To stay motivated and work from home don't always go hand in hand. And many days, it can be very hard. To give you a little synopsis of my situation. I am a Realtor in Chattanooga, TN. I have been in real estate for 12 years now and I have been affiliated with now my 3rd real estate company. Up until about year and half ago, I always had an assigned desk/office at the various agencies that I slapped my license on the wall with. I switched my Broker's license to Keller Williams Realty in Downtown Chattanooga almost two years ago. Best decision of my life, but that's a whole nother blog. When I did this, I had entered an environment where you actually had to pay for desk space. This was so foreign to me, because it had always been provided. I ended up signing a year long contract for an office at the Downtown Chattanooga Keller Williams and spent the next year sharing an office with another Realtor. Day after day individuals would stop by my door wanting to talk, hang out or ask advice with broker questions. Finally after about a year, I thought to myself, that I had an extra bedroom in my house and would just make more sense for me to stay in my area of Chattanooga and not drive downtown to be distracted by the daily activities of the office. I was really nervous to make the leap, because I have seen all the statistics about how much less productive you are and how the office environment can actually keep you motivated. And you know what, I get this. I get this for a lot of agents. But I also feel that is a personal motivation problem with themselves and no matter where they are, it will still be a problem. I can't say that I made the decision one day and never looked back. I slowly eased into keeping files at home and then keeping various forms and things that I needed from the office. For a while, I would work from the office AND from home. Finally, my lease was up on my Downtown Chattanooga Office and I took the leap. Can I say that sometimes I don't lose motivation or that I am never distracted? No, not all. It happens all the time. I try to keep some nice office/background music playing over the speaker (thank you for Spotify) and focus on the tasks I know that I need to. Do I stop and do housework? Absolutely not. The only time I stop working is to leave for appointments throughout our Chattanooga Area and to take a lunch break and maybe a couple of other breathers. Just like someone would do in a normal office environment. But, the great thing is that I don't have an interruption every few minutes, lessening my productivity. I still go to the office on a regular basis to pick up lockboxes, checks and for classes. And occasionally, I will test myself and go to the office, setup my laptop and work for a few hours. At the end of that time, I am always reminded at how much more I am able to get done in my home office, without the distractions. I can't say that working from home is good for everyone. I truly believe that you have to be a determined and motivated agent to actually make it work. Test it and see how it goes for a while. And when you do, don't worry that the laundry's not done and that the beds aren't made. Stick to a regimented schedule and stay on track. It can actually save you quite a bit of money. I promise you can stay motivated and work from your home.
For more information about Realtor Ryan:
Realtor Ryan
(423) 595-7958
www.SearchHomesinChattanooga.com
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