5 Time Management Tips for Real Estate Agents

When you work for yourself, time management is often a huge key to success. However, at the same time, it’s a skill that a lot of people need to hone. With that in mind, we have a list of five tips that teach time management for real estate agents. Read them over so you can decide which tips will be the best fit for your schedule.

Time management tips for real estate professionals

1. Write it out.

Though it may sound simple, there’s a lot of value in creating a to-do list every day. As a real estate agent, you have to wear a lot of hats during the course of a typical workday. Not only do you have to keep several transactions moving forward at one time, but you also have to handle your own administrative tasks, and remember to make time for lead generation.

Put simply, if you don’t write things out, it is far too easy to let those less-immediate tasks fall by the wayside. However, if you write them down and refer back to them during the course of the day, you’re more likely to actually carve out time to make sure those essential tasks get done. Seems basic, but it’s one of the most tried and true time management tips, and doing so will make you a more successful real estate agent.

As far as how to create a to-do list, there is no one way to make it happen. You can use an app or write it out by hand. That said, it’s a good idea to either start your day by listing out everything that you need to do or to make one at the end of the day for the next morning.

2. Batch your tasks.

Once you have a solid idea of everything that needs to get done during the course of your workday, the next step is to figure out how to make it all happen. In this case, you may want to try batching your tasks. In self-improvement circles, batching tasks is a planning process that involves grouping similar tasks to improve concentration and productivity.

Essentially, in the world of time management tips, task batching is the antithesis of multitasking. For example, you could create and schedule all your social media posts, answer all your emails, then call all of your new leads. This process assumes that when you group similar tasks, you tend to stay more focused and can work more efficiently.

There are two ways that you can go with this. You can batch tasks in a few hour blocks or you can dedicate a full day to one large chunk of assignments.

3. Delegate small projects.

Meanwhile, if you are finding that there are just not enough hours in the day to get everything done, even when you make a schedule and stick to it, you may want to consider delegating some of your small tasks. Typically, real estate agents have a tendency to outsource their marketing and administrative tasks.

If you’ve never had an assistant before, it’s okay to start small. Think about simply hiring someone for a few hours a week to work on tasks like lead generation and filing. Remember, if you decide you like having someone take care of these tasks for you, you can always add on more hours later on down the road. Hiring an assistant is one of the best ways to keep track of and further your real estate business.

4. Automate as much as possible.

One of the best time management tips is to look into the automation processes that you can incorporate into your business. In business and marketing, automation involves leveraging technology to take care of repetitive tasks instead of having to complete each task individually.

Truthfully, there are many tasks that real estate agents can automate, including scheduling social media posts ahead of time, setting up email drip campaigns, and creating mailing campaigns. Often, it’s just a matter of finding the right real estate industry software to make it happen.

However, it’s important to note that many of these software options come in the form of paid subscriptions. While it’s up to you to decide whether or not to invest, it may be worth considering these programs as an investment in your work-life balance.

5. Join a team.

Lastly, if you really want to make a difference when it comes to your own time management, it may be a good idea to consider joining a team. Often, each member of a real estate team will have their own role in the transaction process. For example, it’s not uncommon for a team to have a dedicated buyer’s agent and listing coordinator, as well as an administrative assistant.

In this case, if you decide to join a team, you will be taking many of the tasks involved in running your own real estate business off of your plate. By focusing on one aspect of the transaction, you’re essentially batching your tasks on a larger scale, which may help you to manage your time better.