The Question
Here’s what I want to ask you: Are you finishing strong, or just finishing? This is not outdated now that we are beyond year-end. Stay with me here.
Think about your last closed transaction. Did you celebrate and move on? Or did you take one more step to extract maximum value from all that heavy lifting?
And here’s the tougher question: Are you considering how to Finish Strong each day, or do you wait until month-end, quarter-end, or even year-end to flip the switch on excellence?
Here’s what I’ve learned working with high-performing real estate professionals for 20 years: The ones crushing it aren’t just working harder. They’ve added a habit that I will shine a light on here.
The Quote
Cal Newport, computer science professor at Georgetown and author of Deep Work, puts it this way: “To succeed with a strategy, you must first accept the commitment that once your workday shuts down, you cannot allow even the smallest incursion of professional concerns into your field of attention.”
What? A guy telling us to shut down our work? How would that work in real estate? Where clients text at 9 PM and expect responses?
Keep reading. Newport’s research on what he calls the “shutdown routine” is about to blow your mind—and it ties directly into two concepts I’ve been teaching for over 10 years.
The Story: From Finish Strong to FS/PO
Let me take you back. In 2009, I did my first sales meeting with a group of high-performing real estate professionals. The concept was simple: Finish Strong. End every period—year, quarter, month, week—with power and momentum.
It worked. People got it. They implemented it.
Then in early 2014, I was working with a top producer who was spending far too much time on admin functions and not quite ready to hire an assistant yet. She was frustrated by the roller coaster ride that was her income. “This stresses me out,” she would say. “What can I do to gain and keep momentum in my business?”
“You are ready for an assistant by year end. I’ll help you onboard them and offload low impact tasks. But first, what’s one more thing you could do right now to make each admin task dollar productive?”
She paused. We had wrapped up a sales meeting about an hour ago which featured and insurance update. She pulled out her phone and sent a text to three homeowners in her sphere of influence with a link to information on new flood insurance regulations that might impact their policies. Within 48 hours, she had a listing appointment.
That’s when the Plus One methodology was born. Anytime you do heavy lifting, take one more step to make it dollar productive. Check this out:
| Low Impact / Admin Task | Plus One $ |
| Comparative Market Analysis | Preview a FSBO for the CMA |
| Attend sales meeting | Share info with at least one prospect |
| Preview a new home | Let a potential buyer know about it |
| Create a home brochure | Bring copies to local business owners |
| Create a home marketing video | Share example to other listing prospects |
| Send out a newsletter | Contact 10 who received it for feedback |
I have hundreds of these. Anytime you find yourself doing a task that isn’t developing business, consulting with buyers and sellers, or negotiating contracts – this is the mentality. Turn some element of the task into something that has an ROI. Don’t add a bunch of time, just something that can happen in a few minutes that elevates the entire task.
What if we combined Finish Strong + Plus One and made it a daily practice instead of an occasional push?
What if we created a system—a ritual—that allowed you to end every single workday with excellence AND prevented the 3 AM worry of “Did I forget to follow up with that buyer?”
Enter: FS/PO Shutdown Routine.
Look, I know what you’re thinking. “Kevin, you want me to add ANOTHER thing to my day? I barely have time to eat lunch. My family thinks I’m a hologram that occasionally appears at the dinner table. And now you want me to have a ‘shutdown routine’?”
Yes. Because here’s the truth: You’re already thinking about work at 11 PM. You’re already lying in bed mentally replaying that conversation with a difficult client. You’re already waking up at 3 AM in a panic because you can’t remember if you sent that email.
So we’re not adding work. We’re adding peace of mind. We’re adding a system that lets you actually ENJOY your evening instead of ruminating on whether you forgot something important.
Plus, wouldn’t it be nice if your family recognized you when you showed up for dinner?
The Research: Why This Actually Works
Okay, let’s get nerdy for a minute. Because this isn’t just feel-good advice. There’s science backing this up.
Cognitive Closure
Here’s what happens in your brain: Unfinished tasks create what psychologists call “cognitive interference.” Your brain literally can’t relax because it’s trying to remember all the open loops.
