I've always been a busy agent...always on the cusp of needing help but then I always end up feeling like what needs to be done is so engrained in me that teaching someone else what to do would just take more time. I make myself available to my clients when they need me. I work nights, weekends. I answer late night emails if I'm not busy doing something else. I don't want to be the "Weakest Link". Not Ever.
Last summer we went on a vacation with the now-step-daughter. I was 2 days into a negotiation when we left and I had an unbudging buyer. The seller wanted to sell. The negotiations went on for another 3 days into the vacation. My fiance (at the time) was fed up. I had to wait for responses from both ends so I had to check email/phone/texts on the hour. I missed the parasailing trip. I was scowled at and growled at. My girlfriend status was threatened. In the end the buyer picked the excellent home apart at the inspection and I got her out of her contract. Then I threw her back into the sea because I had other fish to fry who were worth the time so all of this working on my vacation and arguing was for naught.
We were married a few weeks ago and, as self employeds (he's a contractor), we, collectively, decided that we were not going to opt for the internet on our (4 whole day because we couldn't be gone from work long) honeymoon cruise. I was all for it. He's the one who had to come to his senses. I referred all new business out starting a couple of weeks before we left so I wouldn't be in the middle of anything while preparing for the wedding and left another agent with my email password, put an auto responder in my email with helpful numbers and had my voice message refer to email. It was the best thing I ever did for my relationship and emotional well-being. There were no arguments, we didn't have to be anywhere at any time and there were no calls to take our heads out of the fantasy and back to reality until we drove that grueling 14 hour drive home and checked our messages/returned calls/got to work (but that's another story).
We've decided now to have one technology free day a month (I'll let you know how that works out) and we don't keep our phones on the table at dinner. The norm is that we are both on call at all times. I concluded that if someone can't wait an hour for a return call they're not worth dealing with.
For those of you who are diehard agents like I am, I highly recommend trying a tech free day as long as you cover your business (and that's yet another story).
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