Everyone has a mantra for daily life. Start your day by eating frog was proposed last week, but there are many more, gym first, work after, early bird gets the worm, etc. Whatever it is, if it helps you get what you need to do, done, it works for you.
Like most new young realtors, I spend much of my time slogging away, tirelessly chasing down leads. I feel like I work twice as hard for half the reward because I have to prove that despite my age, I am fully capable of meeting the needs of prospective buyers and sellers. I’ve tried everything to stay organized and on top of my work. Every prescribed idea or theory on how to “maximize my time” and “optimize my energy” was given a fair crack. Time and time again, I found myself floundering until I got my hammock.
A hammock might seem insignificant, but it changed how I approach everything. With the hammock came consideration for my work/life balance. There was a shift away from trying to cram in as much work time in a day as I could, to planning out some downtime. If you feel that rewarding yourself with personal time after getting your work done works best for you, that’s great. I don’t. I can’t. Being a REALTOR® is more than just a career, it’s a way of life. It’s unique in that no matter what, you can’t leave your work at work, and as long as you can be contacted, you’re working.
Downtime can be whatever you want it to be. I’ve found that planning out as much of my day as possible has yielded the best results, as long as I plan in downtime. For me downtime is, weather permitting, closing all the programs on my laptop, putting on some headphones and taking a nap in my hammock. When the weather sucks outside, I’ll grab a set of knitting needles and plug away on my latest knitting project for a few minutes before crashing on the couch for an hour or so. I find that this midday rest and relaxation charges me up for the rest of the day. The practice of a midday nap was in practice in many countries around the world, and is only in decline because people are commuting further to get to and from work. The lifestyle of a real estate professional makes that barrier a little easier to overcome.
This is just what I do to help increase my productivity. I’m not suggesting that this is the way to do things. We are all different, and no one solution is going to make everyone a top producer. I just wanted to share my experiences as a new professional, and maybe shed some light on an idea that had not been presented to me right away.
Written by Sheldon Goodridge, YPN committee member and guest blogger
Leave a Reply