But here’s the fascinating part: Research shows that simply making a specific plan for an unfulfilled goal eliminates that cognitive interference. You don’t have to complete the task—you just need to capture it and create a plan.
A proper shutdown routine tells your brain: “Nothing is forgotten. It’s handled.”
The 2021 Employee Study
A study published in 2021 showed that employees who did end-of-day planning reported:
- Less evening work rumination
- Improved work engagement the following day
- Better sleep quality
And here’s the kicker: Those with clear boundary rituals experienced significantly lower anticipatory stress about work during evening hours.
The Newport Method
Newport recommends a 3-5 minute daily process (though you can expand it to 15-30 minutes):
- Review your task lists
- Check your upcoming calendar
- Capture any incomplete items
- Confirm you have a completion strategy for each task
- Perform a ritual close (he literally says out loud “Schedule shutdown complete”)
Sounds weird, right? But here’s what’s happening: You’re creating a mental trigger. Over time, your brain learns that this phrase means “work is done.” It’s like Pavlov’s dog, except instead of drooling, you’re relaxing.
Why Real Estate Professionals Need This More Than Anyone
Real estate has no natural boundaries. Clients can reach you 24/7. That house doesn’t care that it’s Saturday. The inspection report arrives at 8 PM. The mortgage underwriter has questions on Sunday morning.
Without a shutdown routine, work infiltrates everything. Dinner with your family. Date night with your spouse. Your kid’s soccer game. That vacation you desperately need.
The shutdown routine creates a boundary in a business that has none. Is it perfect? No. Can it help you earn more and live better? Of course.
The Point: Systems. Focus. Discipline.
Last year, our theme was Connection. Differentiation. Repetition.
This year? Systems. Focus. Discipline.
Sounds like less fun, right?
Connection, Differentiation, and Repetition were about building relationships and standing out. That was the foundation. We built it.
Systems. Focus. Discipline. are about sustainable excellence and scaling up. This is how you stop burning out. This is how you build a business that doesn’t consume your life. This is how you scale without losing your soul—or your marriage.
And FS/PO is your starting point.
What FS/PO Looks Like in Real Life
Let me paint you a picture of two real estate professionals:
Real Estate Professional #1 finishes showing a property at 5:30 PM. They’re tired. They get in the car, check social media, drive home, walk in the door still thinking about that difficult buyer, eat dinner distracted, lie in bed at 11 PM wondering if they sent that follow-up email, wake up at 3 AM in a panic, check their phone, can’t fall back asleep.
Sound familiar?
Real Estate Professional #2 finishes showing the same property at 5:30 PM. They’re tired too. But before leaving the parking lot, they spend 5 minutes doing their shutdown routine:
- Quick scan of task list, texts, emails (nothing urgent forgotten)
- Check tomorrow’s calendar (listing appointment at 10 AM, need to prep),make adjustments
- Capture the incomplete task: “Send buyer comps by noon tomorrow” (scheduled)
- One “Plus One” action: Send quick voice text to yesterday’s seller consult
- Ritual phrase: “Shutdown complete” or “Time to be present with family.” I have a reminder on my phone that hits every weekday at 5:00 pm – it says “Be present with family – and share three gratitudes from the day.”
They drive home present. Eat dinner engaged with family. Go to bed knowing everything is handled. Sleep soundly. Wake up ready to crush the next day.
Different system. Totally different life.
Your FS/PO Implementation (Choose Your Level)
Here’s the beautiful thing: You don’t have to adopt the whole enchilada on day one. You can go à la carte:
Level 1: Just the Plus One Before you shut down each day, think plus one. One more call. One more email. One more value-add action. Watch what happens over 30 days. And the dramatic compound effect over a year.
Level 2: The Five-Minute Shutdown
- Task review
- Calendar check
- Capture anything you forgot
- Ritual phrase
Level 3: The Full FS/PO System
- 15-30 minute comprehensive review – check texts and emails for important/urgent
- Plus One action
- Update CRM
- Tomorrow’s calendar review and adjustment
- Weekly and monthly milestone tracking
- Ritual phrase
Start where you are. Build from there.
