Here are three simple yet powerful steps for regaining control of your business.
When I first started in real estate, I didn’t have a system for managing activities or time, and I didn’t set any boundaries. Unfortunately, I found myself working 80, 90, or even 100 hours a week, which was far from sustainable—I almost burned out. My business was running me.
On our team, we do collective training for about 30 minutes every morning, and a big part of that is centered around making sure that each individual sets proper boundaries and manages their time well so that they can have a little bit of work-life balance. Here are three simple tips to do just that:
1. Set a daily voicemail in the morning. Into your voicemail, just state your name, the date, and your availability for that given day (e.g., “I’ll be available throughout the day from 9 a.m. till 6:30 p.m. If your voicemail is received after 6:30, it’ll be returned the next day. Thanks so much for calling, and we’ll talk soon.”). If you do this every single day, it helps you remove the guilt of not answering your phone after hours. What prospective client wouldn’t be impressed by the fact that you leave a new voicemail for people every single day? That’s the definition of being on top of things.
2. Include your office hours in your presentations. When you’re listing a property or presenting to a buyer to sign a buyer agency contract, one of the first pieces of information on our presentation should be the office hours (make sure it mirrors what you say in your voicemail). I would even go so far as to say it during your presentation, “Hey Mr. and Mrs. Buyer, you can imagine I have a lot of clients, and I have to serve my family, too. As long as you’re okay with my office hours, just initial here and we can move on to the next page.” Later on, that daily voicemail will then be a reminder to them of what they signed up for.
3. Time block what is most important but not urgent. Some of the things we often let slip include lead generation and calling our database, and these critical but not time-sensitive activities need to be put first in your calendar. If you always see those activities front and center, you’ll train yourself to do them consistently, and that’s the key to winning the day and feeling great about the work you put into it. Other “first things first” activities can include devotions (if those are important to you), fitness, and maybe even a little time with your spouse.
If you do these three things, you’ll be surprised by how much your business and life will change for the better. You’ll finally be able to get back to running your business instead of being corralled by your business.
As always, reach out to me via phone or email if you have any questions about this or other related topics. I’d love to connect, and I’d be happy to have a strategy session with you.
