Mortgage Broker Broadcast
Developing your knowledge to help you build a successful Mortgage Broker business. Craig Skelton shares his thoughts and experiences on all aspects of mortgage advice covering everything from operating in the banking world, estate agency based advisers all the way up to working as a self employed broker. He will be joined by experts from within the industry and other business sectors which all play a key part in becoming a successful mortgage broker in the modern world.
Mortgage Broker Broadcast
Why Small Daily Habits Beat New Year Resolutions For Mortgage Brokers
Resolutions spark hype, then disappear. We’re starting 2026 by choosing a smarter path: one small habit you can do in under 10 minutes that builds identity, steadies your mind, and grows your mortgage business. No overwhelm, no guilt—just a system you’ll actually keep.
We break down why traditional New Year goals fail—loss aversion, all‑or‑nothing thinking, and pressure—and replace them with habits that run on autopilot. You’ll hear practical examples built for brokers: a daily outreach routine to reconnect with past clients ahead of fixed‑rate maturities, a five‑minute morning mindset to lower anxiety and boost decision quality, and end‑of‑day time blocking that protects tomorrow’s top priorities. Each tactic ties to a clear cue, uses a simple tracker, and leans on light accountability so momentum grows week by week.
We also scan the 2026 mortgage market with a clear lens: signs point to steady growth, more house purchases, and a strong remortgage and product transfer pipeline, while arrears and repossessions ease. That means opportunity for advisers who show up early and often. By focusing on one habit now, you position yourself as the trusted guide clients call first, not last. When your first habit feels automatic, stack the next—without adding stress or complexity.
Ready to trade broken promises for predictable progress? Pick your one habit, tie it to a cue, and run your own race. If this resonated, subscribe, share with a colleague, and leave a quick review—what single habit are you committing to this January?
I help employed mortgage brokers go self-employed with clarity, confidence and one-to-one mentoring. Find out how Pathways or Coaching works at craigskelton.co.uk
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Hi, and welcome to the first mortgage broker broadcast of 2026. Happy New Year. I'm your host, Craig Skelton, and it's the first week back in of 2026. And this time of year, it's easy to get swept up in the talk of New Year and New Year's when the long list of resolutions. And for those who have been listening to this podcast for a while, you already know how I feel about New Year resolutions and how I'm far more about sustainable habits and habit stacking. And why is that? Well, because most New Year's resolutions are abandoned within weeks because they set us up for failure. Most people who make resolutions have forgotten about them by the end of February. If you try and think back what your New Year's resolutions were last year, most people will not remember what they were. Why do we do it? Why do we do New Year's resolutions? Well, resolutions often stem from external pressure or guilt and focus on deprivation, like quitting alcohol or quitting sugar or veganuary or even social media, rather than the positive that habits we want to build. And as humans, we are loss averse. And when change, when a change feels like a loss, our brains rebel against it. So in this episode, the first one back of 2026, I wanted to get into why habits are more powerful than solutions resolutions and why it's better to focus on one small habit in January and what that means for you and your business and your well-being too in 2026. We'll also have a bit of a look at the mortgage market and then what the year is going to look like as a mortgage broker and for the year ahead. But I wanted to talk about habits and resolutions for the first one of 2026. So let's first of all look at why resolutions fail. Traditionally, New Year's resolutions tend to be all or nothing goals built on shoulds, shall we say? We feel we should eat better, we feel we should exercise more, we should feel we feel that we should spend less. Goals rooted in obligation rather than alignment are hard to sustain. When we feel pressured, we rebel against that and drop our resolutions very, very quickly. Resolutions are always focused on stopping something. Like it's always a negative. So stopping drinking, stop scrolling. Yet the brain is wired to resist loss. So ambitious goals feel inspiring in January but become unsustainable very, very quickly. And by mid-February, they're all gone. That's why less than half of the New Year's resolutions survive past the second month. And the bigger and more numerous the changes you attempt, the more likely you are to give up. So let's look at why habits work far better. Habits are, on the other hand, focus on small repeated actions. Neuroscience shows us that habits are stored in the brain's autopilot. So once a habit is ingrained, it becomes rewarding and easier to maintain. Starting small is key as well. Two minutes of meditation in a morning or five minute walk or one line in your journal. Create momentum. Small wins build confidence and identity, making it easier to stick with the behavior. Habits emphasize what we gain, so like strength, calmness, clarity rather than what we're actually losing. And that's a big thing when it comes to habits versus resolutions. They also align with our values and our vision. When a habit reflects your deeper desires, you're more likely to keep it. So why should you be choosing one habit for January? Well, instead of drafting a long list of goals for the new year, just choose one habit to focus on this January. Pick something that supports both your business and your well-being too. So a few examples could be Daily Outreach is one that could do it. So spend 10 minutes every single morning contacting past clients. There's like loads and loads of fixed rate mortgages coming to an end in 2026. So be proactive with your outreach will be crucial and getting those wins. Remortgaging is set to rise by about 10%. And obviously, this product transfers within that. All things about retaining your existing clients. So one habit could be spend 10 minutes every single morning outreaching your past clients just to let them know that you're still there. Building this simple outreach habit now positions you to capture on the opportunity that you already have in future in front of you. You don't need new clients, just focus on the existing ones. That will help you with the opportunity of what is ahead for 2026. Another thing you could do is just like morning mindset as well. I've done a podcast on about the morning mindset. I still talk about the morning mindset. Just starting your day with a five-minute practice, such as journaling or reviewing yesterday, or just gratitude, will help. Those daily habits like affirmations and mindfulness help improve your self-esteem and reduce your anxiety too. And especially the start of the year, we can all feel quite anxious about the year ahead. And a calm mind enhances your clarity and decision making, which is key as a broker and key as a business owner. And starting your day off like that will help you with your decision making throughout the day, which, as I said, is absolutely key. Also, another thing you could do is time block, like each evening before you