O H    M Y    G O S H......

• .........just got back from the property tour
• ........checked emails
• ........called back voice messages
• ........returned texts
• ........posted a blog
• ........met with a lender I don't know, and I don't know why
• ........took 4 cold calls and spent a minute each trying to hang up
• ........rats, gotta go pick up a sign at our real estate office across town 
• The day is over and I have a presentation to make in the morning, but my wife said if I am not home for dinner by 7, I am toast. 

What happen to all the hours? 

I t ' s    a s    i f    t h e y    f e l l    o f f    t h e    C L O C K..........

W e l l ,    t h e y    d i d . 

In this day and age, we have to practice time management more than we are anyone else has ever in history as we have way too many obstacles in our way that were not present....a few years ago much less decades ago.

There is an old time management method that has been around for ever for top executives: 

B u d g e t   y o u r   t i m e   b y   t h e   m i n u t e . 

Roughly....I you are shooting for around $150,000 a year, your time is worth about $1 per minute for around a 50 hour work week.  Whatever the amount is that you WANTadd or subtract proportionately with that one dollar.  In this example I will use $150,000 as a WANT.  Change it how you wish.

Now don't come back at me and tell me that you are putting in 100 hours or 80 hours or 60 hours or 30 hours or 10 hours.  If you are working full time, then 50 hours is a very good budget number.  If you are working more than that, then you really need to read and re-read this blog, as you are not working efficiently. 

Now, don't balk at me.....you're not!  Make all the excuses in the world that you want to make to justify working 100 hours a week, and you will die a very sad and worn out person. So everyday....every hour....every minute....think of how long it take you to do a task.....really, how long.  20 minutes?  That is $20.  Was it worth it?  You tell me.

• Went to lunch WITHOUT A CLIENT.... 60 bucks gone!
• Chat with the water cooler guy for 10 minutes.....10 bucks gone!
• Inputted your listing into the MLS and all websites...podcasts....virtual tours...etc...3 hours? 180 bucks.....but you still think making that part time hire is not worth it....right?
• Got tired of the mess around the office and cleaned it up.....it did not take that long....maybe 30 minutes.  30 bucks....gone.
• This list can go on and on and on and on.  You get the negative points......right?  

Now some positives...

• Went to play golf for 4 hours with 3 people you don't know.  $240 plus the $100 for gold plus drinks afterwords.  Is it worth it?  Probably so!  (HUH???)  This business is about contacts and spending face to face time with prospects is priceless.
• Went to a school event for my daughter (that is her in the picture) in the middle of the day.  First of all, time with your kid is priceless, but make the best of it.  2 hours with your kid with 50 other parents.  $120.  Is it worth it....? Definitely
• Went to the neighborhood event with 400 people for 3 hours.  $180 bucks. Worth it?  You bet (pun intended).
• This list can go on and on. Are you getting the idea? Spend your time (money) with where you will get business, and do not spend it where you will not get business.  IT IS THAT SIMPLE.

This is where you can finally justify making that next hire.  Maybe it's part time....maybe full time.  Once you really understand your time and practice this over a few months, you will finally learn that you have to delegate the $10/hour stuff away.  Why does the high executive not want to spend time with you talking about buying or selling a frigging house.  Because you are a $1 a minute person and he is $10 a minute person.  You are wasting his time and costing him money unless you prove otherwise. Thus, appreciate their $10/minute time.

It is hard to make that hire because you don't see that money in front of you.  You don't see it in front of you because you are not receiving it... because you are spending time doing things that are literally losing money for you. So you have no listings....no buyers....and are wondering why.  DUH!!!! as my daughter would say.

I have never processed a listing....ever.  I have never processed a commission expenditure with my broker; moreover, I have never seen the bloody form.  They call it a Green sheet or a Blue sheet....who knows... I really don't care and I don't ever even want to see the "whatever color" form.

So starting right now, think of your time by the minute.  Look, I have already spent 25 bucks on this post, so make it worth my time.

THE HOURS ARE FALLING OFF THE CLOCK: Find out how you are going to do what you need to do with the remaining hours left.  The answer is pretty easy.  Hire help.  Your time is valuable.  Realize it and deal with it now. "Ohhhhhh, I can't afford it".  You can't afford not to.

For those that WANT to work 100 or more hours per week, ignore this blog..........

OK, that is 30 bucks, and I am done..............

...............but it was worth every penny.