As a part of my consultancy work across the nation and in numerous conversations with quite a few property brokers I’m used to uncovering a variety of challenges and issues in addition to hopefully presenting potential options.
These challenges embrace the standard suspects – low charges, over valuing (at all times by OTHER brokers!), unrealistic expectations from shoppers and an absence of leads for landlords and sellers to call however a number of.
All of those challenges are easy, although not essentially straightforward to beat, usually with private teaching and the implementation of a tried and examined course of. I do LOVE a course of!
Nevertheless, there may be one drawback that’s frequent to each property agent I meet and presumably almost each human being, although is steadily by no means talked about as a possible impediment initially. I discover that it usually underlies almost each problem dealing with an organisation and extra particularly each particular person…
TIME.
In my expertise time administration turns into extra of an element when individuals begin their very own property company after working for an employer, maybe as a result of they’re abruptly confronted with a giant checklist of duties simply to get going and generate enterprise lengthy earlier than they will anticipate to obtain any revenue. Concern may be a superb motivator. I would definitely say it’s the largest single concern dealing with all of my self-employed eXp colleagues, together with and maybe particularly for probably the most profitable ones. Nevertheless, it’s related for totally employed brokers and help workers – significantly for these in administration and supervisory positions who usually point out that their time is “stolen” by serving to to unravel different individuals’s issues versus instantly incomes charges.
The most typical chorus I hear from brokers when confronted with strategies on the best way to generate new enterprise or to extra successfully cope with their present clients is… “I merely don’t have the time”. That’s an fascinating response contemplating that all of us have the identical period of time. Clearly some individuals use it extra correctly than others. Sure in fact, all of us have completely different pulls on our time with various obligations that require our consideration each for private {and professional} causes however primarily, it’s the identical problem for us all.
So what to do?
There’s no scarcity of recommendation from a plethora of coaches, trainers and time administration consultants, although I be aware that it’s uncommon for this topic to function at most of the property company conferences which are frequent at the moment of the 12 months. Convention organisers please be aware as I believe that this is able to be of actual curiosity to delegates.
My non-expert very fundamental recommendation is straightforward (maybe too easy) and as follows:
Firstly, spend a whole month merely recording precisely what you presently do along with your time. Write it down in a diary, or file it digitally, together with all the pieces! That’s taking the children to highschool, food and drinks preparation, social actions, journey and naturally any work associated exercise– all the pieces! This job alone shall be very revealing and at least will no less than improve your consciousness of the way you spend your invaluable time. However precisely how invaluable? Subsequent, by estimating your common month-to-month revenue and dividing it by the overall variety of hours within the month you’ll be able to estimate roughly how a lot every hour (and subsequently every minute) any timed exercise really prices you. Sure, it’s a really crude evaluation open to interpretation and opinion however it may be very enlightening in my expertise. It additionally implies that if anybody asks “Have you ever received a minute to assist me with one thing?” as individuals steadily do, you’ll know precisely how a lot that ‘minute’ (it’s often extra) will really price! As I discussed, this very fundamental consciousness will virtually actually improve your effectivity and use of time.
And right here’s one other fundamental tip on the best way to method virtually any job, one thing I used to be taught 40 years in the past. The three D’s…
Do It
Ditch It or
Delegate It
I discover this is a superb method when confronted with the every day deluge of emails all of us obtain. Once I share this concept with shoppers they usually say that they don’t have any subordinates to delegate duties to. I remind them that delegation needn’t essentially be to people who find themselves answerable to you however may be individuals outdoors of your organisation or others inside your organisation – even your boss! It’s undoubtedly value contemplating.
After all, time administration generally is a very sophisticated subject whether it is to be handled successfully and analysis into the topic is, in my view, important. To that finish there are quite a few books on the matter. One in every of my favourites, due to its simplicity is One Minute Supervisor Meets The Monkey by Kenneth Blanchard, William Oncken and Hal Burrows. For those who don’t take pleasure in studying usually that is the guide for you – it’s SO straightforward to learn!
In case you are searching for a digital reply to the time administration problem, ChatGPT can assist in fact…
Key Ideas of Time Administration
1. Set Clear Targets
o Use SMART objectives (Particular, Measurable, Achievable, Related, Time-bound).
o Break giant objectives into smaller, actionable steps.
2. Prioritise Duties
o Use instruments just like the Eisenhower Matrix (pressing vs. vital).
o Deal with high-impact actions, not simply busy work.
3. Plan Forward
o Use every day, weekly, or month-to-month planners.
o Time-block your calendar for vital duties and breaks.
4. Keep away from Multitasking
o Deal with one job at a time for higher productiveness and fewer errors.
5. Get rid of Distractions
o Establish what interrupts your circulation (telephone, notifications, social media).
o Use instruments like “Do Not Disturb” mode or web site blockers.
6. Use the 80/20 Rule (Pareto Precept)
o 80% of outcomes come from 20% of efforts—determine and give attention to the essential 20%.
7. Overview and Mirror
o On the finish of every day or week, evaluate what labored and what didn’t.
o Regulate your methods accordingly.
Helpful Time Administration Instruments
• Process Managers: Todoist, Microsoft To Do, TickTick
• Calendars: Google Calendar, Outlook
• Pomodoro Timers: TomatoTimer, Focus Booster
• Time Trackers: Toggl, Clockify
So there we go – your time administration issues solved or no less than acknowledged.
I’d love to listen to your personal ideas and concepts on this, one of the crucial frequent challenges all of us face.
Please share your ideas beneath – that’s in fact if in case you have time!
Simon Bradbury is a advisor specialising in securing new directions and runs a (very) small property company powered by eXp.
