Practical strategies to help you master your time
Jacqueline Kyo Thomas
The most valuable asset on earth isnât land, itâs time. And when youâre working as a real estate agent, youâre constantly balancing the demands of clients, properties, and paperworkâall while trying to squeeze the most out of every hour. Time can feel like itâs slipping through your fingers, especially in the fast-paced real estate industry.
But the good news is that you can control your time and make it work for you. By implementing smart strategies and staying intentional about how you spend each minute, you can maximize your productivity, reduce overwhelm, and achieve your real estate goals.
Letâs look at the top time management strategies you can implement starting now to stay organized and minimize stress. Every second counts, so letâs get started.
In life and especially in real estate, not all tasks are created equal. Some will move the needle on your business, while others can drain your time without much return. This is why you must prioritize.
Start by identifying the activities that directly generate income or build strong client relationships. These activities should always come first. For example, making follow-up calls to potential buyers or negotiating a contract is far more valuable than spending an hour tweaking your website.
By focusing on what truly matters, youâre not just busy, youâre productive.
Keep a running list of the tasks you do every day, week, month, and so on. Then, categorize them as high, medium, and low priority. This way, when youâre short on time, you know exactly where to focus your energy to get the biggest impact.
Mark Twain once said, âIf itâs your job to eat a frog, itâs best to do it first thing in the morning.â What a quirky phrase, but what a brilliant idea. In other words, tackle your most daunting task (you know, the one that youâve been dreading or tempted to procrastinate on) at the beginning of the day. Just get it done with.
In real estate, this could be anything from cold calling a tough client to finalizing paperwork youâve been avoiding.
By getting the âfrogâ out of the way first, you free up mental space and set a positive tone for the rest of your day. The relief you feel after completing a challenging task boosts your productivity and gives you the momentum to tackle everything else with more energy and focus.
To put this into action, start each day by identifying your âfrog.â Whatâs the one thing you know you need to do but might avoid if you donât get to it right away? Make that your priority. Whether itâs an uncomfortable conversation or a tedious task, eating the frog early means the rest of your day will be easier by comparison. Plus, youâll be amazed at how much more you can accomplish once that weight is lifted.
As a real estate agent and a full-time human, youâre probably used to juggling multiple demands from clients, colleagues, friends, and family. But hereâs the truth: you canât do everything. Learning to say ânoâ is one of the most powerful time management tools you can master. Saying ânoâ is about stewarding your time and protecting your energy for what truly matters.
Every time you say âyesâ to something thatâs not aligned with your goals, youâre essentially saying ânoâ to something else. Maybe youâre saying ânoâ to sleep, which isnât good because sleep plays a major role in your success. And maybe youâre saying âyesâ to something thatâs a low-priority task that someone else could handle. These distractions add up and can pull you away from the activities that drive your business forward.
Saying ânoâ doesnât mean shutting people down. Itâs about setting boundaries. You can be polite and firm at the same time. For instance, if a client asks for a meeting during a time youâve set aside for prospecting, offer an alternative time that works better for you. Or, if someone requests a favor that doesnât fit into your schedule, explain that youâre fully booked but would be happy to help at a later date.
Take control of your time and ensure that every âyesâ you give is meaningful and purposeful.
One of the biggest challenges in real estate is managing the constant flow of communication. Calls, emails, and texts never stop. So, in a bid to set boundaries, schedule your office hours. By setting specific times during the day when youâre available for non-urgent calls, meetings, and drop-ins, you can take control of your schedule instead of letting it control you.
Think of office hours as your âopen doorâ policy. Let your clients, colleagues, and even vendors know that youâre available during these set times for questions, discussions, and updates. This way, they know when they can reach you, and youâre not caught off guard by unexpected interruptions throughout the day.
Scheduling office hours also helps you to protect your most productive times. If you know that mornings are when youâre most focused, keep that time reserved for high-priority tasks like prospecting or negotiating deals. Then, in the afternoon, you can open up your schedule for those necessary but less urgent conversations.
Do you ever feel like your day is just a whirlwind of tasks without clear direction? Time blocking to the rescue.
Time blocking is a simple yet powerful technique where you divide your day into chunks of time, each dedicated to a specific task or group of tasks. Give every activity on your to-do list a specific slot in your schedule so you can focus on one thing at a time without distractions.
Hereâs how time blocking works: 1. First, identify the key tasks you need to accomplish each dayâlike prospecting, client meetings, administrative work, and follow-ups. 2. Then, assign each task a block of time on your calendar. For example, you might reserve 9:00 to 10:00 AM for prospecting, 10:30 to 11:30 AM for client calls, and so on. During these blocks, focus solely on the task at hand. No multitasking and no interruptions.
The beauty of time blocking is that it creates a structured day. With it, you avoid the chaos of jumping from one task to another. It also makes it easier to say ânoâ to distractions because youâve already planned your day. But time blocking is also flexible. You can adjust the blocks as needed if something urgent comes up.
Marketing is a must if you wish to stay top-of-mind with clients and generate new leads, but it can also be a massive time-sink if youâre doing everything manually. Thatâs where automation comes in. By automating your marketing efforts, you can keep your pipeline full without having to spend hours every single day on repetitive tasks.
The best way to automate your marketing is to identify what you could be automated. Take a look at the marketing activities you perform regularly. Do you send out email newsletters? Do you post on social media? Do you follow up with leads?
It turns out all of these are perfect candidates for automation. For example, you can use an email marketing platform like Mailchimp or ConvertKit to set up drip campaigns that automatically send emails to your contact list at scheduled intervals.
Social media is also great for automation. Tools like Hootsuite or Buffer allow you to schedule posts in advance, so your social media profiles stay active even when youâre busy showing homes or closing deals. You can plan a week or even a monthâs worth of posts in one sitting, then let the software post on a pre-determined schedule.
And when it comes to keeping up with customers, donât forget about customer relationship management (CRM) systems. CRMs can automate follow-up emails, reminders, and even lead nurturing. A good CRM will track interactions with clients and leads and automatically send personalized messages based on their behavior. For example, if a lead visits your website or opens an email, your CRM can send a follow-up message to keep the engagement goingâand you donât even need to be involved because everythingâs automated. This targeted marketing helps build stronger relationships without requiring constant manual input from you.
Have you heard of the 80/20 Rule, a.k.a. The Pareto Principle?
The idea is simple: It theorizes that 80% of your results come from 20% of your efforts. In real estate, this might mean that a small percentage of your clients bring in the majority of your income, or that certain activities (like prospecting or follow-ups) lead to most of your deals.
What are the top 20% of tasks or clients that generate the most significant results for your real estate business? Identify them and prioritize them. This might mean focusing more on your most profitable clients, dedicating time to activities that directly lead to sales, or even letting go of low-value tasks that donât contribute to your bottom line.
Effective time management isnât just about getting more done. Instead, itâs about getting the right things done. By prioritizing tasks, setting boundaries, and leveraging tools like CRM software and automation, you can make the most of your time and stay focused on your goals.