Click here for the free resource >>>>> The Ultimate Real Estate Agent Planner
You wrote it down in your planner. It’s scheduled on your calendar. Lead Generation Time from 8-10 am. No distractions, right? You’re going to sit and focus and nothing can take your attention elsewhere.
But what if a client can only see homes at 9 before they start work? What if a listing lead you’ve been nurturing for 6 months finally calls to tell you it’s time to list, and they want it listed tomorrow. Or all of a sudden, your buyer that “loves this house so much” wants to back out even though the inspection was one of the best you’ve ever seen?
You kinda have to tend to those issues as soon as you see them. And if that all happens before 10 am… where did your set time to lead generate go?
Now, don’t get me wrong. You gotta lead generate, but you already know that. But I have a bit of an unpopular opinion on the concept of real estate agents timeblocking: it doesn’t really work.
*gasp*
I know, I’m ruffling some feathers here. But let me tell you why.
- Real estate is inherently unpredictable. Last-minute showings, urgent client calls, unexpected issues… you never know when they’re going to come in. And sure, you could say you’re going to ignore the calls and keep your phone on DND and focus, but unless you have two different phones or are calling from a dialer on your computer, you’re still going to be tempted to check for new emails or missed calls. It’s our nature to be curious about what we might be missing.
- The clients really are the ones who run the show. You know when you over-promise and under-deliver? Imagine being suuuuper responsive to someone between the hours of 8-10 am and then once they go under contract and they have a question about their inspection report, they can’t get ahold of you when they normally could before. *Most* agents pride themselves on their responsiveness and flexibility, and those don’t really go hand in hand with rigid schedule.
- It’s stressful. Real estate is stressful enough. Do we really need to add more to it? The constant pressure to stick to the plan can end up being counterproductive, leading to burnout.
So… what does work?
Everyone’s different, right? What works for one person may not work for another. There might be one of you sitting there thinking I’m absolutely bonkers because time blocking does work for you. And that’s great that it does! But let’s go through some options to see what might work better for you and why they did or didn’t work for me.
- Time Buffering: I’ve learned this one the hard way. With clients back-to-back on my call days, I have to have time on either end of those calls. While some other coaches and consultants may be able to go from one call to the next without a break in between, my brain needs one. I need to reset, check my phone, make sure nothing is burning down around me (it never is), and get ready to go into my next call focused on exactly what I need to be there for.
- Priority Matrix: There are great tools out there, like a priority matrix, that helps you categorize tasks by urgency and importance. It allows you to focus on high-priority tasks that need attention asap while still giving you flexibility in scheduling those less critical ones.
- Energy Matching: This one might be my favorite. I have ADHD so I need to jump on things when the motivation hits. I know the tasks that require a higher concentration level need to be done in the morning because by the afternoon, I know my focus will be harder to maintain. For example, if I have a task such as submitting my quarterly payroll taxes, it has to be done in the morning or it just… won’t be done.
- Pomodoro Technique: My former business partner loved this technique. She had this cool block timer on Amazon that would go off every 25 minutes or so. This allowed her to focus on one task for that amount of time, get a short break, and then get back to it. It kept her focused, not feeling the need to check her phone or email every few minutes making sure she didn’t miss anything because her break was coming soon.
What I’m getting at is that time blocking when it’s super rigid doesn’t really work in the real estate industry. What does work is having a technique that fits with your focus style and having the discipline to get what you need done when you need it done by.
Whatever your focus style may be, we can all benefit from having a daily planner. And today, I’m giving you one for free!
