When I first started in real estate, I had more than my fair share of challenges. But the biggest challenges begun when my business really started rolling. Looking back I can contributed much of my success to one important skill I developed. Time management.
It’s no secret that real estate professionals are some of the busiest people in the world, so having a plan or system in place to help you manage all of your important tasks should definitely be a priority. But many people focus on the wrong things. You want to try and avoid the common time management mistakes, and instead focus on the things that will really help you gain success in business, as well as your personal life.
As Motivational Speaker and Performance Coach, Michael Altshuler, says, “The bad news is time flies. The good news is you're the pilot."
Here are some easy tips you can follow to get started:
Set Expectations: A key way to save time is to set expectations with your clients. If they’re constantly chasing you down every hour, they’re wasting their time, and they’re wasting yours. Simply let them know that you’ll contact them between specific times; you’ll email once per day, once per week or whatever the case may be. You want to be accessible to your clients, but at the same time, you can be more efficient and focused if you set aside specific time for them.
Delegating Tasks To Your Team: If your business is doing really well, you should accept that you can’t do everything yourself. You’ll need a solid team around you to help with the small (yet still important) stuff. The way you manage your team can make a huge difference with your own time management.
First, make sure your team knows what is expected of them including all of their daily, weekly, and monthly assignments. Having a shared calendar and/or weekly meetings can help keep staff on track and focused. Weekly meetings also provide your staff with the opportunity to ask questions and for you to provide them with answers. That way they’re not always interrupting your work to ask what they should be doing, that’s a waste of your time - and theirs.
Conversely, if you’re micromanaging and checking in on them every ten minutes, that’s also not the most efficient use of your time. At the end of the day you employed your staff for a reason, so trust that they can do the job.
Prioritise: This one is pretty self explanatory. I’ve always found creating a list of daily tasks helpful and it also feels great as you cross of each task as you go. But at times the list can get overwhelming. In these cases you need to prioritise the tasks in order of importance, or in some cases delegate tasks to your staff. Furthermore, if the task doesn't contribute to the objectives of your business then you need to consider if it should be on your list at all.
Do What You Do Best: We all have one skill we’re particularly proficient at, and that skill is your secret weapon. So a great way to maximize your time is build a system around your greatest skill. That way you can focus most of your time on what you do best (working with clients) which should produce the best results. However, it’s important to also make a little time to improve on your weaknesses and develop new skills.
Build A Consistent Pattern: People are creatures of habit. It’s human nature. We seek out daily routines because they are predictable, and in this case, predictable means safe. So once you find a system that works for you and helps you manage your time efficiently, be consistent with it. Before you know it, that successful routine will become as easy as breathing.
“Whether it’s eating healthy, keeping your task list at work in line, or keeping up with your industry’s news on a regular basis, positive habits can lead you to a healthier, more productive, happier life,” writes Jayson Demers, Founder and CEO of AudienceBloom and contributor to Forbes.
Time Is Money
Running a real estate business is like running a marathon. You really can’t afford to waste your efforts and instead need to spend your time focused on the finish line. If you can get your daily routine down to a science, you’ll be able to focus on what matters most and take your business to entirely new heights.
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