Reading the findings on what annoys people most in offices situations certainly applies to real estate offices, too.  Although agents are not considered regular employees (we are independent contractors), many of us do work daily in the office environment.  What annoys me at the office?  People not cleaning up after themselves, constant stream of people “visiting” (which doesn’t annoy so much as it prevents me from getting my work done), and slow internet connection time.  Each of these made the Top 10 List of Things That Annoy.

What didn’t make my top annoying list is the phrases that annoy people.  They are (with the percentage of people who find them annoying):

• Thinking outside the box (21 percent)
• Let’s touch base (20)
• Blue sky thinking (19)
• Blamestorming (16) (sitting down and working out whose fault something is)
• Drill down to a more granular level (15) (Look into something in more detail)
• Let’s not throw pies in the dark (15) (we need a plan rather than a haphazard approach)
• I’ve got that on my radar (13)
• Push the envelope (12)
• Bring your A-game (11) (Be ready to do something to best of ability)
• Get all your ducks in a row (11)

Sadly, the only three expression I don’t hear regularly are my new favorites:  Let’s not throw pies in the dark, blue sky thinking, and blamestorming.  (I particularly like blamestorming and plan to incorporate it into my daily vocabulary).

Meanwhile, we Realtors always bring our A-game, have our ducks in a row, push the envelope, think outside the box, have you on our radars, and touch base with our sphere of influence as often as we can!  You’ve been warned!

The balloon represents my new blue sky thinking mode!