3 Min Read
Did you know that 46 percent of working Americans say their job demands interfere with their family life “sometimes or often”?
Agents know firsthand the 
difficulty of maintaining a healthy work/life balance. With technology like smartphones, teleconferencing, mobile access to email, websites and more – clients and prospects can reach you around the clock.
Sure, this may create a challenge for maintaining work/life priorities as an Agent, but there’s also an upside. Most real estate agents have the flexibility and control to set their own work hours. This means even though you may be available to prospects or clients at off hours, you have the ability to determine when those hours might be.
With that in mind, think about some of these work/life balance tips that can help you have a healthy equilibrium between your career and your home life.
Set boundaries and make them known to your clients and prospects.
You have the power to step away from work when you’re ready to. You also have the power to make your clients and prospects aware of when that might be. If your schedule permits you to be available to clients until, for example, 6:00 p.m. on weekdays, display that information prominently on your Agent website, in your email signature, in your voicemail or even in your direct mail pieces (if applicable.) Let them know that you can be flexible when needed, but remember that it’s okay to put a timeframe on your work availability.
Identify the signs of burnout.
We’ve all experienced burnout from our careers at some point in time. By following the tip above, you can hopefully avoid becoming burnt out from your day-to-day job. If you don’t, however, you may start to feel physically, mentally or emotionally exhausted. Ask yourself these questions: Do you have trouble getting started when you know you should be working? Do you lack energy to be consistently productive? Have you become irritable or inpatient with clients, prospects or coworkers? Answering yes to these questions could mean you’re burnt out and need to take a break.
Schedule offline time every day.
At the end of your workday, vow to yourself that you will shut down your devices – completely – for a certain period of time. This means no work email, no smartphone usage, no client communication. Even if it’s only for thirty minutes each day, it’s still a chance to unwind, spend quality time with family or friends and not think about work.
Aim for less activity and more achievement.
Agents are always busy, especially if they’re trying to market themselves on a regular basis. You may feel disorganized and need someone or something to help you. You may spend too much time on small activities that don’t bring in referrals and don’t ultimately generate business and money. If this sounds like you, it’s time to focus on the “less is more” approach. First step: find a solution to take away some of your busyness so you can focus on more influential tasks, like communicating with prospects and showing homes. Try automating as many tasks as possible, like drip emails, reminders, and activity plans with the help of your real estate crm. An example of a solution could be a CRM like IXACT Contact, which keeps all of your transactions organized. It’s just one less thing for you to worry about.
Achieving the perfect work/life balance is no easy feat, especially for real estate agents. But it is possible.