2026 Starts Now: Why Long-Term Thinking Will Save Your Sanity

Short-term thinking is exhausting real estate agents.

When everything is measured in closings, commissions, and 30-day windows, your business starts to feel like one long emergency. You’re reacting instead of steering. Planning feels optional. And nothing ever feels settled.

In this episode, Lindsay Dreyer explains why long-term thinking isn’t about doing more — it’s about doing fewer things with intention. We talk about how short-term urgency creates burnout, why reactive execution keeps agents stuck, and how building for stability actually creates more freedom, calm, and better results over time.

This is about trading adrenaline for sustainability — and setting future you up for a much easier year.

What You’ll Learn:

• Why short-term thinking keeps real estate agents in panic mode
• How income inconsistency fuels urgency and decision fatigue
• The difference between reactive execution and long-term execution
• Why constantly changing strategies prevents real momentum
• How boring, consistent actions outperform urgent ones
• Why tracking trends over time matters more than daily results
• How long-term planning calms your nervous system
• Three shifts that move you from reacting to intentionally steering your business

You don’t need a perfect plan — you need one you can stick with long enough to work.

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Chapters

• 1:08 Intentional Start To The Year
• 1:38 The Trap Of Short‑Term Thinking
• 3:44 From Reacting To Steering Your Business
• 5:04 How Agents Get Stuck In Reactivity
• 6:54 Reactive vs Long‑Term Execution
• 9:54 The Boring Work That Compounds
• 11:54 Execute Consistently To End Feast And Famine
• 13:24 Stability Over Adrenaline
• 14:44 Three Shifts For Long‑Term Thinking
• 16:54 Zoom Out And Track Trends
• 17:13 Build For 2026 Now

