Time Management and Self Management Go Hand In Hand
Time management is something everyone needs but, it takes managing yourself to have it. It doesn’t matter if it’s for work or personal or even what industry you work in. We all get the same 24 hours but, how we use them makes a big difference in how productive and organized someone is. I believe that you have to have the discipline to manage yourself in order to then manage your time.
For me time management comes down to organization and a schedule. In real estate no day is ever exactly the same but, that doesn’t mean there’s no schedule. I am up early every morning and prefer to begin my day with an in home workout and then a cup of coffee and responding to emails that have come in overnight. Once I’m caught up on emails I work on leaving comments on AR friend’s blogs, posting my own blog, connecting with 5-10 people from my SOI, and then posting on social media. That’s when I pack up and head into the office if I don’t have an appointment. I like to start early because the agents that work with me aren’t awake and asking questions yet so it allows me to complete a big chunk of my to-do list for the day and then when I go into the office be available to help them.
If at all possible I try to keep my appointments to the afternoon. In full disclosure, that’s just not always possible and in those cases I prepare the night before by commenting on blogs and scheduling my blog to post the next morning. It’s a must for me to lay my schedule out for the week on a Sunday, that prepares me for what I need to do to make sure that even if more gets added I’m still blogging, contacting my SOI, and nurturing our social media. That’s what keeps the pipeline flowing and they’re all non-negotiables that have to get done consistently every week.
For my personal life 99% of what we do is planned way in advance. It drives most of my friends crazy that I need advance notice but, I’ve learned to not let that bother me. Planning ahead when it comes to our social life allows me to then make sure I schedule work events around what we’ve agreed to do. Admittedly we don’t go out very often and that’s because of real estate and my schedule but, my business it a top priority and I'm blessed to have a very supportive fiance and family.
I’m far from perfect and believe there’s always room for improvement. Even the best laid plans take tweaking and adjustment. There are still times where I don’t get a blog posted when I planned to or don’t reach out to my SOI when I should but, I’m a work in progress and will always be committed to improvement. Time management and organization go hand in hand and will always be important skill sets to continue improving on.
This is my entry into Grant Schneider’s October contest: Time Management Is Not A Time Management Issue.
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