Juggling the Workload
As we reflect on 2007 and strategize for 2008 what started as a joke and clever marketing title — “Power Couple” — has taken a true meaning in our lives.
When we first started in real estate it was a way to supplement our income, work from home, and be available for our four children. A few years later we exceeded our income goals and comfortably work from home, but as our business grew and expanded, we seemed to constantly battle for quality of life and personal time.
So we decided to take a Power Approach and implement strategies that allowed us to enjoy our life beyond real estate. Here’s our guide to having a successful real estate business and a real life at the same time:
- Let go of your “I can do everything” complex. We like to joke that to be in real estate we have to be attention deficit individuals because we have to juggle so many demands and hats. From chauffer, counselor, financial planner, and transaction manager … do we need to go on? We have to stop being all things to everyone else and then giving ourselves nothing. And, we need to stop beating ourselves up about what doesn't get done.
For example, we get up every morning at 6 a.m. to get our pre-teens up and ready for school. At the same time we are unloading and loading laundry, making school lunches, and dealing out breakfast — all within 45 minutes. We don’t have time to worry about if we sent handmade Valentines to school — the generic -rip and insert- cards are just fine. We get done what we can and accept what we can't. After all, in order to excel
and avoid burnout, we’ve learned that some things can wait or be delegated, while others need to be removed from the agenda altogether.
- Give yourself validation. When you’re up all night finalizing a contract or just watching a Judge Judy marathon, you must accept that you may not be as effective the next day. The truth is that this is the reality of your life – some of us work 12-18 hour days in this profession. Each of our dilemmas may be different but the key is to create time just for you, even if it means returning your client calls tomorrow.
- Provide yourself with viable options. Will creating a niche market allow you to focus on an area of expertise and cut down on your nonproductive marketing demands? Will hiring a housekeeper even just twice a month keep you from having to spend your Sunday sanitizing the bathroom and dusting the windowsills? Do you need to streamline your approach to your business to cut down on your workload? No matter what your earning level or years in business we all have options, that if implemented, could assist us with having a rewarding real estate career and more fulfilling life. So give yourself some options — and ask for help when you need it.
This year take our advice: Strive to be a top producer, to break that sales record, and to be a leader in your office. Set the example of what it truly means to be a REALTOR®.
Yes, go for it all, but just remember that awards collect dust, that next year there will be a new kid on the block who wants to be you and your record too will someday be broken.
We are young professionals, so don’t forget to enjoy your youth and make every moment count — in and out of the office!
Melvin and Tiffany Pigee, of Keller Williams Realty, in Augusta, Ga., are a young power couple, who strive to find balance in their hectic lifestyle in raising a family and expanding their business opportunities.
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