From Last Year’s Lessons to This Year’s Systems
Some of you set some goals and strategies last year and never did anything about it.
Yeah, I see you. (And I love you anyway.)
The seller marketing report you were going to create? The buyer handbook you were going to develop? The CRM optimization you were going to tackle? Staying in better contact with your sphere of influence? That new tech shiny object you were excited about for about three days?
NOW is the time. Not “someday.” Not “when things slow down.” NOW.
Here’s how you do it:
Quarter 1: Pick one straightforward system to implement. Get it done in the first few weeks. Feel good about it. Then jump immediately into the next one.
Quarter 2: Tackle a more complex system. Give yourself the full quarter if needed.
Quarter 3: Review and optimize what you’ve built. Fix what’s broken.
Quarter 4: Finish strong (see what I did there?) and set up next year.
Don’t try to do everything at once. That’s how nothing gets done.
What Happened When I Implemented This Myself
Full transparency: I’m a coach who has to coach myself on this stuff too. And, hear from mentors on my blind spots.
A few years ago, I was working all day, then coming home and immediately checking email, then lying in bed replaying conversations, then waking up exhausted. My wife would ask me a question at dinner and I’d realize I hadn’t heard a word she said.
Sound familiar?
It’s all about systems and routines.
The morning kickstart I’ve had dialed in for years. The shutdown routine was a new concept. Something shifted when I started it. My evenings became mine again. I was present with my family. I slept better. And here’s the crazy part: My productivity actually INCREASED because I was working with better focus instead of scattered anxiety. More present at home. More present and effective at work.
The shutdown routine didn’t add to my workload. It gave me time back. It gave me presence and peace of mind.
Your 30-Day FS/PO Challenge
Here’s what I want you to commit to:
Week 1: Implement just the Plus One. Before ending your workday, do one more value-creating action. Start to consider a “Plus One” for every admin or low impact task you do, to make it dollar productive.
Week 2: Add the five-minute shutdown routine. Review, capture, plan, close.
Week 3: Start saying your shutdown phrase out loud. (Yes, really. I know it feels weird. Do it anyway.)
Week 4: Track your results. Better sleep? More present with family? Fewer 3 AM worry sessions? More business?
Email me your results: [email protected]
I reply to every email. I want to hear your story.
The Real Secret: It’s Not About Year-End
Here’s what most people get wrong about Finish Strong. They think it’s about a big push at the end of the year.
It’s not.
Finish Strong is about how you end EVERY day. EVERY week. EVERY month. EVERY quarter.
And Plus One isn’t about occasionally going above and beyond. It’s about making “Plus One” your standard operating procedure.
FS/PO isn’t a tactic. It’s a lifestyle.
The professionals who embrace this? They’re the ones who build sustainable, scalable businesses without sacrificing their health, relationships, or sanity.
The ones who don’t? They’re still hustling hard, burning out regularly, and wondering why success feels so exhausting.
Final Thought
Every day you Finish Strong compounds. Every Plus One action compounds. Every shutdown routine compounds.
Six months from now, the gap between you and your competition won’t be subtle. It will be dramatic.
While they’re coasting, you’re compounding. While they’re checking out, you’re doubling down. While they’re waiting for motivation, you’re building systems.
That’s the FS/PO difference.
So here’s my question for you one more time:
Will you Finish Strong, or just finish? Or worse, will you never finish being distracted and not present?
Because I’ll tell you right now: Finishing strong is a choice. And it’s a choice you make daily, not annually.
Make the choice today. Implement FS/PO. Build the shutdown routine. Do the Plus One.
And watch what happens.
Want to go deeper?
I work with high-performing real estate professionals and leaders who are ready to scale without burning out. If you’re serious about implementing systems that actually stick, let’s talk.
Email me: [email protected]
Or schedule time using Calendar function here.
Let’s finish strong together. Not just this year. Every day.