Freedom. Flexibility. Being your own boss. The very benefits that draw people to the real estate profession can also be the cause of agent burnout and high levels of stress.
Freedom to set your own schedule often leads to working around the clock. Being your own boss also means being your own assistant, writer, marketer, social media manager, brand consultant, data entry clerk, accountant, etc. This is especially true when you’re just starting out.
In real estate, working nights and weekends is common because it’s the most convenient time for clients to view houses. And more often than not, vacations are interrupted by business calls and flurries of emails.
When your income depends on sales commissions, it’s easy to feel like you’re at the mercy of the market and your clients. This is a clear sign that your work-life balance is out of whack. Overwork can lead to stress, anxiety, and poor sleep, which can in turn put strain on your personal relationships and cause your physical and emotional health to suffer. It is integral to your success in real estate that you achieve a healthy work-life balance that works for you.
Here are a few tips that can help.
Establish a set work schedule and stick to it as much as possible. It’s helpful to have designated work hours during the week so that you get into a routine and gain a sense of what can be accomplished during that time. Psychologically, it gets you over the mental hurdle of deciding that it’s time to work. When you have a routine, that decision has already been made and you can more easily focus on the tasks at hand!
Determine a daily “quitting time” or a block of time each evening that you won’t respond to work-related emails and texts. For some, that means they don’t work after 8, 9, or 10pm. Others prefer to set aside time to eat dinner and spend time with family in the early evening and will then resume working later in the night. Find a schedule that works for you, your family life, and your social commitments.
Schedule everything! Block time in your calendar for both personal and professional tasks and activities. Time management can be one of the biggest challenges to balancing your work with your personal life. Make friends with your Google calendar and put everything in it – gym time, client calls, social media planning, medical appointments, time with family and friends, etc. Color coding the different types of activities is especially helpful!
Prioritize your administrative and marketing tasks during the day. Since your clients are typically at work 9-5, make the most of that time. For most real estate agents, early evenings and weekends are reserved for showings, open houses, and writing offers, and other client-focused interactions. Don’t wait until evening to take care of your other paperwork, event planning, or marketing efforts. Inevitably, that will eat into your downtime or family time and will contribute to feeling overworked and burned out.
Track your hours. This will give you a better sense of how much you’re actually working and what you’re spending that time on. Is there a part of your business that takes you forever to get done? Can some tasks be condensed or eliminated? If you are scheduling everything in your calendar, it will be easier to see how much time you’re spending on each part of your business and to make adjustments to maximize your productivity.
Indulge in your hobbies and take breaks. Hobbies are a great way to decompress and give your mind a break. Taking these breaks and doing an activity that has nothing to do with real estate will actually make you more productive! Hobbies not only have positive psychological effects, but they can also help build your business by opening up a whole new social circle. These interactions will expand your sphere of influence and could lead more business down the road!
Understand that perfect balance is impossible. There will be times when you are working a bit too hard and let other priorities slide. And there will be times when your personal life takes precedence over your real estate work. Real estate agents work long hours and often have high expectations of themselves. But don’t beat yourself up if you don’t meet your goals 100% of the time. No one does. And that’s ok.
Putting some simple time management systems in place and accepting the ebb and flow of this business and the ups and downs of life is the key for real estate agents to achieve work life balance in a healthy and sustainable way.
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