From goal setting to mentorship to real estate marketing, these Resolutions can help you work smarter this year:

1. Start a new morning routine.

Take a page from some highly successful people and integrate a few early morning habits, like meditating, drinking a smoothie, or reading, to set your tone for the day.

2. Reach out to local businesses.

Consider contacting a local contractor or moving company to discuss how you can build a mutually beneficial relationship.

3. Use a social media calendar.

Though the ideal posting frequency for each platform is always changing, social media strategists agree that consistency is key. Strengthen your real estate marketing plan by creating—and sticking to—a social calendar. Here’s a free template to download.

4. Make sure it includes video.

Video offers a low-effort avenue for upping engagement, and yet, many agents are, understandably, hesitant to use it. Take the first step and set up your YouTube channel. Then schedule weekly market update videos into your social calendar.

5. Post one trending meme.

Last year, it might have been a graphic saying, “This Barbie is a real estate agent.” This year, what will it be? Keep on eye on what’s trending and have fun with it when the inspiration strikes you.

6. Pick up the phone.

Set aside one hour a day for calling or texting new prospects and past clients. To keep yourself accountable, schedule it as a daily appointment in your calendar.

7. Get one new follower a week.

Depending on your social media strategy, it may be entirely possible to meet your goal of gaining one new follower each week.

8. Update your headshot.

Look at it as a brand investment. Refreshing your headshot can help make a strong, professional impression on social media and in all client communications in the year ahead.

9. Reassess your digital marketing.

If your lead gen was light this year, your digital real estate marketing might benefit from some attention. Sign up for a new social site, start blogging, or take a free or paid course for more targeted guidance.

10. Start a blog.

Content is a critical component of any real estate marketing strategy, and a branded blog can be a low-cost driver of traffic.

If you don’t feel up to the task, your Academy Loan Officer can provide you with plenty of market-facing blog articles that you can share with your audience.

11. Commit to a daily gratitude practice.

It’s not just about grinding. It’s also about appreciating how far you’ve come. You can cultivate gratitude in a way that works for you, such as using a gratitude jar or writing down three things you’re thankful for each day.

12. Break down a big-picture goal.

Is it a new certification? Or is it saving up enough to start buying and flipping houses? Whatever your next step may be, break it down into small, doable milestones so you can start moving forward.

13. Seek out a mentor.

Whether it’s asking a colleague you admire to have coffee or hiring a real estate coach, open yourself up to feedback from someone you’d like to emulate.

14. Organize your laptop, car, or desk.

Set aside an afternoon to clean and organize the space you use the most so you can get more use out of it. If it’s a computer, delete old files, consolidate folders, and create a new folder and subfolder system, syncing files to cloud storage.   

15. Sign up for a webinar.

You can attend a webinar from the comfort of your own home, and it usually lasts up to 60 minutes. Browse some upcoming webinars here and here.

16. Go to a conference.

A regional, state, or even national conference offers a great way to stay up to date on current industry trends, as well as the chance to connect with and learn from top-producing agents.

17. Tune into a podcast.

This one’s easy: Just download your preferred real estate podcasts and turn your many hours spent in the car into a no-cost educational opportunity.

18. Learn at least one new technology.

The new technologies that are available are truly endless. So, pick one, and go for it: Research a new CRM or lead gen software, watch or read a tutorial on it, and then start using it.

19. Subscribe to monthly market reports.

Sign up for monthly reports from housing authorities, as well as other local agents, so you’ll always have data to educate clients sitting in your inbox.

20. Step out of your comfort zone.

You only grow outside of your comfort zone, as the saying goes. So, stretch yourself by doing something you’d only dream of—like agreeing to do a guest interview on a podcast.

21. Block out “do nothing” time.

Making recharging a habit not only helps to breed creativity—it also gives you the fuel to go-go-go when clients need you at the last minute.

22. Automate something.

Doing this can eliminate unnecessary steps and make your day-to-day much easier. Here are a few ideas to get you started.

23. Plug into your community.

Attend at least one new community event each month—whether it’s a mixer or a city cleanup—so residents can get to know you as a person, not just an agent looking for clients.