Improve your efficiency by effectively managing your task list

As a busy CENTURY 21 real estate agent, you no doubt have a million tasks on your mind at any one time, all of which are important and must get done.  Those agents who already have a physical To-Do list system in place will understand how necessary these can be for organising tasks and ensuring they get completed on time. 

For those real estate agents who don’t have a task list system already in place, and even those who do but would like to know how their system may be better managed, you may like to consider the following tips:

1. Order your tasks by priority and get the most important tasks out of the way first.  This can help to reduce your stress levels and ensure you remain on top of things that are due imminently. 

2. Avoid having a large number of tasks in front of you at the one time as this can be overwhelming.  Instead, you may like to have two lists – one complete to-do list (perhaps on a weekly basis) that contains everything you are working on, and another daily to-do list with a more manageable amount of tasks on it. 

3. Break larger tasks into a series of smaller steps.  It can be tempting to procrastinate and avoid tasks that seem difficult.  Smaller targets are usually easier to achieve in a shorter period of time, and ticking them off could see you gain momentum and complete the entire task in a shorter timeframe. 

4. Spend ten minutes at the end of each day assessing what you have done, crossing things off, and planning your tasks for the following day.  This clarity around what needs to be achieved before you even begin your day should help get you off to the best possible start. 

Everyone has their own system to keep their tasks in order – some like to keep it on their Smartphone where it can be managed on the go and synced across multiple platforms, while others prefer to write it down where completed tasks can be satisfyingly crossed off. 

The efficient management of a to-do list is definitely a valuable skill for a real estate agent to master.  Having clarity around what needs to be done, and when it needs to be completed by, can help you to avoid procrastination, achieve goals more quickly and reduce levels of stress.

Improve your success by maintaining a healthy work/life balance

With the pace of life generally increasing and technologies continually advancing, it is no secret that the distinction between work and personal time is becoming blurred.  As a result, many real estate agents in today’s market are experiencing higher levels of stress which in turn may be affecting their productivity.  

It is important for busy real estate agents to be able to achieve a healthy balance between their careers as well as their personal lives, while still being able to reach goals in both domains. 

There are several simple ways for agents to look to enhance their health and mental wellbeing, ensuring productivity and success are achieved in all areas of one’s life.  Note that different methods will work for different people – it is important to determine what strategies will work for you on a personal level.  The following are just some examples of how real estate agents can look to achieve a healthy work/life balance.   

Take time to recharge

It is amazing what a simple clearing of the head can do for your mental state and efficiency of thought processes.  Whether this is increasing your sleep by one hour each night, taking one day over the weekend to disconnect as much as possible from work, or simply stepping out at lunchtime for some fresh air, the straightforward act of taking some time for yourself can certainly be beneficial and improve levels of productivity at work. 

Find what works for you to release stress/anxiety

You will find that there are certain activities that help you to relieve the tensions of both work and home life – these often vary from person to person.  Some examples include exercise (whether this is running, swimming, yoga etc), reading, watching a film, drawing, or perhaps reorganising your desk or rewriting your task list.  It is worthwhile to try a variety of activities until you find one that suits your lifestyle and helps you to unwind. 

Consider eliminating foods that do not result in optimal performance

Many people find that there are certain foods that simply do not agree with them and can create feelings of, for example, lethargy, bloatedness, anxiety or tiredness (among others), thus potentially impacting efficiency at work.  If you are not feeling 100 per cent, it may be a worthwhile exercise to consult a professional about your diet to identify where positive changes may be made. 

Learn to prioritse more effectively

Many real estate agents tend to be ‘go-getters’ and like to tick required tasks off promptly.  However it is important to note that stress can sometimes be reduced by focusing on tasks that are imminently due, and reducing the amount of mental energy dedicated to tasks that will not become important for some time.   By understanding the importance of various tasks and prioritising them appropriately, real estate agents should be better able to complete urgent needs and reduce levels of unnecessary stress. 

While the combination of work and personal demands can sometimes seem overwhelming, creating a balance is achievable and doing so can help to relieve pressures and improve success in both areas immensely – often resulting in better physical health and improved productivity.  The best way to achieve the optimal balance is usually to find methods that work best for you – both in the office and at home. 

Some considerations when advertising listings

For agents operating in today’s real estate market, there are a variety of options available for the marketing of property listings.  Having said this, with sophisticated marketing methods becoming increasingly available thanks to advancing technologies, it may be easy for some professionals to bypass more established options – perhaps even to the detriment of a campaign. 

Advancing forms of property marketing are certainly attractive and can help a real estate agent stand out from the crowd.  However, while platforms such as social media are allowing agents to effectively communicate with prospective buyers and renters regarding certain properties of interest, so too do methods like the tried-and-true letter box drop and ads in local newspapers continue to have their place. 

Audience is therefore a key consideration for any agent when commencing the marketing of a new property and indeed when staying in touch with a database in general.  Having an understanding of audience should incorporate both the anticipated target market of a particular property (be it a first-home owner’s dream in a trendy location or a retirement villa in a coastal region), as well as the residents of the general locale in which an agent operates. 

An awareness of audience should extend to know-how regarding preferences for the types of communiqué received, and how these are delivered. 

For example, while starting conversations on social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter may be effective (and expected) marketing methods for tech-savvy first-home buyers who are online for a great deal of time, the same methods may not be as preferred by older purchasers who continue to enjoy perusing through the local newspaper for updated property listings. 

There is no doubt that real estate marketing continues to change, and agents must be savvy with their marketing budgets in order to both secure listings and ensure the best results for their vendor clients.  While agents will no doubt have a good understanding as to the demographics of their local community and how best to communicate the appropriate message, it pays to note that an audience, and thus marketing, could also change according to property – depending on the property type and price range.

By keeping an open mind, understanding your key market and remaining up to date with the various methods by which audiences may be communicated with, agents should be able to ensure that their listings are marketed effectively, with the best possible allocation of funds.