Busy Weeks, Unproductive Year!

Have you ever finished a week feeling like you worked your tail off, only to look at your goals and realize you didn’t make much progress? You were busy, you answered calls, responded to emails, attended meetings, dealt with problems, and crossed things off your to-do list. But when you look at what actually moved your business forward, there’s not much to show for all that effort.

And when enough weeks like that stack up, you can find yourself ten months into the year wondering where the time went and why you’re still behind.

Something I’ve learned over the years is that you can have a productive day, a busy week, and still have an unproductive year. It’s not necessarily because you’re not working hard enough. Sometimes, it’s because the things keeping you busy aren’t the things that will get you where you want to go.

I’ve been watching something interesting unfold over the last six weeks. On September 14, we kicked off Race to Year End, a 14 week accountability program with 91 agents. Every week, we coach together, build our plans, write out our 10/10, do our affirmations, track our numbers, and stay connected through our group chat. Today, 64 agents are still in the race, and together they’ve taken over 100 listings and written over 120 offers.

Those are impressive results, but what really caught my attention is that approximately 20% of the group is responsible for most of them.

Everyone has access to the same coaching, the same structure, and the same accountability program, yet the results are very different. There are probably several reasons for that. Some agents may have started with stronger pipelines, more experience, or more opportunities already in progress. But I also believe there’s something important we can learn from looking at how we spend our time and how consistently we follow through on the things we know we need to do.

I don’t believe the agents who haven’t produced the same results are necessarily working any less. In fact, I’d bet many of them are just as busy. But being busy doesn’t always mean you’re moving forward, and that’s something every one of us needs to pay attention to.

You can spend an entire day responding to messages, organizing your database, preparing marketing materials, attending meetings, and taking care of all the little things that come up. Some of those things are necessary, but at the end of the day, how much time did you actually spend having conversations, following up with potential clients, setting appointments, or creating new business opportunities?

That’s the difference I want you to think about this week.

Having a business plan is important, and so is setting goals, attending training, and learning new skills. But none of those things will produce results unless they’re followed by consistent action. And not just any action, but the activities that have the greatest impact on your business.

This week’s assignment

Before you get too far into another busy week, I want you to take a few minutes to look honestly at how you spent your time last week. Don’t worry about how much you accomplished or how many things you crossed off your list. Instead, ask yourself these three questions:

1. What did I do last week that actually moved my business forward? Think about the conversations you had, the follow up you completed, the appointments you booked, and the opportunities you created. Which activities brought you closer to generating business?
2. What kept me busy but didn’t really move me forward? We all have things that fill our days without contributing much to our goals. Identify where your time went and whether some of those activities could have been handled differently, delegated, or given less attention.
3. What’s one thing I need to do differently this week? Based on what you’ve just identified, choose one business generating activity that deserves more of your time and attention. Put it in your calendar, protect that time, and make a commitment to follow through.

Then, on Friday, take five minutes to look back at your week. Did you actually do what you committed to doing? Did you spend more time on the activities that matter, and did those activities create any new opportunities? You may not see an immediate result from every action, but you’ll know whether you’re building the habits that lead to results.

There are only a little over nine weeks left in 2026. We can’t change how we’ve spent the last ten months, but we can certainly change how we approach the weeks ahead. And sometimes, the biggest improvement in your business doesn’t come from working longer hours or adding more things to your schedule. It comes from being more intentional about what you’re already doing.

Busy feels good. Results feel better.

Have a powerful week ahead.