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5 Ways to Achieve a Healthy Work-Life Balance as a Real Estate Agent

Do you ever feel like your time as a real estate agent has completely taken over your life? Trying to find a proper work-life balance is a challenge in any job, and especially when you’re working in a potentially 24/7 industry like real estate. But that balance is the key to maintaining your health, moderating your stress level, and finding success in all aspects of your life. If you’re having trouble getting a solid hold on your day, try some of these tips to recovering a healthy balance between your work and your life:

Create Boundaries

Although real estate agents strive to be there for their clients 24/7, the reality is that you can’t dedicate every hour of the day to work. Dropping everything, no matter how important, to deal with a difficult or demanding client will destroy any work-life balance that you’re trying to find. Pick a few hours out of every day where you simply don’t answer the phone unless it’s an emergency. For example, dinner time with the family. Because family is important! Only give out your home phone number to important clients and coworkers who might need to get a hold of you at a moment’s notice. Let your answering service take care of everyone else and get back to them as soon as you can.

Schedule Everything

Time management is one of the most important parts of being a successful real estate agent. There are only so many hours in a day, and you need to make sure you get the most out of every one of them. Schedule everything. Personal time, appointments, time with the family, exercise--make sure everything is noted in your schedule. Remember to schedule travel time to and from any appointments. If you can add some wiggle room to your schedule between entries, it will give you some breathing room in case anything runs overtime. Some people find that scheduling their entire day can be confining, but there can also be a great deal of freedom in seeing the structure of your entire day in front of you. Experiment with scheduling and see what works for you.

Get Help

There is far more to being a real estate agent than buying and selling homes. It requires a tremendous level of administrative work, answering emails, returning calls, writing listings... the list goes on and on. If you’re already feeling overwhelmed, these small but necessary tasks can really destroy any leisure time that you may otherwise have. If you find yourself spending a lot of time doing unspecialized tasks, you might want to consider getting an assistant. If hiring help is out of your budget, a virtual assistant might be the way to go. You can engage them for specific tasks, like email management or call reception, getting the small things out of the way so you can focus on the more important parts of the job.

Exercise/Hobbies

Everyone needs an outlet, some way to blow off steam. Real estate agents work in a high pressure industry, so being able to escape and work out some of your frustrations is a necessity. Exercise is great because, not only will it keep you physically healthy, it will also allow you to work out your frustrations in a physical way. If you feel that you aren’t in the best shape at the moment, start small. You could schedule a half-hour walk every night, both to get the blood moving and also to clear your head. Yoga also tends to be both physically challenging and mentally relaxing, killing two stress birds with one stone. Hobbies are equally important. You need to give your mind some time off to do the things that you love. This could be simply reading a book, or spending an hour watching a favorite show on television. Whatever it is, doing an activity that has nothing to do with real estate will give your mind a break, so when you go back to work, you’ll be able to do so with focus.

Be Kind to Yourself

This is actually one of the most difficult things to do on this list. Real estate agents tend to be workaholics. They work long hours and dedicate themselves almost entirely to their clients. They measure their success by theirs sales, and often beat themselves up if they don’t meet their high (sometimes impossible) expectations. The reality is that this is an unhealthy and unsustainable mindset. No one is successful 100% of the time. No one is able to be their best selves every moment of every day. Those who appear to be able to do so are usually putting up a front. Holding yourself to high standards is great, but if you’re unable to always meet them, you might start feeling down on yourself and your abilities. Always try your best, always give it your all, and if things don’t work out exactly as you plan, learn to accept that. Berating yourself will only cause stress and may even impede your effectiveness. Take a look at how you treat yourself and ask, “Would I treat anyone else in my life this way?” If the answer is no, then it might be time for an adjustment. Do you have another tip for achieving a healthy work-life balance as a realtor? Leave a comment, we’d be interested to hear about it.