Check out all of Inman’s end-of-year coverage here.

Burnout, angst and bitterness are stealing the peace and joy that many agents used to feel when building a career. Candid conversations with my industry peers have left me less sentimental and more focused on helping those around me cut through the noise and make meaningful choices with their businesses. 

This year, we need to take our to-do lists and edit them ruthlessly to make room for rest and restoration so that we can refuel our passion for helping consumers with their real estate goals. Lists, business plans and resolutions can be great motivators, but they can also be a junk drawer of inefficiency and unrealistic expectations. 

As another heavy year races to a close, instead of piling more on your to-do list, we’re going to lighten your load. Here are 22 things to let go of before 2022. 

22 things to let go of before 2022

1. Saying the “new normal” — it’s rapidly changing, and calling this crazy time in history normal (even as a joke) minimizes the significant impact of the direction in which our industry is headed.
2. Having a full voicemail: Clean it out. 
3. Being angry about unprofessional people who still are working in our industry. If you want to see real change, get involved at your association, state and national level of associations — and be part of the change. 
4. Complaining about a problem — without offering a solution.
5. Not calling your leads back if you don’t think you can help them. 
6. Automatically posting generic content to your social media accounts without adding in your personality or voice. 
7. Gossiping about colleagues or customers online. Also, throwing people “under the bus.”
8. Oversharing online (and off).
9. Comparing your business to others’.
10. Feeling the pressure to be a “boss babe,” “hustle bro” or any other gendered and dated stereotype that has absolutely nothing to do with being a professional, helpful, competent real estate agent. Be you. 
11. Harboring dated sales goals and practices that are unrealistic with current market conditions.
12. Having bad websites — no one goes there, and they’re too expensive to maintain.
13. Beefing with third-party real estate platforms and technology.
14. Going to any meeting that could have been an email.
15. Writing text messages that are novels.
16. Writing emails that are novels.
17. Feeling uilt about not having a CRM. Just get one already.
18. Saying “I’ve been in real estate ___ years and I’ve never seen ______ ” in any conversation.
19. Having headshots that are older than five years.
20. Feeling bad about that lousy review that left you heartbroken.
21. Being attached to what someone else told you success should look like. 
22. Not asking for help. You don’t have to do it all. 

Letting go can feel very uncomfortable. Breaking bad habits is tedious work. Accepting the people in your life and business for the real flawed humans that they are and not letting it affect you? It may take you another year to get there.

One thing I am confident in: There are so many individuals in our industry who not only are making it better but also caring with a full heart about improving even more. Celebrate the small wins, fight for the change your local market needs, and keep looking toward the horizon. 

What are you letting go of this year? Please share in the comments section below.

By day, Rachael Hite helps agents develop their business. By night, she’s tweeting and blogging. Feel free to tweet her @rachaelhite.