I was reading an article in Elite Daily by James Clear about how you can apply Newton’s laws of motion to productivity. It’s an interesting read, and for each law I saw a clear way it can be applied to real estate.

First Law

Newton: Objects in motion tend to stay in motion

Clear: Find a small way to get going and it will give you momentum

How it applies to Real Estate: Know your starting point

I see it most often in marketing. Brokers say they want to “fix” their website or “redo” their marketing. These general terms don’t tell them what really needs to happen next. For example, maybe the first step is pulling up your website and making a list of all the changes you want to make. If one of the changes is to update your photo, then it’s possible that the first step of fixing your website is calling the photographer. Even knowing what step is next may be the small start you need to get going. A big project with no specifics is likely to stay on your to-do list forever.

Second Law

Newton: Force equals mass times acceleration

Clear: It’s not just how much work you do, but the direction in which you do it

How it applies to Real Estate: You have to work on your business, not just in it

It’s really easy for Brokers to wake up in the morning, check their email, spend the whole day putting out fires, and go to sleep feeling like nothing got done. If you want to grow and improve your business, you need to make sure some of your energy is devoted to the business itself. You could spend all day being reactive and fixing other people’s problems, or you could spend the first hour on sphere maintenance and marketing before you even open your email. The rest of the day can be used for calls and emails, and you’ll find that you can put out the same number of fires in seven hours that you used to do in eight.

Third Law

Newton: For every action there’s an equal and opposite reaction

Clear: Your productive and unproductive forces push against each other

How it applies to Real Estate: Streamline your processes

In the busy summer season it’s easy to just keep pushing along, doing everything exactly the way you’ve always done it. But occasionally you need to stop and ask: what is getting in the way and what could I do to eliminate it? If you hate having to track down your downloads folder every time you get an attachment, maybe it’s time to change your browser settings to download somewhere else. If you never want to work in your home office because the Wi-Fi signal doesn’t reach, look into buying an extender. And don’t forget about emotional forces. It might be time to stop working with a needy client, or perhaps you could distance yourself from an overly aggressive lender. Real estate is full of unproductive forces – make sure you’ve eliminated as many as possible.

Could physics help you with your business? It’s worth a try. The people who stay ahead of the curve are the ones willing to try new things.

https://jamesclear.com/physics-productivity