Real estate professionals face unique challenges in balancing their personal and professional lives, given the industry’s demanding nature. We gathered insights from real estate agents and founders on how to maintain a healthy work-life balance. From scheduling personal priorities to planning for productivity and well-being, discover the top five strategies these experts recommend. How do real estate agents maintain a healthy work-life balance?
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- Schedule Personal Priorities
- Set Boundaries and Delegate
- Incorporate Daily Self-Care
- Focus on Integrating Life’s Different Aspects
- Plan for Productivity and Well-being
Schedule Personal Priorities
I make sure to schedule the things I absolutely need to do early, like working out, morning affirmations, devotionals, etc. I also take at least one to two days off a week to go ride my horses, care for them, and do things for myself.
Maintaining a healthy mind is crucial in this industry because if you aren’t your best self, you won’t perform your best. I live by my Google Calendar. I don’t just schedule my work stuff; I schedule my personal life stuff in there too. Also, give yourself grace, as we are in one of the toughest industries in the world.
Erin Foehlinger, Real Estate Agent, The Blair Group
Set Boundaries and Delegate
For me, maintaining healthy personal relationships is key to managing the intense demands of the real estate industry. This is a field where you need to be constantly available—real estate transactions don’t stop. If I plan to take some time off, it’s crucial that I set clear boundaries, have efficient systems, and support from a team due to the almost 24/7 demands of my job.
In my practice, I manage this by delegating tasks that don’t require my direct involvement. I’ve developed strategies to attract my ideal clients around the clock, which means I don’t need to resort to cold-calling, door-knocking, or spending every weekend at open houses.
I use automation to handle communications with potential leads and have a small team that helps distribute my content, which increases my visibility. I also schedule blocks of time on my calendar that are reserved for family, during which I don’t take any calls. These steps give you a glimpse into how I manage my work-life balance.
Michael E. Farah, Founder, Realtor and Real Estate Attorney, The Farah Law Firm, P.C.
Incorporate Daily Self-Care
While it is hard to practice self-care and maintain a healthy work-life balance, I have realized that it is the small, simple things in day-to-day life that can be easily incorporated into my daily routines and help me stay focused and balanced.
I try to start my day by just looking at texts while I am having my coffee and getting started, then looking at emails when I open up my computer. This way, I get a chance to respond to personal messages before the business side starts.
At the end of my day, I have made it a habit to write in my daily gratitude journal and do a little bit of reading before bed to take my mind off the hustle and bustle the day may have created and set myself up for restful sleep. I include meditations as well as Pilates several times a week. Self-care starts with the little steps!
Yvette Uhlmann, Realtor and Tour Manager
Focus on Integrating Life’s Different Aspects
As a real estate agent, each time I hear the word “work-life balance”, it’s never about balancing the mix, but always about adding more life. It’s about making sure that I have the time to play golf with my husband on weekends, have dinner with my family, hang out with my buddies, it’s about blending childcare with career advancement.
My way of maintaining a healthy work-life balance in the real estate industry, a field with high demands and irregular hours might be a bit unconventional but I like to think of it as blending work and life rather than balancing it. I live by my favorite quote “True happiness is when you don’t see a big difference between work and fun”.
I have managed to blur the boundary between work and life upon the realization that work is not separate to life but an inherent part of it. The desire to balance work and life made it a bit complicated to me as I saw them as two major different entities and I had trouble balancing them. This continued until I started seeing them as two things that go hand in hand.
My best practice for managing my time and well-being is less about finding a balance, it’s more about finding an integration across the different aspects of life to keep myself challenged and fulfilled. This entails ensuring I earn enough money, spend quality time with family, friends and alone, eat healthy and stay fit, embracing new experiences and taking time off to relax.
Rinal Patel, Founder, Webuyphillyhomes
Plan for Productivity and Well-being
While real estate offers flexible scheduling, it doesn’t necessarily mean fewer working hours. That is why maintaining a healthy work-life balance requires careful planning and dedication. One approach that has proven effective for me is structuring my day to maximize productivity while still prioritizing my well-being.
I typically wake up at 7:00 a.m. and meditate for an hour to start my day with a clear, calm, and thankful mind. When it comes to work, I establish a schedule and commit to it as much as possible. This routine allows me to focus more effectively on my tasks while ensuring time for other aspects of my life, such as spending quality moments with my family and pursuing hobbies. Then I end the day with a workout session and a healthy meal, and go to bed relatively early.
Setting clear boundaries for work hours and making time for self-care requires discipline, but thanks to this commitment, I can excel both professionally and personally.
Zev Freidus, Founder, ZFC Real Estate