The HI-WI™ Lead Generation Challenge - Mark Willis and Ellis Ware

As a real estate agent, my biggest challenge was holding myself accountable to stay consistently motivated and focused on lead generation, the most dollar-productive aspect of my career. This ongoing challenge, supported by research, has inspired me to develop a new model that could help you double your productivity in half the time - the Hi-Wi™, or “High-Intensity Work Interval” model.

Within this new model, we utilize recognized best practices for work productivity along with methods and tools proven for effective lead generation. It is an uninterrupted, work intensive, 45-minute sprint of lead generation among like-minded peers, led by experts in the industry, followed by a 20-minute break. The 20-minute break allows your mind to recuperate and gain momentum for the next 45 minutes of highly focused work. Basically, the Hi-Wi™ model is to work productivity as High Intensity Interval Training, or HIIT, is to fitness.

HIIT is a form of interval training, an exercise strategy alternating between short periods of intense exercise with less intense recovery periods. You expend high amounts of focused and intense effort in intervals and then take brief breaks to recover. Exercising with maximum effort then allowing your body to recuperate is part of what makes HIIT so impactful. You rest between each exercise interval so you can spend more time working at a higher intensity. This method is believed to provide more effective results in a shorter amount of time.

Scientific research suggests that HIIT can burn more calories,[1] increase muscle density,[2] and improve exercise performance[3] more effectively than continuous endurance exercise. According to cardiologist Dr. Stephen Wiviott, associate professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School, pushing the body to work extra hard for short intervals helps burn more calories during the recovery period after the workout. This is due to greater “excess post-exercise oxygen consumption” or “afterburn” when compared to continuous moderate exercise.[4] When you exercise with greater intensity, it takes more calories for your body to recover and return to its pre-exercise state.

Similarly, more universities and businesses are espousing time-blocked interval methods for maximizing productivity while studying or in the workplace. For example, the Pomodoro technique (25-minute work intervals followed by 5-minute breaks) and the 52:17 method (52 minutes of focused work with 17 minutes of rest) have gained popularity as more effective strategies for productivity.

One of these, the 52:17 method, is the result of time-tracking and productivity app DeskTime’s research that studied the habits of the most productive employees. The study measured productivity by the amount of work completed, not the number of hours spent working. The study found that the most productive people work for 52 minutes then break for 17 minutes.[5]

Similarly, with regard to student study and productivity habits, the University of North Carolina’s Learning Center page on study tips notes that students will accomplish more if they study intensively. Intensive study sessions are short and result in more work with minimal wasted effort. These shorter, intensive study times are simply more effective than drawn out studying. Additionally, giving the mind a break improves cognitive function and memory about the material covered during the intensive study time.

With the Hi-Wi™ model, the 20-minute break allows your mind to rest from the 45-minute work session. As with the break in the 52:17 method, it is during this downtime that you are better able to reflect upon the work you have just done, gain new insights, and get clarity about your work moving forward. Also, setting the timer organizes and focuses your time to help you stay on track. This, plus knowing a break is less than an hour away, helps you work with more intensity for a specified time interval. It also boosts performance and overall productivity.

An important component of the Hi-Wi™ model is the community that Mark Willis Leadership has created for accountability, motivation, and encouragement. No one succeeds alone. When I do Orangetheory Fitness, I am motivated by the other members of my gym to do my personal best. When I am impressed by the athletic ability of one of my peers, I find myself inspired and motivated to work harder. And I give it my best until time is called because everyone else does the same and I know the workout will end soon. Likewise, the Hi-Wi™ group sessions motivate agents and encourages accountability and friendly competition. The Hi-Wi™ model developed by Mark Willis Leadership will help you reach your lead generation goals more effectively and in less time, and provide you with a community of peers that inspire, motivate, and encourage you every step of the way. Additionally, as a member of our community you will get access to Mark and other industry experts as well as the tools and systems we use to support a meaningful Hi-Wi™ journey.

If you are interested in learning more about our daily Hi-Wi™ challenge community, email: hiwi@willisleadership.com

ARTICLE SOURCES:

[1] Shiraev, Timothy & Barclay, Gabriella. (2012). Evidence based exercise: Clinical benefits of high intensity interval training. Australian family physician. 41. 960-2. [2] Nicolò, Andrea, and Michele Girardi. “The physiology of interval training: a new target to HIIT.” The Journal of physiology vol. 594,24 (2016): 7169-7170. doi:10.1113/ JP273466 [3] Micah Zuhl, Ph.D. and Len Kravitz, Ph.D. “HIIT vs Continuous Endurance Training: Battle of the Aerobic Titans. ” The University of New Mexico, Exercise of Science. [4] “Harnessing the Power of High Intensity Interval Training.” Harvard Health Publishing, Harvard Medical School.

[5] Julia Gifford. “The secret of the 10% most productive people? Breaking! May 14, 2018.