Transcript

SPEAKER_00: 0:34

Hello. I hope your year is off to a good start. We are firmly in January. Oh my gosh. I feel like time just like flies by the older I get. I am Lindsay Dreyer, your host. I am a mom of three brokerage owner and real estate coach to agents who are tired of listening to typical real estate coaches, which I hope is why you're here. If you are new to the show, welcome. If you are returning, welcome back. I'm so glad you're here. Today we are talking about why long-term thinking isn't about necessarily doing more, it's about doing fewer things with intention. And that is really what this is all about. We're kicking off the new year with intention and why that shift alone can not only like calm your nervous system and make you enjoy your business, but it is also so good for your business. Short-term thinking is exhausting real estate agents. Okay. It is actually preventing us from being long-term thinkers. Real estate as an industry and as a whole is training agents to think in terms of closings, commissions, 30-day windows. Also, that income inconsistency is creating constant urgency. It's like the feast or famine. We all feel it. And the short-term thinking leads to emotional whiplash. It leads to decision fatigue, honestly. That decision fatigue is brutal. And it also results in everything feeling like a fire that has to put be put out. How many times have you said to yourself, I'll feel better after this deal closes? Oh my gosh. I'd be like a rich woman if I had a dollar for every time someone said that. Also, the cycle of having a good month versus a panic month. Um, why nothing ever feels settled? Like this is a really common one. It's like it's so hard in a commissioned-based job to or career to just feel like nothing is ever settled. And so it's up to us to really create that like structure, that long-term planning. And also, I know I harp on this a lot, but social media reinforces all the wrong stuff. It really is reinforcing the immediacy, it's encouraging us to be on all the time. And it really is just reinforcing that short-term thinking. So when you're only thinking in short windows or short term, everything is going to feel like an emergency, even things that aren't. So today, I want you to get into long-term thinking. Long-term thinking doesn't mean that you're going to be ignoring what has to be done today, but it does mean making decisions today with tomorrow in mind. And that is the key, is that you're making decisions that are that future Lindsay, future you are going to be really happy with and glad that you did. It is the difference between actually reacting in your business and steering it. We are not going to be reactive as much as we can. Like I know sometimes we have to react. That's important. But it is about steering the ship longer term. Short-term thinking is asking us, what do I need to do right now? And long-term thinking is asking us, what will future me be glad that I did? That is the key. We are trying to set up future you for success because that calm, that stability, that feeling safe in your business, it comes from predictability. It doesn't come from constantly being in motion. It doesn't come from constantly being on. It doesn't come from constantly fighting fires. So this is less putting out those fires. And it is more like we're installing a smoke detector because we are going to be prepared for when that fire does come and it is going to alert us. So how do agents get stuck in reactive mode? And this is like short-term thinking reactivity mode. The first is you're changing strategy every time something shifts in the market, and you're like super reactive to what's happening in the market at this moment. You're maybe starting new systems, but you're never sticking with them long enough to see if they actually work. You are making decisions from fear instead of data or patterns. You don't plan. Like you just treat planning as optional and you're just like flying by the seat of your pants. Um, you could also be reworking your marketing every quarter instead of sticking with something, again, long enough to see if it works. I also see agents jumping from like tactic to tactic or like like see, like saving and being obsessed with every single new idea. I think real estate agents really struggle and aren't actually attracted to this industry because they want novelty. Like we like having things be different. We like having things not being the same. Like it's a reason why we're not sitting at a desk at a nine to five, just like banging out the work, is that we like novelty. We like that like dopamine hit, the adrenaline rush. Um, do you also maybe planning when things feel bad? So you're not planning like when things are feeling good. And again, that's being in reactivity, or you're confusing your flexibility with a lack of structure. So this is like the hint is that if your business needs a reset or you feel like you're resetting it, every time something feels uncertain, it's exhausting by design. Like that's just how it is. Like you have designed a business that is going to drain you of your energy. And it is a short-term reactive business. Here's where it gets really practical. Two agents can take the same exact action. They could send an email, they could post something online, they could follow up with a client. And those two agents could have a completely different set of results depending on how they are executing it. So the short-term reactive executor that is driven by urgency. It is driven by fear or comparison or sudden dip in confidence. And it sounds like I need something to work right now. I need leads right now. Everyone else seems busy. What am I missing? What am I doing wrong? Or I should probably be doing more. I need to be doing more because nothing's working. And the behaviors that you'll you'll exhibit or what you'll do is you're just gonna start posting just to post. You are gonna start and stop strategies. You're not gonna stick with anything. You might be reaching out to people because business feels slow. Like you're like, oh shit, I need some business. So I'm gonna just start reaching out to people. You also may be changing your messaging constantly. Um, you have no like actual real strategy or positioning or like marketing message that you're putting out consistently. And then you're gonna be tracking your results emotionally instead of over time. This is a big one where agents actually aren't really tracking their business. They are just emotionally reacting to what's going on. Like I know so many agents, if I said, what are your numbers year to date? They're like, I have no idea. Um, which actually is a plug for the deal dashboard, honestly. So if you need to track your business, get the free happy agent co deal dashboard, happyagent.co slash dashboard. It is legit. Reactive execution keeps you busy, but it doesn't make you feel safe and it does not make you feel secure. Um, so that is a sign that you are in short-term reactive execution mode. So let's chat about what it looks like if you're in long-term aligned execution mode. Long-term execution is quieter, it's less urgent. It is 100% more boring, like so boring. Um, but it is dramatically more effective. I had a coaching client who recently graduated, and she's one of those agents that like had all the ideas, loved all the ideas, but was overwhelmed by all the