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How to Organize a Perfect Real Estate Day

If you asked 100 (or 1,000) real estate agents to name their top three biggest challenges, time management would make almost every one of those agents’ lists.  Calls, emails, texts, and social media demand instant attention and can distract even the most focused among us.

The key to controlling your time is by organizing your calendar to ensure you complete your most vital tasks every day.  Here’s how to do just that.

The Night Before
A perfect real estate day starts the night before.  Begin by writing down everything you want to do the following day.  If you end up with more than a handful items, rank them in order of priority.

As you create your list, you might find certain tasks must be done at specific times of the day.  Block off those times in your calendar and set reminders so you remember to do the tasks.

First Thing
Important …  Whenever it is you start your day, resist the urge to check email or social media.  Put your phone on silent or use the Do Not Disturb setting.  Then, get to work on your to-do list (in order of priority).

The exception to the rule of not checking email is when you are expecting a vital message.  But even when that’s the case, you still don’t want to look at every email.  Instead, do a quick scan of your inbox to see if that message arrived.

Morning
Your concentration, willpower, and discipline are all at their highest in the morning.  That’s why morning is the best time to knock out as much of your to-do list as possible.

Checking email and your phone for urgent messages is ok from time-to-time.  But, do it in-between tasks.  Interrupting one task to start another is a good way to get little, if anything, done.

Late Morning/Noon
Sometime in the late morning or around noon, stop working on your to-do list and reflect on your progress to that point.  Have you completed all your high priority items?  Do you need to shuffle the priority of certain tasks or add or remove tasks?

Many agents describe their days as “putting out one fire after another”.  A midday break ensures you’re focused on the important items and not just the urgent items screaming for your attention.

Afternoon
The afternoon is the perfect time to work on tasks that require lower levels of concentration.  It’s also a good time to return phone calls and emails, check and update social media, and prepare for any upcoming buyer or listing appointments.

If you’ve managed to knock out your to-do list and are looking for ways to make your afternoon productive, consider reading industry news or training materials, making calls to your database, or prospecting for new business.

Late Afternoon/Early Evening
You probably have a “quitting time” even though you may continue to check email or take phone calls into the evening.  Before you wind down your day, take a few minutes to ensure you completed everything you needed to do.

This end-of-day review serves two purposes.  First, it helps prevent necessary tasks from slipping through the cracks.  Second, it allows you to mentally transition out of work mode knowing you aren’t forgetting anything.  That transition is crucial for preventing burnout.

P.S. – Every day won’t look like the perfect real estate day.  But, the more days you can string together that follow this general structure, the more you’ll find yourself in control of your time.