Change is coming to communities across Washington State. Do you need guidance about what middle housing means for your buyers and sellers? Middle Housing - duplexes, triplexes, cottages, ADUs, and increased density - is already impacting what can be built on a property. Knowing where, what, and when these changes are coming to your community will be critically important. The Middle Housing Resource Center, will be chock-full of videos, resources, and more, all designed to help you become an essential expert to your clients.
Club Zebra Members receive a 30% discount during checkout.
I just returned from a week where I did nothing. Have you ever had one of those weeks? I bet it's been a while, right?
Well, I have news for you: You CAN have weeks like this. Not only that, you SHOULD have weeks like this. In fact, you should PLAN to have weeks like this.
I'm tired of hearing "productivity gurus" talk about how to fill up every last minute of your week with a work task. Personally, I think that's the recipe for a heart attack.
The most productive real estate agents I have known over the last twenty years are actually the ones who take the MOST time off.
That's right. You read that correctly. It's a fact. Vacation is one of the most important keys to success in anything.
Yet, most agents I talk to don't take enough vacation. Instead, they give me every excuse in the book as to why vacation is just not an option for them.
Now, I'm not talking about getting on an airplane and touring the world. When I use the term "time off", I refer to days where you don't have to get up in the morning, get dressed, do paperwork, or worry about anything work-related.
In real estate, it's even more important to take vacation because agents are always "ON", or expected to be "ON". As an agent, there's a false belief out there that you are supposed to sit by your phone 24/7 waiting for it to ring-and when it does, you'd better be ready to drop everything and go.
I know. I've been there.
This crazy lifestyle is precisely the reason WHY you need to schedule time off. You cannot always be on-call. It's not human. You need to schedule times where that phone gets turned off-so you can remain human.
Here are my favorite reasons for you to embrace the power of vacation:
When you never take time off, you naturally start to operate at a lower level. The more you work, the more you begin to "burn out".
If you don't have regular time off, I guarantee that your productivity is only at about 70% of your true potential. I know agents who work so much that their levels are even lower.
This is because your body naturally gets tired. Your mind becomes exhausted. It's normal.
When you take time off, you rest your body and mind so that both may recharge. When you come back, you are rested and ENTHUSED about getting back to your work.
Ever had a problem to which you just couldn't find the solution? You racked your brain for what seemed like forever, but you just couldn't crack the code on what to do.
Maybe you became distracted and went to focus on something else for a while. Then, suddenly the solution to the problem pops in your head with a big spotlight on it.
I'm willing to bet you've had this experience. We all have. This is another one of the great things about time off. It gives you the ability to step away from your work so that you can look at it from a distance.
By doing so, you may see solutions that were oblivious to you because you were too close to the problem. In order to be effective, the brain needs to relax-and time off is a great way to do so.
There is nothing as powerful as vacation preparation to help get your life organized.
Right before we go on vacation, what do we do? We clean our house, organize everything, and neaten up. If we hadn't been going on vacation, we may have put such tasks off until later.
That's another reason why I love vacation. I spend the time getting everything cleaned up. When I return from vacation, I'm not only well-rested and recharged-but I'm also re-organized.
Vacation is critical not just for you, but for the people around you. Your family, friends, and co-workers deserve a well-rested YOU. If you're too stressed to be there for the people who you care about, then your quality of life will suffer.
I've seen it happen over and over again. I advise an agent to start scheduling regular vacations and he or she soon begins to make more money. It sounds loony, but it's very true.
I proved it in my own brokerage years ago. I called it my "Mandatory Vacation Program". I told my agents to not answer their phone under any circumstances while they were away for a set period of time. I told them to give their business to someone else to handle while they're gone.
When they came back, they were fireballs of energy. They got more done in a week than they got done in a usual month.
Today, schedule a vacation. Seriously. Get a calendar right now. Quick - before the phone rings!
Now, pick a week, circle it, and plan on being 100% unavailable during that time period. Can't do a week right now? Fine. Then, pick a long weekend. Something. Anything.
You need to do this for yourself. You need time to rest, rejuvenate, and re-energize. Plan a vacation today and reap the rewards of a clear head, a positive outlook, and a stuffed bank account.