If at the end of the day your task list is the same as it was that morning, then it’s time to take some serious action. This post will explain three powerful strategies for taking back control of your time.
Real estate investors often bemoan the fact that their to-do lists are miles long and they wish they had more time in the day to get all their tasks done. Site visits, seller negotiations, contractor meetings, and property analysis are just a few daily tasks that take time and require major focus. Pile onto that the marketing activities you have to do constantly and the stress can become overbearing. Even though we all have only 24 hours in each day, here are some strategies for working more efficiently so it feels like we’re gaining extra time.
1. Use the Time Blocking Method on Your Calendar
Time blocking simply means assigning a block of time to one particular seller, project, or task. For instance, if you have to load up your virtual assistant with new leads, block that time off on your calendar and focus on that task only. If you need time to anlayze a new batch of wholesales, block time for each one and do them all at once. For instance if you know you can analyze a property in 15-minutes, and you have 3 properties, then block a full hour so you can analyze and get in touch with the wholesaler with a deal or no deal response.
Use Google Calendar to color code your tasks makes it easy to see where you need to be focusing your time. Different time blocks can be color-coded for each task or project.Â
The Multi-Tasking Myth
Forget about the whole idea of multitasking, too; study after study has proven that people are more efficient when they focus on a single project or task at a time.
2. Track Your Hours and Tasks to Determine Your Distractions
Distractions are everywhere, especially if you work in a home office. But even necessary tasks, like reading email can become a distraction. Who hasn’t gotten lost for 20 minutes checking out the Home Depot Pro special offers email?
If you can’t track it, you can’t improve it, so tracking becomes very critical if you want to take your time back. if you find yourself asking, “Where does the day go?” and you’re not sure where you’re losing time or what your distractions are, try using a time tracking app on your phone. Start the timer at the beginning of each task and at the end to see how long it takes you to complete. Even if your mom calls during the day, start the timer. You can see at the end of the day what you accomplished and how much time you spent on these tasks. Then you can tell your mom not to call during business hours and you can save your email distractions for the evening hours, too.
3. Don’t Overestimate How Much You Can Do in One Day
It’s hard not to think we can barrel through our lengthy to-do list in one day. We just want it done so we can start the next day with a clean slate. But we still only have 24 hours in a day so instead of becoming stressed about the tasks, try implementing the 1-3-5 rule.Â
The 1-3-5 Rule
Choose 1 large task and get started on that first thing in the morning. Choose 3 medium-sized tasks and 5 small tasks. As you finish each one, cross it if off your list for a visual representation of your productivity. Try melding this method with the time block method for ultimate productivity.
Bonus Strategy: Get Professional Help
Hire a Virtual Assistant
Delegating your small, mundane, behind-the-scenes-of-your-business tasks to an assistant is another way to gain more time in your day. You can focus on the bigger, money-making tasks while she focuses on the smaller, time-consuming tasks like social media marketing.Â
Put Your Social Media Marketing on Auto-Pilot
REI Social makes it easy for real estate investors to pass their social media off to an assistant. With professionally designed social media posts, you can feel confident that the right message is going out and leads will come in. Take us for a spin for free and take back control of your day