4 WAYS TO WIN

4 Ways to Win the Battle Against Procrastination

One of the most common professional afflictions is procrastination. The funny thing is, everyone knows that procrastination is negative—it’s a waste of time, a creator of stress, and is entirely a problem of our own making. Still, knowing all of this doesn’t necessarily decrease our odds of procrastination. There are plenty of explanations we give when putting work off until the last minute. Perhaps you convince yourself that you work best under pressure, but it’s truer that you’re used to working under pressure by necessity. Maybe you’re a perfectionist and the fear of getting it all wrong puts you off from the task. Whatever the justification may be, overcoming procrastination requires some willpower and technique. With

that in mind, take a look at a few tricks below to jumpstart your motivation and nix the lastminute time crunch. After all, you owe it to yourself and your business to operate like a procrastination-free professional.

3. Work in Windows

1. Make Your Intentions Known

As realtors and mortgage professionals, you may serve as your own boss. So, when the time comes to complete a task and you put it off—perhaps you’re only disappointing yourself. This is easily remedied by making a new promise to try again tomorrow. On the other hand, it’s much harder to break promises and commitments to others. Try verbalizing your intent and commitment to your team, or to an assistant who can hold you accountable, or better yet—to a business partner or to a client. Make a hard deadline public and you’re likely to perform for fear of embarrassment or losing face. In a way, this puts the pressure of expectation on you, instead of the pressure of the ticking clock.

2. Take a Baby Step

When tasks pile up, it’s easy to get overwhelmed. If you’ve got a number of items on your to-do list, including some heavy hitters that require a lot of attention and time, begin by taking on something simple. Identify an easily completed job that needs attention and put it first in your queue. Duties that are straightforward and aren’t time-intensive can lead you to the rest of your to-do list, fueling you with the satisfaction of a task already complete. Even if it’s as small as returning e-mails, or dropping off your dry-cleaning, one simple thing off your list can inspire you to continue on to the next item in the spirit of productivity.

If work is the last thing you want to do and you can’t seem to self-motivate, make a compromise with yourself. Agree to work just fifteen minutes, and mean it. This tiny window of time is easy enough to complete, isn’t overwhelming, and you’ve already agreed to move on once time is up. The truth? Odds are that just fifteen minutes of active work will inspire you to keep going. After all, the most difficult part of procrastination is getting started. By putting in those fifteen minutes, you’ll trick yourself into diving into the action.

4. Switch Up Your Environment

If you’re stuck in rut when it comes to procrastination and productivity, try changing your surroundings. If the office feels stale and stressful, take your work to the nearest coffee shop and try to tackle your tasks there. Perhaps the quiet, studious ambiance of a library can make you focus, or a picnic table outside the office can stimulate the senses. Sometimes changing your scenery can breathe new life into your routine and give you the extra push you need to get work done.

There’s no one way to overcome procrastination. In fact, it’s likely a lifelong process of building discipline, finding techniques that work for you, and simply prioritizing your time more effectively. Don’t lose hope—remember these tricks and winning the war will be possible, even if you lose a few battles along the way.

MELANIE GIGLIO-VAKOS

When the purchase of her first home turned out to be a negative experience due to an inexperienced real estate agent, Melanie Giglio-Vakos vowed to never let anyone else buying or selling a home go through the same horrendous transaction process again. Considering she was in sales throughout her life, she decided that real estate may be her calling. With her passion to help clients and her mission to give them the highest level of service, she’s been successfully operating her business for over 18 years now. Melanie works at Compass Real Estate and is the team leader of The MVP Team, serving clients all throughout Chicago and the surrounding suburbs.

Due to her extensive knowledge of the Chicago market, Melanie is able to maximize her marketing strategy and negotiate the best results for her clients. And thanks to her dedication and strong work ethic, she has been able to build a wide network of repeat and referral clients. “My clients know my strong work ethic and trust that I have their best interest in mind at all times. They also value my experience and knowledge of the market,” she says. Melanie’s team ensures that they always provide a white glove service to clients and communicate constantly throughout the entire process. Communication is a main pillar of her business methodology, as she sees her role in her clients’ lives extending far beyond just one transaction, but into a longterm relationship where she can remain a resource for them anytime in the future.

