3 Steps to Better Time Management
Have you ever felt stressed, anxious, or overwhelmed by all the things that you need to do and all the demands that require your attention? Do you have to many things going on at the same time and feel like you don't have a good handle on your day?
Between meetings with clients, open houses, listing presentations, and marketing, many real estate agents feel they have too much work to do and that there is not enough time in the day manage it all.
As you know time management and the ability to manage your tasks are essential to a successful and effective career in real estate. Time management addresses the various tasks and time-wasting perceptions we all experience from time to time.
Improving your time management skills increases your effectiveness as a real estate professional in getting the things done that need to be done. After all, time management is mostly self management. Here are 3 simple and practical ideas you can implement today to manage your time better.
1. Set goals. - Goal setting is a powerful tool in time management. Goals helps you choose where you want to go in life by knowing precisely what you want to achieve and where you have to concentrate your efforts. Goal setting techniques are used by top real estate agents since it helps them organize their time and resources.
The key here is to set precise, measurable goals. Goals such as “I want to improve sales” are way too general. Better goals include "I want to get 5 additional listings this month" or "I want to make 10 more follow up calls to past clients."
2. Create a To-Do List. - To-Do lists are prioritized lists of all the tasks that you need to carry out. To-Do lists are prevent you from forgetting important tasks and help you plan the order in which you'll do things; what needs your attention now and later. A To-Do list includes everything that you have to do, with the most important tasks at the top of the list, and the least important tasks at the bottom.
Start by writing down the tasks that face you. If they are large tasks, break them down into smaller elements. Continue until you have listed everything that you have to do, and until tasks are will take no more than a couple of hours to complete.
Next, run through these tasks and prioritize them between 1 and 100 (1 for very important, 100 for least unimportant). If too many tasks have a high priority, run through the list again and demote the less important ones. Once you have done this, rewrite the list in priority order.
3. Develop a schedule. - Now that you've set goals and written a To-Do list, it's time to develop a schedule. A well though out schedule allows you to manage your commitments and the things that are important to you. It helps you plan how to achieve the goals you’ve set for yourself in the time you have available. Scheduling is best done on a regular basis, for example at the start of every week or month.
First, grab a calendar or open up Microsoft Outlook and identify the time you are available to work. Next, review your To-Do list and schedule in high priority activities, as well as the essential maintenance tasks that cannot be delegated and cannot be avoided.
Next, block in appropriate contingency time. Since you cannot tell when interruptions will occur, leaving space in your schedule will give yourself the flexibility effectively react to issues as they arise.
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