Ah, the life of a REALTOR®. Being your own boss is the best, right?
That’s what we all thought before reality set in, and we realized that everyone needs a boss, whether your boss is the proverbial Bill Lumbergh or you.
It turns out that being your own boss is hard.
I mean, let’s face it. If you don’t listen to your boss, those TPS reports will never get done! 🧑💼
But seriously, what about all those projects like revising your listing presentation, updating your website, or cleaning up your database?
Those things have been on your to-do list for how long now?
The hardest part about being your own boss is doing the stuff that doesn’t have an immediate pay-off.
Like fixing your website, for example.
You know you need to do it. You know there’ll be a massive payoff when you finally get it done.
(If you don’t know this, read The HUB of Your Marketing and WHY it Sucks)
You’ve got a pile of other projects to get done too, but there are always a hundred other things that need your immediate attention, so guess what?
The big stuff never gets done. 😔
Hey, I’m not trying to make you feel bad!
If you’re a good REALTOR®, you’ve probably trained yourself to be a “rapid responder,” which is a good thing.
But reacting to whatever is going on 100% of the time and devoting 0% of your time to work on larger projects (without distraction) is a bad thing.
You need to find the balance between being a “rapid responder” (good) and “getting stuff done” (also good). 😎
It’s not uncommon to be a good REALTOR® and a lousy boss of yourself.
The problem is if you want to be a GREAT REALTOR®, it’s necessary to be a GREAT boss, too.
If you’re a lousy boss of yourself, the first step is to admit it. You don’t have to go to a meeting or anything. Just repeat after me:
“I’m a lousy boss of myself.”
Say it out loud.
Congratulations! That’s the first step. You’re on the road to recovery! 😂
The second step is to learn and implement some basic organizational skills.
To get started on this, it’s helpful for many agents to have an accountability partner.
This could be another agent in your office or a friend from another office.
Consult ‘The Google’ for best practices on choosing a partner and structuring your meetings, but here are my top two rules, which I learned from the experience of doing the opposite.
#1. Whether you’re meeting in-person, over Zoom, or on the phone, always follow a strict agenda.
Start on time, end on time, and know what you’re going to talk about before you start.
#2. Don’t allow your meeting deteriorate into a BS session.
You can schedule a BS section as part of your meeting if you want, at the end. But it’s business first. Follow the agenda. 🤓
Once you’ve got a partner, the two of you will need to learn some skills about how to be more productive, beyond just forcing yourself.
“OK, we’re both going to have new websites before next Monday!”
That’s just setting yourself up for a relapse. You’ll be ‘Lousy-Bossing’ again before you know it.
Instead, why not set your first goal with each other as something like this?
“Let’s both explore a different productivity idea, implement it, and discuss it at our next meeting.”
One step at a time, my friends. You can do this.
This article was inspired by module #2 – Getting Stuff Done – part of the Agent Skills Master’s Program.
In the ‘Getting Stuff Done’ module, I explain step-by-step how to use ‘Rules and Routines’ and ‘Appointments with Yourself’ to massively increase your productivity, minimize distractions, and find the right balance between being a rapid responder (good) and getting stuff done (also good).
Here’s another article inspired by the same module: How to Be the Boss of Yourself
