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With an array of tasks competing for our attention, real estate is an industry where effective time management is a must.
In fact, it’s a topic that frequently pops up in my conversations with Agents’Agency team members.
How do we manage all the tasks that need to be completed in any given day or week, which should be prioritised, and how can we get it all done without stress or compromising a healthy work/life balance?
But the thing is, time management isn’t just a singular activity. There’s a whole mix of things which underpin the tasks you decide to focus on and your efficiency in getting those jobs done.
Three key things
When we talk about time management, we’re actually talking about managing three key things: the decisions we make, where we direct our attention, and how we deploy our energy.
Decision management
Whether your role is in sales, property management or administration, each day is made up of a series of decisions, with the biggest being where you should prioritise your time.
In other words, how do we ensure we get the right stuff done? What activities do we need to focus on to achieve the goal we have in an efficient and effective manner?
Attention management
We’re constantly being bombarded with stimuli and distractions, which pull our attention away from getting stuff done.
There’s the stimulus of social media, incoming phone calls, news headlines, and even things as innocuous as noise in our physical environment.
Then there’s the distractions, such as things that go wrong and have to be remedied, people who pop by for a quick chat, events that crop up which are unexpected, the latest office drama or even things as innocent as that welcome invite to grab a quick cup of coffee.
Each of these is vying for our attention, and in many cases, it’s taking our attention away from the tasks we’ve decided to focus upon in an allotted time frame.
Energy management
It takes a lot of energy to remain focused. Our energy also has to be managed to ensure there is enough left in the tank at the end of a long and busy day.
Manufacturing and maintaining this energy requires a routine that includes a focus on health, diet, exercise and mindfulness.
Every day we have a choice
Each day we have a choice regarding the decisions we make, the distractions we succumb to, and the energy we deploy.
We also have the opportunity to get on the front foot, using time management and productivity strategies that allow us to plan the day ahead and face it head on.
One that I’ve found particularly useful and highly effective when it comes to reducing overwhelm involves finishing each day by writing and focusing on your action list for the next day.
This ensures you start your day knowing where to start and exactly what you want to achieve.
Extraordinary productivity
According to FranklinCovey, the world-renowned institute for productivity, there are Five Choices to Extraordinary Productivity.
They are:
(1) Act on the important, don’t react to the urgent.
(2) Go for extraordinary, don’t settle for ordinary.
(3) Schedule the big rocks, don’t sort gravel.
(4) Rule your technology, don’t let it rule you.
(5) Fuel your fire, don’t burn out.
Remember, we are exactly where we are today because of our choices and actions that we did and didn’t do yesterday.
Yes, time management can be a challenge.
But if you break it down and understand it relates to decision management, attention management and energy management, you are better equipped to understand what needs to be achieved now in order to attain extraordinary in the future.
Manos Findikakis is the CEO of Agents’Agency.
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