Coach Var Workman shares why multitasking your financial goals can hurt your bottom line and how to get back on track.
For years, experts have been telling us that multitasking is the secret to success. Do more things at once. Chase multiple opportunities. Keep all plates rotating.
Over the years, I’ve learned that while this advice sounds productive, it rarely yields predictable results. Research results and actual business results tell very different stories.
A December 2023 article in Forbes magazine pointed to a study in Psychological Bulletin and Reviews showing that only 2.5 percent of people can effectively multitask. Everyone else experiences decreased concentration, decreased quality of execution, and decreased results.
In my experience working with top talent across the country, the findings are evident in one place: your income.
Just because entrepreneurs lack motivation doesn’t mean they can’t achieve their financial goals. What I often see is that they spread their efforts in too many directions without a structure to support success.
If a leader chases too many things, he or she won’t be able to do any of them well. They think the next great app, software, AI, or coach will make a difference. In reality, they need to spend more time thinking seriously about what else they won’t do, rather than what else they’ll add to an already filling meal.
The trap of multitasking in real estate
Multitasking feels productive. Looks responsible. Usually superhuman.
A little sphere work. We will hold several open houses as time allows. Some social media posts – inconsistent. Expired, FSBO, New Construction, SOI, Top 50, AI…maybe more.
I’ve been watching this pattern play out for years. Each activity works independently. All in all, without concentration, you’re unlikely to do it.
What agents often refer to as diversification is actually dilution. Nothing attracts enough attention to produce predictable results. In my experience, predictability is the real goal.
When you plan for next year, if your goal is to generate $250,000 in closed gross revenue, just reverse engineer how to do it.
The concept of the four pillars is not about doing four things at the same time. It’s something I’ve been teaching for years because it works. It’s about designing four complete paths to reach the same income goal.
Let’s say your target income is $100,000. Most people divide their goals into quarters, allocating 25 percent from each pillar. It feels logical. This is also one of the most common mistakes I see.
Each pillar must be able to generate 100% of your income goal on its own.
why? This is because each pillar is processed as if it were the only one in existence.
Examples of income sources include:
Sphere of Influence (SOI) Open House New Construction Expired or FSBO
The particular pillar is not as important as the structure behind it. The important thing is that each one is independent.
Each column gets:
Your own lead generation plan Your own activity criteria Your own conversion assumptions Your own execution focus
I’m not multitasking. You’re building a business that doesn’t rely on hope. We’ve built in redundancy and found success.
What happens if the agent applies this correctly?
One pillar can deliver 30% of the expected results. the other reaches 70%. One third reaches 90 percent. The fourth lands somewhere in between.
This is something I’ve seen over and over again. Rather than barely reaching $100,000, they often exceed it by a wide margin. It’s not because all the pillars worked perfectly. But the business was never dependent on just one thing.
When one pillar slows down, another transfers momentum. There are no confusing mid-year turning points or emotional roller coasters tied to a single lead source. This is what predictable income looks like in the real world.
There are coaches and speakers who claim to build a business entirely on referrals. And for some people, it works. Because they execute that one pillar very well.
The problem is risk. Markets change. I’ve seen it before. Life intervenes. The pipeline will run dry.
A business built on one pillar has no room for mistakes. Business is made up of four actions.
The goal is not to do everything. That never happened. The goal is to make sure your income doesn’t depend on just one thing.
Multitasking makes you feel busy. The intentional design gives a calming impression.
High-performing agents pursue no further activities. In my experience, they chase less and execute better. They construct multiple complete ways to achieve the same goal and execute each one with discipline and clarity.
This will make your income more predictable. That way, stress will be reduced. And that’s how the business grows year after year.
Multitasking costs money. The Four Pillars get it.