Another large part of Melanie’s success is her talented team of real estate professionals with in-depth market expertise. Comprised of 15 agents, an operations manager, a full professional marketing team, as well as Melanie’s own personal staging company, The MVP Team has no issues standing out against the competition. With many of the agents being native to Chicago, they come with an unparalleled knowledge of the area and are constantly on the forefront of any market changes. This is why they have consistently stayed in the top 1% of the Chicago Association of Realtors consecutively for the past 11 years, have been awarded the Platinum Level for units and transactions, and find themselves in the top 10 of REALTORS® in Chicago to date, as well as being recently awarded the #1 Team in West Town. For Melanie, there is no better feeling at work than being able to help her clients, whether it’s buyers or sellers, achieve their desired outcome. “I love the feeling of satisfaction I get when we’re able to find our clients their dream home, or being able to get my sellers a great price for their property. It’s rewarding to help them accomplish everything we set out to do,” she says. That’s why, even though she’s busy in her leadership role, she is still hands-on with all of her transactions. “I’m very personally involved with everything going on in our team. I’m dedicated to making this team the absolute best,” she says.

It’s important for Melanie to be involved in her community, and she does so by donating to various charities. The one closest to her heart is Imerman Angels, an organization that offers one-on-one cancer support by matching cancer survivors with cancer patients. She’s been involved with Imerman Angels for many years, never knowing that one day she would also need their help. In 2012, shortly after giving birth to her daughter and in the midst of working hard to grow her real estate business, Melanie was diagnosed with triple negative breast cancer. The dire news came as a shock, but giving up was simply not an option, so instead Melanie fought hard the entire first half of 2012 all the while taking care of her baby and working. Thanks to her perseverance, that year turned out to be the best year of her career at that time. As a survivor herself, Melanie volunteers as a Mentor Angel and offers support to those who are still fighting.

When she’s not busy at work or volunteering, Melanie enjoys spending quality time with her 9-year-old daughter. Together they love to do art projects, play sports and musical instruments, bike, rollerblade, garden and cook. Going forward her goal is to continue growing her business at a steady pace. “I’m never scouting for new agents, my team has always grown organically, but if I come across a broker who shows the strong work ethics that I expect, I will always consider them for joining the team. We have a high set of standards, and I want our agents to always follow best practices and be the best trusted advisor for our clients.”

To learn more about Melanie Giglio, email melanie.giglio@compass.com, visit www.mvpchicagorealestate.com, or call (312) 953–4998

JOHN GRAHAM

The Legacy Group Network is a Washington based real estate firm providing personalized high-quality service to its clients by dedicated agents with years of industry expertise and knowledge. The team is led by John Graham, a former teacher and basketball coach who decided to explore his passion for business in corporate America for many years before transferring over to real estate. The group serves buyers and sellers throughout Spokane, Washington, Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, as well as Missoula, Montana, and consistently remains one of the most successful firms in the region.

With a work mantra of professionalism and high standards, the agents at The Legacy Group Network have built a strong reputation in their community and the real estate world. “For the past 13 years we have prioritized working with strong ethics, high integrity, and with the desire to produce the best results for our clients. I think that reputation, and the image we have established through our branding has led to that industry credibility we now have as a real estate company. And that’s what attracts a lot of repeat and referral clients to work with us,” John says.

Even though they pride themselves on their ability to embrace industry changes and keep up with technological advances, one thing The Legacy Group Network is never looking to leave behind is the old-school values of hard work and professional conduct. “The market has changed quite a bit and become more laid back and relaxed. But as much as we have fun working with our clients, we also realize that this is the largest investment most people are going to make in their lifetime so we take it very seriously, and we stay on top of our education, and provide them with the highest level of customer care.”

The Legacy Group Network pulls out all the stops when it comes to their marketing. From radio and television appearances, to social media, open houses, and door knocking—the team sells an impressive 400 houses per year, for a total of 100 million dollars in sales volume. “We have a great team that works really hard to always keep clients satisfied. We really enjoy helping people, whether it’s buying or selling a house. This is such an emotional event, so there are a lot of highs and lows involved. What we enjoy the most is seeing that smile on someone’s face when they get their new home, or when they sell a house and start a new chapter in their life.”

Going forward The Legacy Group Network has many exciting projects in the works. Thanks to their proven track record of real estate excellence, they have been invited to film The American Dream, a National Television Show that highlights lifestyle and real estate in various cities. The filming starts in January 2021, and the show is set to come out in the early Spring. John also hopes to evolve the company into a one-stop-shop for all things real estate, and further expand their locations and growth while remaining a strong and inspiring leader for his team.

To learn more about John Graham email johngraham.legacy@gmail.com, visit www.thelegacygroupnetwork.com, or call (509) 954–7083