Have you thought about the highest & best use of your time, or are you too busy to think right now?
Whether you have time to consider the question depends upon your family and your business. 
If you have a large family, and especially if you have young children, life could be happily hectic. You’re busy shopping, wrapping, baking, cooking, and entertaining. Hopefully you’re carving out some “you time” and some special time with each of your loved ones.
If you have transactions in progress at the moment, you have no choice but to spend time working, even if you have that family at home wanting your attention. The highest & best use of your time is to get those transactions finalized so you can focus on family!
Your life may be a bit simpler.
You might have time to consider the highest & best use of your time this week, and next week. It’s likely that prospects won’t welcome your sales calls and won’t be eager to set appointments this week. (Although there could be exceptions.)
So here are some suggestions:
- Call past clients, just to say hello and wish them happy holidays.
- Do some baking and deliver it to favorite clients – or take a small gift.
- If you intended to send Christmas cards but didn’t get it done, send Happy New Year cards – start addressing those envelopes right now!
- Go back and take a look at what you did or didn’t do in 2025 – what worked and what didn’t work? Consider the changes you’ll make this year. Will you pursue a new niche or neighborhood? Will you prospect in a different manner?
- Create a business and marketing plan for 2026 based on your answers to those questions.
- Give your accounting a check-up. If you’re behind on data entry, use this time to catch up.
- Go back through your accounting program to be sure that you’ve correctly entered every deductible expense.
- Reorganize your office or office space in your home.
- Take an online CE class.
- Think about things you might need in your business in the first few months of 2024, and purchase or order them now. Depending upon your tax bracket, every hundred dollars you spend on deductible expenses by December 31 will save you from $10 to $37. See the IRS list of tax brackets here.
Your list might include:-
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- Office supplies (are you low on printer ink or paper?)
- New business cards
- A personal brochure – or additional copies of one you have
- A new phone or laptop
- Educational books and materials
- Closing gifts
- An updated agent bio – or a new bio if you don’t already have one.
- Prospecting letters
- Community pages for your website
- A domain name and deposit on website construction if you still don’t have your own site
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On a more personal note, here are more suggestions for the highest & best use of your time right now …
- Call someone you haven’t spoken with in a long time, just to say hello.
- Go online and locate someone with whom you’ve lost connections – and send an email.
- Clean your cupboards and closets – donate things you no longer use/wear.
- Indulge in some favorite activity.
- Donate some time with a favorite non-profit.
In a few short days it will be 2026, so get ready to greet it with enthusiasm!