close your door, before you close your laptop, before you leave your office, however that looks, block out your top three tasks for the next for the next day. Time blocking, allocating specific time slots for tasks helps you focus on actually focus on the task and improves your productivity too. And in the past episode, I've talked about how time blocking protects your priorities and helps reduce your stress. So have a listen back to past podcasts if you want to look at how time blocking really works. So whatever habit you choose, make it small enough to be completed in less than 10 minutes and tie it to a specific cue. So, for example, after you've made your morning coffee, open your laptop and just review the client files that you signed up and completed in January 2024 as an example. Contact those clients. That will help with your business for 2026. Or before I leave for the day, I'll write the three most important tasks for tomorrow and then get that time blocked in my diary. Small, consistent actions will build a lasting change. And just while we're talking about the mortgage market for 2026, and while you're building those habits, you do need to keep an eye on the mortgage market for next year because mortgage lending is set to rise, it's going to be up depending on who you listen to, depending on how much is going to be up, but it's definitely in a positive market for next year. House purchases are going to be up, remortgaging is also going to be up. By Tilette as well, should look like a bit of a growth in terms of 2026, depending on who you listen to, but it's positive signs for the market. And so if you are reaching out to your existing clients, that will just help build your business. Product transfers are expected to climb, and arrears are coming down, repossessions are coming down. So they do continue to fall. So, like just to quickly summarize, lenders expect steady growth, which they do. There is going to be improved affordability and a strong remortgage market as well. So clients are going to be looking for advice. And who better to speak to than the broker that did their mortgage two years ago, three years ago, five years ago, whatever that looks like. So that's why starting on the as a habit of looking at your existing clients and reviewing your existing clients and getting to that habit of 10 minutes every single day will help your business in 2026. So then starting you with a focused habit like outreach can help you sort of stand out as that trusted advisor, which they're going to need this year. So why does one habit beat a multiple of New Year's resolutions? Focusing on a single habit, it might feel like being too modest because you feel as oh I've got to have loads of resolutions, I've got to do loads of changes. But so it might feel like you that is modest compared to a list of New Year's resolutions. But the science on this is really, really clear. Small habits be ambitious resolutions every single time. When you concentrate on one change, one thing, and look at really moving that one thing forward, you reduce friction and avoid overwhelming yourself too. So completing that habit daily creates a positive feedback loop. So, which is all about your mindset and being positive in terms of 2026. And then over time, once that habit feels automatic, you can then add another layer onto that. And habit stacking, which I've covered and talked about in the past, will help that. But in January, in this month, just keep it simple. You do not need to make it overcomplicated, you don't need to overpromise and underdeliver on things like that. Just get one habit, keep it simple, and experiment with like your new habit rather than judging yourself. Viewing habits as experiments, short-term tests of what improves your well-being, reduces pressure, and increase increases your curiosity as well, in terms of and then curiosity like fuels progress more than that shame or comparison, which is what you will get from New Year's resolutions. So, how would you put that into practice? Well, the first thing to do is identify your chosen habit. Just choose one small, meaningful habit that supports your business or your personal well-being. And if you tone between two, just pick one that feels the easiest to start off with. That's absolutely fine. Once you've got that habit, then define a cue and reward. What I mean by that is link your habit to an existing routine, like I said, like your first coffee in the morning, or checking your emails first thing in the morning, or after you've had your breakfast, whatever that looks like. And then that's the cue, then to then to do the thing that the habit that you're looking to do. And then track it. So what you need to do and have a visual tracker for this. So use a habit tracker or calendar to mark off each day that you complete the habit. So and then seeing your streak grows, it helps build momentum and accountability too, which is so important when you're looking to introduce a new habit. And so moving on to that, if you do tell someone about and sort of sharing your habit with a colleague or a member of the firm or a family member, too, then that's important because accountability makes you more likely to stick with the new habit, which is so important compared to up-the resolutions. If you're just gonna say you're gonna do one thing and stick to it and tell somebody about it, it's more likely to happen. And then the last thing is important is celebrate the progress at the end of the week or the end of January. Review how that new habit made you feel. Did you notice changes in your moods or productivity or your client interactions too? And celebrate the fact that you actually stuck at it, even if some days feel you did feel like you miss it, which is okay. Just celebrate the fact that you actually got that one habit and make it stick because consistent it is about consistency over perfection. Absolutely. So as we start 2026, remember that meaningful change doesn't require overhauling your whole life or your whole business. It begins with small actions aligned with your vision and your values. Just choose one habit for January and commit to it, whether it's reaching out to clients, I say, or looking at mindfulness or time blocking your top tasks, that habit will compound into bigger results. And the mortgage market is poised for steady growth. And re-mortgaging opportunities will, but success will favour those who prepare and stay consistent. And by having one habit, we'll help you with achieving that. So let's make 2026 a year of intentional habits, strong relationships, and sustainable growth. So that's it. That's this week's podcast. Just a quick reminder about the Brook Foundry, new episode out, 1st of January. Put a link in the show notes to the YouTube channel. Jonathan Edom and I are discussing this month about business plans. So check that out. And if you're looking at becoming self-employed or scaling-resistant business, then check out my website, have a look at the self-employed broker pathways, outlines the different routes to your independence and your growth as well. So have a look at my website for that. So thanks for joining me on the first mortgage broker broadcast. If you enjoyed the episode as always, like it, share it, leave me a review, would be really appreciated. And I look forward to hearing about your habits that you choose and how it shapes your year. And then so until next week, have a great week. But as always, please don't forget to run your own race.