Real estate agents always have a lot to do. You’re running a business, serving clients, marketing, managing transactions, and more. You’ve undoubtedly heard all the tips about time management. Supposedly, you can get more done if you learn to manage time. What no one tells you is that the first thing you need to do to get more done is to stop trying to manage time. Here’s why.
You Can’t Manage Time!
No one can manage time. You know that. Everyone has the same number of hours in the day, and you can’t do anything to change that. Can you train time, maybe by getting the minute hand on the clock to move slower? Can you shame time into submission, perhaps by complaining about it to all your friends and acquaintances? Or, maybe you could bully it on social media.
Yes, all these ideas are pretty silly. But, saying you can get more done by managing time puts the responsibility in the wrong place. You’re never going to get time to work with you. What you need to focus on is managing yourself and the things that you do.
Now that you have the correct mindset, you can focus on the only reasonable way to get more done.
How to Manage Yourself to Get More Done
It’s easy to say that you’re going to manage yourself better, but how do you actually go about doing that? Here are some tips that work.
Plan Yourself
Don’t start your day without a plan for how you’re going to manage yourself that day. This should be more than just a “to do” list. Base this daily plan on your goals for the year. Focus on the activities you need to complete to ensure you have a successful year. If you want to get very organized, take some time on Sunday to map out your week.
Block Yourself
Some people call this time blocking, but it’s often more effective to think of it as blocking yourself from getting distracted. Give yourself a specific amount of time to complete things like managing your email inbox, responding to client requests and calling leads. During those times, block yourself from doing other things.
Treat Blocking Yourself with Respect
Make a commitment to yourself to avoid distractions during blocked activities. If a client calls and wants to meet you at a house “right now,” let them know that you’ll be leaving the office at 1:00 and suggest scheduling a showing then. In addition, pay particular attention to respecting the block for things you don’t enjoy. Try completing those things that may cause you to procrastinate first thing and get them out of your way.
Block Your Life
Don’t forget that you need sleep, exercise, and time with family and friends. Don’t be afraid to identify and block personal activities that will keep you raring to go when you get to work.
Give Yourself All the Help You Can
Look at the things you need to do and determine how you can provide resources to help you get those things done as efficiently as possible. For example:
- Use the best apps and tools.
- Use an MLS search on your website that allows consumers to set up their own home alerts.
- Streamline the process of staying in touch with clients and nurturing leads with a real estate CRM.
- Reduce the effort to manage showings with technology that will automate scheduling showings and obtaining showing feedback.
- Hire a Virtual Assistant to delegate the things you need to do that don’t require your specific expertise.
Get Started Today
The faster you start managing yourself to get more done, the happier and more successful you’ll be. Recognize that you can’t do anything about the passing of time. You can only control what you do while it’s flying by.