Work Life Balance for Real Estate Agents
If you don’t have a plan for Work / Life balance as a Real Estate agent you will get burned out. That’s a guarantee. And you need to have a plan beyond going on vacation and staring at your phone the entire time you are away.
Here’s 3 disciplines you must develop to maximize your results and stay productive.
Exercise
Read
Hobbies
Let’s look at each one.
EXERCISE
Find an exercise you like that involves deep breathing and concentration that takes your mind off business.
Don’t take calls, respond to texts / emails or look at your phone while exercise.
Make time to exercise 4-5 days a week.
Years ago I used to go to a gym in Manhattan Beach CA every afternoon around 4 PM. I had to change my time up because I was always running into top producing agents there and would wind up networking and talking shop between sets or even if I was on the treadmill.
So I started going at 6:30 AM only to discover that there were agents, mortgage brokers and others in the industry there at that time also! So what is the take away from this? A lot of top producers work out.
I can not emphasize enough how much a healthy lifestyle including diet and working out will help you be successful in Real Estate. I know for a fact that a lot of the top agents in the world not only work out but helped build their business with connections that made while doing so.
You might not be someone who wants to join or go to a gym and that’s ok. In fact, for some people it might be more beneficial to not join a gym.
There’s a lot of things you can do outside without much equipment such as jogging, biking, swimming, surfing if you are fortunate enough to live where I do, tennis, hiking, skiing, the list goes on and on.
And you don’t have to do the same thing every day. Some days I’ll use an elliptical machine or exercise bike at home and other jog outside. And I have some weights in my home office which I’ll lift before or after having a stressful call or email exchange.
If you don’t like any of the activities I mentioned above, how about Yoga, Tai Chi or Pilates?
The key and objective is to take your mind off business, concentrate on something physical and breathe deeply.
I recommend doing something physical for a minimum of 4-5 days a week for 30-40 minutes a day.
When I recommend this, many agents tell me they don’t have the time. My response is you don’t have the time to NOT exercise. If you can’t find a solid half hour, then break it up into two 15 minute sessions. Can’t do that? How about three 10 minute time slots.
As with all exercise routines, you have to check with your doctor that you a healthy enough to embark on an exercise regimen. If you can’t exercise then meditate to get your mind off of work. Actually you should probably mediate anyway.
READ
If you don’t like reading, a lot of books have audible versions. I always read something motivational first thing in the morning before I get out of bed. But that’s just me. Just find something you like and take your mind off of business.
HAVE A HOBBY
Better yet, find a creative hobby. I play Jazz Guitar for relaxation. Music, art or even cooking something that is a special treat are good hobbies. You don’t have to be good at these hobbies, you just have to do them and try to get better.
I don’t count traveling as a hobby - even though I think traveling is important for work / life balance. I also don’t count golf although you can make a case for it being an exercise (as long as you are not checking your phone). Some people have asked me about writing. Well if you are writing on your real estate blog, that’s a good thing but not a hobby. If you are writing a work of fiction, yes I would count that as a hobby that should totally take your mind off of your business.
BEHIND THE SCENES
If you are a full time agent and successful, Real Estate is all encompassing and very time consuming. That’s true whether you are on a team, have an assistant or just work on your own.
What I noticed over the years, looking at myself and many others, is that while agents would go on vacations and travel, often they were fielding calls (I know I’ve negotiated and closed deals while in Thailand), replying to emails and engaged in their business wherever they went. There’s no escape.
But every day you can take actions that quiet your mind, relax you and allow you to recharge. And I’m not talking about morning routines that start at 4:30 AM and putting more pressure on yourself. What I am talking about is exercise, reading and hobbies. You don’t have to do these every day or for a long time each day. But if you want to be productive and avoid burnout you have to do these three things consistently and make them a habit.
TRAVEL AND VACATIONS
Traveling and vacations are really important. But most of us can’t go on extensive vacations more than once or twice a year.
What you can do, which I highly recommend, is get out of town for a day or two at least once a month.
I’m very fortunate that from where my wife and I live in the Los Angeles area, we can jump in our car and drive for a few hours and be somewhere else entirely different - Palm Springs, Santa Barbara, San Diego, etc. Sometimes we stay overnight and sometimes we come back the same day. Doesn’t matter, I always feel refreshed.
Even better, other West Coast and Southwest cities are just a few hours away by plane: San Francisco, Portland, Seattle, Las Vegas, Phoenix, etc. Those become 2-3 day getaways which we do about once a quarter.
That leaves the further destinations in Asia and Europe for the longer vacations.
THE GOAL
It is really important to have diversions, hopefully on a daily basis, that require your full attention to take your mind off of business. It is also important to take yourself physically out of your local environment periodically.