
Framework: This post is part of Action Produces Data, the coaching framework for consistent production: take the next right action, track it and let the results, not opinions, guide what you do next.
Want help applying this in your brokerage? Book a 30-minute conversation with Mark at calendly.com/mjsession.
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