The Blog

Do you ever get to the end of your business day, look at the clock, and wonder where the day has gone?

Today, as I write this, it is high noon, and I had planned to get down to business about three hours ago. Where has the time gone? Between taking a few calls, paying a few bills, and solving a few problems, three hours has elapsed. Does this ever happen to you?

Working “On” and “In” Your Business

As real estate professionals, each and every workday needs to include two types of activities: those related to working “on” your business and those where you work “in” your business. That’s an important distinction, which Michael Gerber makes in his book The E-Myth Revisited: Why Some Small Businesses Don’t Work and What to Do About It. Of course, while it would be ideal for the people working “on” the business to be different from those people that work “in” the business, that is just not possible for most real estate businesses. Most real estate agents fly solo.

What Gets You to the Closing Table?

When you work “in” your business, this is the work that you do as a real estate agent in order to get the deals to the closing table. This is you writing and negotiating contracts, attending listing appointments and inspections, and showing properties. This is the technical work that is required to get your deal closed—so that you have the money necessary to work “on” your business.

But sometimes, the work “in” the business takes so much time. You plan to go to the office early, put in a few hours creating content, making calls, and posting a few tidbits on the social media sites, but just as you are driving into the parking lot, the phone rings. It is the buyer’s agent on one of your pending listings. He has arrived with the home inspector at your listing and there is no key in the lockbox. You then spend the next few hours tracking down the key and delivering it to the buyer’s agent.

How many times has some version of this problem happened to you?

Time Management Tips that Produce Positive Results

Time management and real estate may not seem to go hand in hand. But, they really must. If you are going to balance your time between the things that you must do to make fast money and the things that you need to do in order to develop a sales pipeline that withstands the test of time, you’ve got to have balance.

Here are some things that can do right now to avoid falling into the time management Bermuda Triangle:

• Schedule appointments with yourself. How often do you cancel an appointment with your doctor or CPA? Probably, not too often. Well, make those same appointments with yourself, and do not cancel them. When you have important work to do that relates to the long-term sustainability of your business, what does that say about how you value yourself if you are constantly cancelling those appointments?

• Turn key tasks into habits. Set aside a regularly scheduled time for each of your tasks; this is what creates habitual actions. About 12 years ago, I started working from home on Fridays because my kids got out of school early on Fridays and commuting back and forth just didn’t seem feasible. At that time, Fridays become my day to write my blog posts, schedule my email newsletters, and work on my social media and other advertising and marketing projects for the following week. Now, I’ve only got one kid still in school and he’s a senior, but I still stay home on Fridays. My Friday turned from a task into a habit—and it is one that has worked for me for the last 12 years!
• Batch your tasks for fewer interruptions.Instead of switching between calls, emails, follow-ups, and lead nurturing throughout the day, group similar tasks together. For example, dedicate one block for returning phone calls, another for writing offers or transaction updates, and another for prospecting. This reduces mental fatigue and keeps you in the right “mode” for each type of task.
• Protect your prospecting time like gold. Your pipeline depends on consistent prospecting. Block it on your calendar at the same time every day—often mornings are best—and treat it as a non-negotiable appointment. Even just one focused hour per day can dramatically change long-term outcomes.
• Use a “top three” daily focus list. Before your day begins, identify the three most important tasks that will move your business forward. These are your must-dos, regardless of the unexpected fires that pop up. This simple practice keeps you anchored to progress rather than just busyness.
• Plan tomorrow before you leave the office today. Take five minutes at the end of each day to outline your schedule and priorities for the next day. This helps you start fresh and focused instead of scrambling or reacting the moment you sit down.
• Limit your availability with intentional boundaries. Real estate can feel like a 24/7 job, but you can still set healthy communication windows. Let clients know your response expectations (e.g., “I return calls between 1–3 PM”), which keeps you from being pulled away from high-priority work every five minutes.
• Delegate or automate whenever possible. Use automation tools, templates, and routines for repetitive tasks—like email follow-ups, calendar scheduling, or document reminders. And if you have transaction coordinators, virtual assistants, or office support, leverage them fully so you can focus on income-producing activities.
• Track where your time actually goes. For one or two weeks, jot down what you do each hour. Most agents are shocked when they realize how much time disappears into low-value tasks. Tracking gives you clarity on what to cut, delegate, or better structure.
• Build buffer time into every day. Real estate is unpredictable—inspections run long, clients call urgently, contracts need adjusting. Adding a 15–20 minute buffer between major tasks keeps your day flexible instead of immediately falling apart after one unexpected delay.
• Plan your year early to save yourself hours later. One of the most effective time-management strategies for real estate agents is taking the time now to map out the year ahead. When you intentionally reflect on what worked, what didn’t, and where your time was wasted, you can create a clearer roadmap for the months to come. Planning your goals, priorities, and systems in advance eliminates a lot of the day-to-day guesswork that slows you down. Instead of reacting to your schedule, you’re directing it. A thoughtful annual plan helps you stay consistent, track progress more easily, and avoid the constant scramble that drains productivity. Investing a little time upfront gives you far more time back throughout the year—and lets you start strong, focused, and in control.

In the meantime, I’d like to ask you a favor. Starting today, before you go to sleep, ask yourself this question: “If I live every day the way I did today, what kind of future would that create?”

Did you like your answer? If not, maybe it’s time to make a few changes.