As a real estate agent, you have to be in charge of your time. After all, it's your time that's being spent on the phone with clients, working on lead generation, doing open houses and showing properties to buyers. But how can you tell if real estate is taking up too much of your life? How do you make sure that you're not stressed out, exhausted or overworked? This post will help answer those questions.

One of the biggest misconceptions of real estate is that you should always be working.

That means whether you're on vacation, at your kid's soccer game, or at the dentist, many prospective clients expect you to answer your phone, texts and emails 24/7. This is not only unrealistic for any business owner, it is unhealthy. I recommend creating business hours for yourself. Just as if you were a brick-and-mortar store. Then, when you go on a listing appointment or meet with a buyer for the first time, share your hours with them and set the proper expectations up front for when you’ll be available and when you will not.

For example, if Sundays are a family day for you, just let your clients know that up front. If there is an occasion where you want to make an exception, because the house they have been dying to see for a month finally went on the market, that is ok. Just communicate that you are making the exception because you value them and their needs. But don’t allow that to turn into an excuse for them to drive around every Sunday seeing homes with you or calling you with unnecessary questions on your one day you have set aside for family.

Another example is time of day. I am a morning person, so I let my clients know that I am happy to email or text or talk by 8am. However, I am not an evening person. I put my phone on the charger and turn it to silent by 7pm every night. I know that I am not at my best in the evenings, so I won’t be giving my clients 100%. It is best if I call them back in the morning.

Business owners must learn to use healthy boundaries to keep their business strong and their life balanced.

A lot of real estate professionals are afraid to ask for help.

Many real estate professionals are solopreneurs. We are a one-person business doing everything alone. We wear the hats of the CEO, COO, CFO and Sales Manager and Marketing Manager AND the admin assistant and top sales person. It is a lot! So what stops us from asking for help?

Real estate is a team sport. You can't do everything on your own, no matter how hard you try or how capable you think you are. You'll burn out quickly if you try to do everything by yourself. Learn the skills and discipline of delegating and hiring.

The first step is to assess what you can get off of your plate by eliminating, streamlining or delegating. Then next step is to decide if it is time to add to your team. In real estate, that doesn’t always mean hiring a W-2 employee and paying them a salary. It can mean adding another realtor as a showing agent. Or a transaction coordinator. It can even be as simple as partnering up with your Title company on some marketing materials or outsourcing your photos and signs and lockbox installations. Get creative and ask what others in your brokerage or your industry are doing to help take things off of their plate.

Your goal should be to have a great life, not just to have a busy one.

Being busy has become a badge of honor, especially in the sales industry. Real estate is a great way to make money, but it's not the only thing in life. At some point, you will need to prioritize what's important to you and put your energy towards those things.

At the end of every year, I like to sit down for about an hour and do a calendar audit. I sit in front of my computer, open up my calendar and I scroll all the way back to January first of that year. Then I scroll through week by week and I jot down the things I accomplished or experienced. Maybe it was an incredible trip I went on, or a fun event with friends. Maybe it was a great transaction that closed or reaching a milestone on my goals list. Other times I have observed things I don’t want to repeat. Endless meetings and tasks that did not bring me fulfillment and didn’t seem to further my life. Wasted hours on things I don’t ever want to do again. Write those things down too. By the end, you’ll have a list of amazing things that brought you joy, grew you as a person, helped you reach goals and added to your life. And you’ll also have a list of decisions you need to make. Do you want to waste time in the next year on this activity, group, person, or obligation? The choice is in your hands to decide. What will you do differently next year to live a great life and not a busy one.

Don't start your day tired and already behind.

Setting yourself up for success is critical for any entrepreneur. Many times we are working the roles of 6 to 7 people and making sure we start our days on the right foot, really makes a difference. Here are some tips to make sure your day starts out the right way.

Sleep. Getting enough sleep is important for everyone, but especially if you are working in a competitive field such as real estate.

While it may seem obvious, not getting enough sleep can impact how you feel physically and mentally. If you're tired when you start your day, it's more likely that stress will creep into areas of your life where it doesn't belong.

Food. Eating healthy meals also plays an important role in maintaining good energy levels throughout each day. If you don't have enough energy to handle all of the tasks at hand during the course of a normal workday, then it can be difficult to get everything done without feeling overwhelmed by stress or burnout later on down the road!

Water. Drinking plenty of water throughout the day is important to keep running on all cylinders. Don’t drag your body down with sugary drinks or too much caffeine.

Exercise. Make it a goal to move your body every day. Whether you have a fitness routine or you simply go for a walk, get the blood flowing with movement each and every day. If you live somewhere with nature nearby, a walk, hike or bike ride in a beautiful environment is ideal.

Stillness. Real estate can be stressful. Develop a practice of stillness in your day. Prayer, meditation, journaling or a gratitude practice are all excellent ways to slow your mind down and allow for connection and quiet.

There are a number of ways to stop feeling like you're being pulled in too many directions at once.

• Ask for help. It's okay to ask for help. In fact, it's encouraged! Delegating tasks can help you keep your eye on the ball, and it will let you focus on additional tasks that can take your business to the next level.

• Don't feel guilty about delegating tasks or saying no to new opportunities if they don't fit into your schedule. You are in control of what happens in your business—you don't need to say yes just because someone asks you politely or offers something attractive in return (like money).

• Make sure all members of your team are on board with their responsibilities so that no one gets confused about their part in a project or task at hand. If there is discord among members of your team, try talking through each person’s concerns until everyone feels comfortable working together again.

Conclusion

I know that real estate can be stressful, but it doesn't have to be. If you use some of the tips I've given here — for example, by getting enough sleep, eating healthy meals and asking for help when you need it — you'll feel less stressed and more in control of your business. Not only will this make your life better, but it will also give you more time to spend on the things that matter most to you!

-Andrea

Have you mapped out your Business Plan for next year? If you need help, guidance, direction or accountability in planning out your year, I would love to assist! I have even designed a Free Business Planning Checklist that you can download today. It will walk you through the 6 core areas of your business to make sure you have a road map for success next year. Check it out here.