While procrastination is common for most people, it can also be the silent killer to an agent’s brand and bottom line.
Putting off important tasks—especially in the current red-hot housing market—can set an agent back with missed opportunities to gain a new client or listing. But, as the old saying goes, time is money, and agents shouldn’t be wasting either.
Here are a few ways to address and counter procrastination as an agent.
Have a Plan
Prior planning over the weekend can help limit procrastination habits because all tasks—especially those you’re dreading—can be allocated to a particular time slot. Spend time mapping out what your work week will look like with client calls and appointments, lead generation, prepping for showings and even breaks in the day.
Set up your weekly schedule in your physical and digital planner with reminders and notifications that can keep tasks at the top of your mind.
Limit or Remove Distractions
The life of an agent and broker is filled with emails, phone calls, texts and social media engagement, which for the average Joe are a series of rabbit holes that can eat away at their valuable time.
Similar to the above point, setting time aside on the weekend for communication and engagement with your sphere and your colleagues can help mitigate prolonged distractions during the week.
Use the weekend to schedule social media posts and content to cover your week. The same can be done for emails, leaving follow-up calls and texts for the remainder of the week.
Set Deadlines
Having a deadline for tasks and goals can help boost an agent’s productivity and counter procrastination.
Knowing that a deadline is approaching can increase a sense of urgency to complete tasks promptly. Limit the amount of time you have to get contracts signed or to reach out to get in touch with a lead. Then, prioritize meeting or beating your deadlines.
Break Up the Bigger Projects
As the saying goes, the best way to eat an elephant is one bite at a time. The same applies to large projects—massive listings, rebranding efforts and multi-offer situations—that may seem daunting initially.
Whatever the undertaking, try and break up the project into smaller and simpler tasks that you and your colleagues can work on together over time.
Tomorrow Doesn’t Exist
It’s common to want to put things off, such as client calls and follow-ups, for an hour or a day. A way to curb that process as an agent is to think about the effect that could have on your brand or bottom line. Sure, you could put the task off until tomorrow, but will it cost you a commission or a client?
Set actionable goals daily, weekly, monthly and beyond that serve as reminders when procrastination creeps in.
Jordan Grice is RISMedia’s associate content editor. Email him your real estate news to jgrice@rismedia.com.