ideas. And we really came up with a plan that was super intentional, very focused, very simplified. And she's like, this is kind of boring, but it's getting done on a consistent basis, and I'm seeing results in my business. And that's what it's about. Like, this stuff is not sexy. It is boring. And I know that that's hard for real estate agents because we're always chasing the high, we're chasing the excitement. But long-term executors are executing the boring stuff consistently. Long-term executors, they say things like, This doesn't need to work today. I'm gonna see how it plays out over the long term. You know, I'm building trust with people. I'm not necessarily chasing leads, or if I repeat this long enough, I am hoping to see real results. So it isn't about that quick fix. It's not about that high, that quick high. They are really doing things not out of urgency or because they're exciting. They're doing them because over the long term, it's most likely going to work. So, what does this look like? This looks like consistent monthly communication. It looks like a consistent marketing plan. It looks like repeating the same marketing messages for a full year. It means staying visible even when your business feels fine. And this is the big one is that agents only prospect or market in the dips. That is a huge, huge, huge mistake. You need to consistently market yourself throughout the entire year so you can avoid those massive dips. Because let's be real, when you start marketing, it's not like you get people immediately. There is like a three to six month lag time. So never ever stop marketing. And that's what long-term executors realize is that to avoid the feast and famine and keep your pipeline full consistently, you are executing over the long term. And then lastly, long-term executors are measuring their progress quarterly, not weekly, not daily. They are looking at trends long-term. And that is important. Like, okay, so executed all of this consistently. I'm noticing my leads have started ramping up over the past three to six months, not like my leads are ramping up this week. Ultimately, long-term execution is trading adrenaline and that rush for stability, which I know it's boring, but that is why it works. Long-term execution is asking, will this compound if I keep showing up? Versus short term, where it's asking you, will this pay off immediately? And honestly, nothing in real estate pays off immediately. And I think that's why so many real estate agents are in this like frenetic burnout cycle, is because they are not looking at things long term. They're not thinking about compounding over time. I want you to start thinking about long-term, thinking that it's not about predicting the future perfectly because it's not ever going to be perfect, but it is about building something steady and consistent enough that you're not panicking when things change, like the market drops out or interest rates change, or you lose a client. You're going to stay consistent and steady because you have come up with a thoughtful, intentional, long-term plan. That structure honestly creates a lot of flexibility. And a lot of people don't realize that is that the structure and that consistency creates freedom in your business because you are no longer expending energy on chasing the ideas, the shiny objects, and you are really just focusing on executing the plan, the intentional plan that will work long term. So, how do you start shifting from a short-term to a long-term mindset? The first thing is you need to make decisions that reduce future decisions. So the best long-term decisions are the ones that make your future easier, the ones that future you are going to be proud of. So creating that consistent, repeatable marketing rhythm, marketing plan, having those clear client criteria, having those standardized workflows. Because if you're constantly redeciding your business, you are draining energy that you are going to need later. Tip number two is you need to build for stability before growth. So growing without stability, it feels exciting until it totally collapses. So having consistent lead sources is so important. Having basic financial clarity, like tracking your stuff. Again, get the deal dashboard, happyagent.co/slash dashboard. It is free. And it is a really good starting point to start tracking your business like a business. Having a manageable workload before adding any more. So like building that stability is that foundation. Stability is not boring. Consistency is not boring. It is calming for your nervous system. And it is good for you. I know it's not exciting, but it is good for you. So we're making decisions that reduce your future decisions. And then we're building stability before you grow. The next is you need to zoom out on your time horizons. I know we are always looking at the next closing, the next 30 days, like I said, but we need to start asking longer questions. What would make this year feel easier? What habits would make success inevitable if I committed to them long term? What am I doing out of panic instead of intentionality? Because asking yourself those better longer-term questions is going to help you zoom out and get a bigger picture view of your business. This is also where tracking your financials comes in, tracking your deals, because you can look at previous years. You can look at 2025, 2024, 2023, look at the seasonality. Is it on par with where you were in previous years? Is it off? Why might it be off? Data is so helpful to help you spot patterns and information that might be useful. So zooming out on those time horizons can be so important. Again, those three tips. Make decisions that reduce future decisions, make future you happy, build for stability, and then zoom out on your time horizon. Start looking at your business in bigger chunks of time. Stop looking at it every day, every week, every month. Start looking at the quarter, the half a year, the year. Look at previous years. Start spotting those trends. You have to stop living deal to deal. You really need to start building something that is slower and steadier and more intentional. And I want you to start making decisions today that future you will quietly thank you for. And it comes down to just not chasing stuff, which I know is hard because we're made, we're built to chase deals, which is why this is so hard for so many real estate agents is that that stability, that system, that consistent marketing rhythm, it is so hard. But once you do it, your nervous system is going to love you. You will have fewer emergencies, you will chase less deals, you will have I'm not less deals, you will chase less of the trends, you will have less self-doubt. And that is going to make you a stronger agent. That is going to give you energy to put out the fires when the fires arise, and you are going to be so much wiser. So I want you to ask yourself, what is one decision that you can make this month that would make the rest of the year feel easier? And that's a really good place to start. 2026 starts now. And it starts with how you think and how you're executing consistently right now. So I want you to get on there and really start building and working on your business with intention because you can shift from a short term reactive thinker to a long term intentional planner. I know you can do it. Until next time, I hope you stay happy.