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Ways to Find Work-Life Balance with Your 24/7 Real Estate Schedule

Written by Posted On Saturday, 25 August 2018 17:42

Many professionals who have a traditional nine-to-five job have trouble managing a healthy work-life balance. At first glance, the flexibility associated with a real estate agent’s schedule may seem like it is more conducive to creating a healthy balance. However, many real estate agents work long hours every day of the week. Because many clients may only be available during evening hours and on the weekends, real estate professionals often use these times as work hours rather than for personal time. The unfortunate result is that real estate agents may easily become stressed out and may feel unhappy in their profession. While it can be challenging to create a work-life balance that you are comfortable with, there are a few steps that you can take to move forward on the right path.

 

Schedule Personal Time

You understandably want to be accessible to your clients, but you also need to establish some limits. There may be specific events that you do not want to miss, such as a child’s birthday, a special event at the school, kids’ sporting events, date night with your spouse and more. As soon as you make these plans in your personal life or become aware of special events, schedule the time in your calendar. Ensure that you allocate ample time for these events so that you do not feel rushed and can thoroughly enjoy yourself. You also need to schedule free time into each day, such as time to run personal errands, read a book or spend in other ways.

 

Incorporate Exercise into Your Workday

When real estate agents are overworked, one of the first personal activities that may be eliminated from the schedule is exercise. Your physical health is vital for optimal professional performance. Through regular exercise, you can potentially improve your immune system, reduce the chance of developing some serious health conditions, improve focus and mental clarity and even relieve stress. Work at least 30 minutes of physical activity into your schedule most days of the week. This may be one 30-minute segment at the gym, three 10-minute walks around the block or something else.

 

Know When to Unplug

Decades ago, when professionals left the office and went home, they had little or no connection with work activities. Professional lives stayed at the office. Today’s real estate professionals often spend ample time working from home, and they are often connected through multiple devices. If you are like many real estate professionals, you may start your day by grabbing your phone and reading messages before you even put your feet on the floor. You likewise may end your day by checking your phone before turning out the light. Even meals, evenings in front of the TV with family and more may be interrupted by your connectedness. A smart idea is to let your clients know your business hours, and inform them that you will not be checking for messages or responding to them during your downtime. By doing so, you can ensure that your personal time remains yours.

 

Be Flexible

Busy real estate agents do not have regular schedules. For example, you may have several days during the week when you are slammed with activities for at least 12 hours, and there may be other days when you have only an hour or two of scheduled activities. Learning how to properly manage your time as a real estate agent means that you must have considerable flexibility with regards to how you spend your time. For example, if you regularly workout on Tuesdays and Thursdays, be flexible enough to change these days as needed. However, do not be so flexible that you put off personal time. Flexibility means that you rearrange items on your schedule rather than remove them entirely.

 

Some real estate agents may understand the importance of these tips, but they may not know how to make the transition between their current routine and their desired routine. A great starting point is to write down all special events, family occasions and more that you would like to attend or need to attend in the next several weeks. Incorporate these into your schedule, and include enough time before and after the events or activities to get to and from different locations. Then, brainstorm activities that you would like to do regularly, such as have a family game night and visit the gym several times per week. Add these items to your schedule as well. Then, fill in appointments and work activities in the available time slots and within the work hours that you have established for yourself.

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Velva Dunn

Armed with a college background in Marketing, Finance and Business Administration Velva quickly rose to the ranks of being in the Top 1% of all Realtors Nationally. She has represented clients ranging from first time home buyers and sellers to senior executives within top Forbes companies.  She has been instrumental in developing neighborhoods from selling land/lots to builders and buyers as well as, contributing her expertise and experience to the overall design of many of her clients' custom build homes. 

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