Do you find yourself constantly bogged down with mundane daily tasks? They may seem insignificant, but all of these little tasks add up and before you know it; your entire morning or afternoon is gone.
As real estate agents, your schedule can vary greatly from day to day, which is oftentimes much of the allure of going into the business in the first place! In fact, I was talking with a friend last night over dinner (who happens to be a real estate agent) and she was commenting on how much she loved the freedom of her schedule. She’s her own boss and admitted that she could never take on an office job. I’m sure many of you feel the same way!
But, what happens when this “free” schedule becomes detrimental to getting things done? How can you make sure those small daily tasks don’t take over your day? Here are a few key ways to cut down on the mundane and keep your daily schedule focused so you can be as productive as possible.
1. Stop having open ended meetings– As a real estate agent, you are constantly meeting with people, and as you know, these meetings can easily take more time than you anticipated. Take time in the morning to look over your day and set time limits for each meeting. Then, at the beginning of each meeting you can politely mention that you “have another committment at two” or simply say “Thanks for taking the time out of your day to meet with me. I know you’re busy, so this should only take twenty minutes.” Your client or co-worker will appreciate your time conscious approach and you’ll be able to stay on track.
2. Stop overloading your To-Do list– While it may feel like you’re being productive by putting everything on your list; it can also be stressful to reach the end of the day and see that you only got half of the things done. Don’t set yourself up for failure! Each day only put on the list what absolutely has to be done that day. Programs such as Things can keep you on task and provide options for organizing items for “today,” “tomorrow,” or “someday.” You won’t forget tasks, but they also won’t all be on today’s to do list!
3. Stop answering repetitive questions– This may sound harsh, and we’re not suggesting you give your client the cold shoulder; just be smart about it. If you find sellers are always asking you what they can do to help their house sell, buyers want to know about the best restaurants in town or what they need to do prior to beginning their home search; provide this information on your website or blog! Blogging answers to common questions or providing a Q & A page on your website can allow you to easily refer clients to these resources rather than explaining these things over and over.
These are just a few of the ways you can cut down on time being wasted throughout the day! Still
Carrie Gable and the team at RealSupport, Inc. are our “VA Quick Tip” columnists offering expertise in real estate marketing, technology and more. RealSupport’s office and team of 15 full-time staff members is located near Chicago, IL. Their successful team works virtually for many top real estate agents and brokersnationwide. Pioneers in the Real Estate Virtual Assistant industry, RealSupport offers marketing, branding, website and logo design, listing marketing, lead generation, technical support, transaction management, socialnetworking, blogging and much more… Just ask!
