In my last post, I was worried I was never going to have time off again. I was super busy in a time that most people aren’t in real estate. I’m likely to only get busier (I hope!) and I was worried I would always be sprinting out of my house to show a home that a buyer ultimately wouldn’t go under contract on. This week I have the opposite problem. I’m all caught up! Of course, when you’re a realtor, being all caught up is bad. It means there might not be anything “in the pipeline”. Maybe you have clients under contract (I do) but you don’t have any new clients looking for property. I do have clients looking but there’s not much out there that they’re interested in.
Cartoon woman drinking a cup of coffee and smiling
So, what’s a girl to do? Well, what’s your goal? (We’re going to talk more about this next time). I have two ultimate goals from my career. The first is financial security. I’m tired of worrying about what bill I can pay with each paycheck. It’s been a long time since I worried about whether I’d be able to keep a roof over my head or put food on the table but that has a lot more to do with some luck, good life choices, and privilege than it does with this current career. It’s a relief though. Still, I want to be able to live the life I want to live without stressing too much about finances. I’m off to a great start, but I have a long way to go.
My second goal is work/life balance. Realtors work a lot. More than most people assume. The reality though is that I do have some control over my schedule. Might I have to take a phone call on Sunday afternoon? Yes. But do I also get to take a 3 hour breakfast break after my weekly meeting on Monday morning? Also yes (sometimes). There are times when I have to run out to show a house and come straight home to write a contract but for the most part, I have a good bit of control of when and how I spend my time.
What am I doing with this slower week? I’m working on my own schedule. I’m writing a bunch of blogs (hi!) and scheduling them out so when I do get busy they still get posted. I’m joining a second mls so I can serve my clients better. I’m making sure to snag the leads that come through my lead generators and following up with people I haven’t heard from in a while. Preparing yourself to manage busier weeks will help you manage when things pick back up. For me, this kind of work is self care. Knowing that I can take something off my plate for a couple of weeks is great for my mental health.
You know what else I’m doing? Enjoying a little down time. I know I’ll get busier but I rescheduled my massage twice because I was so busy. I’m keeping the appointment scheduled for this week and I’m looking forward to being able to move my shoulders again. I’m sometimes taking a long break in the morning and sure sometimes that means I’m working into the evening but sometimes I just have a short day. If there’s one thing I’ve learned in over a decade of self employment it’s that relishing the down time is just as important as thriving in busy times. So if you have a seasonal business or just a little slump. Take some time and enjoy it! Take a day off! I promise it’ll be worth it. Time off can help you remember why you’re here in the first place and refocus you so that you’re more effective when you’re back at it. I’ll tell you a secret though: if time off doesn’t do that for you? If it doesn’t double your efficacy? That’s OK too! Enjoy it.