You have 24 hours in the day to accomplish your work goals. Of course you don’t want to dedicate every waking hour to work though. So, how do you find the time to grow your business while still effectively serving your clients? The answer is simple: focus on your time management and productivity. The important thing to realize is that it is not the number of hours you work that determines your success, but how you work that is more influential.
Focus Your Time
Many real estate agents face two significant challenges when it comes to truly focusing their time: multitasking, and the inability to delegate. These challenges lead to drastic inefficiencies in an agent’s performance, even if they may not notice.
Stop Multitasking
Multitasking is something that numerous professionals attempt, and ultimately fail at. It is simply impossible to try and focus your attention on multiple tasks at once without one, or all, of them suffering. To overcome your habit of multitasking, implement a chunking system for your tasks. Allow yourself the time to complete each of your tasks individually, with a 10 minute break after each one. Thus creating chunks of time for you to focus all your attention on completing a task. Using this method will increase the quality of your work, and save you from a few stress headaches.
Delegate
Now, you can also save yourself a lot of stress by letting go of the reins a bit, and hiring a virtual assistant or transaction coordinator. A virtual assistant could do a wide range of administrative tasks, you would just need to put in some time to train them on the way you like things done. With a TC all the paperwork associated with your transactions would be completely taken off your plate. Giving you on average 16 hours of your time back per transaction. You could fill either of these positions at a relatively low cost and commitment so there is no reason not to at least try it out.
Your time is valuable, so make sure you are using it in the best possible way.
Make a To-Do List
A to-do list is an amazing tool that allows you to prioritize your tasks, and stay focused. Start your day by writing down everything you need to accomplish, and then prioritize your revenue generating tasks. You are then able to systematically work through your list, while checking things off as you go (which is super satisfying). Then at the end of the day you can assess what you got done, how long certain tasks took, and how productive you were with your time.
Detailed schedules and checklists are simple tools you can use every day, but don’t think when you write them they are written in stone. Yes, they help you stay focused throughout the day, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be flexible with them. Adaptability leads to success. So make sure you are using these tools to enhance your day, not hinder it.
Utilize Technology
Technology has become one of the most useful tools that a real estate agent can utilize. It allows you to do your work more efficiently, saving you a substantial amount of time. Here are some technology based tools that are well worth your time to learn how to use, and implement into your daily routine:
- Automation technology. There are platforms available that let you automate everything from emails, to social media posts. Being able to schedule communication out in advance allows you to always stay ahead of the game. Now you have no excuse for not keeping your social media accounts updated, while also having great communication with clients and prospects.
- E-document software. This software makes saving, sharing, and submitting files extremely easy. You can finally have peace of mind knowing that all your documents are safe, organized, and readily accessible. There are many platforms that offer this service, just investigate a few to find one perfect for your business.
- Mobile friendly apps. There are countless business apps that help you to be more organized and productive. The fact that they are mobile friendly only makes it more amazing because you have access to them wherever you go. Many are even free on the app store so don’t hesitate to try some out.
Set Specific Goals
Specific goals are exponentially more beneficial to you than vague statements. Be specific and determine what you really want to accomplish over the next year.
Work Related
By setting goals like “I want to make more money this year” or “I want to improve my social media marketing” you are setting yourself up for failure. When setting a work related goal it needs to be specific, have a timeframe, and a plan of action behind it. Exactly how much do you want to make next year? How do you plan to achieve that number? Specific goals force you to hold yourself accountable, give you a standard to measure your progress by, and result in a higher satisfaction once completed.
Lifestyle
Goals relating to your lifestyle and personal life are just as important as work related goals. Your work life does not happen in a vacuum. How you are spending your personal time affects what happens when you are working. So try to set specific goals that help you better yourself as a person, and your productivity when working will be positively affected. Some great goals to get you started would be:
- Get 8 hours of sleep every night
- Exercise for one hour 3 times a week
- Drink at least 2 liters of water every day
- Hangout with friends at least twice a month
