The frantic spring and summer buying season often leaves agents dreaming about a winter slowdown so they can take a break, kick back and relax. But don’t take advantage of the slow season too much: Once you recharge a little, fall and winter are the perfect times to spruce up your business, hone your skills and make a plan of attack for the next year.

Whether you had the best homebuying season of your career or the worst — or landed somewhere between the two — there’s always room for improvement. So how can you take advantage of the slow fall and winter periods to make sure 2018 tops 2017?

1. Boost your marketing game. First things first, update any materials that may have outdated numbers. Then, focus on ways you can improve your existing materials and come up with new, out-of-the-box methods.
2. Spruce up your social. In today’s marketplace, it’s important that your social media accounts are on point. Do you have active Facebook, Twitter and Instagram accounts? If not, think about creating them. If you do, really think about how you present yourself via these channels. It’s important that you don’t just post your listings. Share real estate and other relevant news with your followers, engage in dialogue with them and respond to your followers’ posts when appropriate.
3. Create your 2018 business plan. Start with brass tacks and figure out how much money you want to make next year. Then create your plan of attack by calculating how much you made this year and how many houses you had to sell to reach that amount. If you want to make a considerably larger amount, your marketing and social plans will be key.
4. Clean up. It may not be spring yet, but by the time warmer temps roll around, the buying season will be imminent, so it’s best to get started now. Clean up your physical spaces, of course, but it’s just as important to clean up your digital materials — drives, files, etc. Change your passwords to bolster safety. Also, don’t overlook your books. In the digital age, most people have at least a handful of services that automatically charge you every month. Figure out if these are actually worth the time and money. If not, get rid of them.
5. Follow up with clients. At the height of the buying season, it’s easy to put off calling previous clients just to say hi, see how they’re doing and see if you can do anything for them now or in the coming year. Now’s the perfect time to do it.

Self-care and a little rest are in store after you spent months of frantically rushing to showings and closing sales. But instead of seeing winter as a time just to treat yourself, don’t forget to care for your career so 2018 can be the best year yet.