Scheduling is one of the hardest things to talk about for real estate professionals—not because they aren’t adept at managing a schedule, but because every day looks different for every agent, and every agent structures their days and weeks differently. But there are still plenty of broad principles that can apply to nearly anyone. In an industry where you are setting your own schedule and trying to make the most of every minute, sometimes it takes a big switch or change rather than cramming more tasks into limited time.
Here are 4 big ideas to switch up your schedule for a less stressful, more productive workday:
Get a slow start
It might seem intuitive that a fast start is the best way to have a productive day. Not always. Easing into your schedule (when possible) can boost creativity and allow you to approach challenges more thoughtfully. This doesn’t mean sip your coffee, watch the news and ignore tasks. Maybe instead of checking your email or phone as soon as you wake up, get started on a longer-term project, or write down some goals to come back to later. Dedicating your more rested time to deeper projects instead of responding to emails and texts can help you better balance where you energy is going.
Remove hard stops/starts
When you’re deciding when to cold call, how long to spend at an event or how many hours a week you will spend marketing, take away strict quantitative measures. Instead, pay extra attention to what feels best, keeping your goals and other needs in mind. Although useful in some casts, setting arbitrary limits on timing can do more harm than good. For many, forcing yourself to spend a certain amount of time on an unpleasant task can be important, but you will learn more about your own strengths and the efficacy of your work with mindfulness.
Mix hard and easy
If there are two tasks that you struggle with, don’t schedule them right next to each other. Obviously this cannot be helped sometimes, but when possible, try having something you enjoy or are good at either right before or after something you dislike. If there’s a fun networking event you’re going to, get in some annoying data entry or cold calls right before so you can relax a little aftward. Exactly what this looks like will vary widely, but you can avoid long blocks of stress and cut down on avoidant, unproductive loafing if you thoughtfully mix different tasks together.
Get serious about free time
Many agents rightfully feel like it is extremely hard to turn off, log out and take time to themselves, with clients wanting attention 24 hours a day. But that lifestyle is unsustainable. Whenever it is, or however you do it, dedicate some real energy and research into figuring out how best to take time to yourself. If you begin viewing your personal free time as something just as important as lead generation or continuing education, you will absolutely discover a way to make it happen—even if that time is at odd hours or only one day a week. Some relaxing and tuning out is the only way to have a successful career in the long run.
A lot of agents feel that they have found a schedule that works for them, and they only need a few tweaks here and there—that’s great! But if you are finding that you don’t love how your days and weeks are currently structured, you can waste a lot of time and energy trying to get big results from little changes. These bigger ideas can help you have more satisfying, productive and balanced workdays, regardless of your priorities or personality.
