Time Management Tips for a Real Estate Agent’s Perfect Day

Time Management Tips & Hour-by-Hour Schedule for an Agent's Perfect Day

One of the benefits of being a real estate agent is the freedom that this business gives you. There’s no time clock to punch or strict hours to abide by. You have the freedom to work whenever and wherever you choose.

This, however, can also be a recipe for disaster. Sleeping ‘til 10 am, a long lunch until 2 in the afternoon, then scrolling through Facebook until 5 pm… before you know it, an entire day has slipped through the cracks and you have nothing to show for it. Can you relate? You’ve heard me say it before, “Routine is the sign of an ambitious individual.”

Routine is what separates the average agent from the top producer. I get asked constantly about what the most important skills are in order to reach success, and to that, I always say the ability to PLAN and EXECUTE.

That’s why today, I’m sharing the hour-by-hour plan for your perfect day. It’s up to YOU to execute. 🙂

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Real estate is a business that is built and maintained by your own practices and work ethic. If you don’t spend time prospecting and developing your database of leads, you won’t have the business to help carry you through the years.

There is no such thing as a static real estate agent schedule, and the tasks you perform might change according to your family, business, and personal needs. Successful real estate agents use a daily schedule and time blocking to ensure their business is successful and stays on task.

5 Rules For Creating Your Perfect Day

RULE #1: Always start with the personal and professional end results

The goal here is to start at the end and work backward. Ask yourself, “What are my real estate goals?” Then SCHEDULE the time to produce the results.

Some of the ways you might answer this question include:

• “I want to make X amount of money to be able to do this full-time.” In this case, your end financial goal determines the number of houses that you need to sell when you consider the average home in the market you’ve selected.
• “I want to have the freedom of schedule to spend more time with my friends and family.” In this case, you have to consider the money you might be potentially leaving on the table, then restrict your real estate agent work hours.
• “I want to build my business by working with X amount of clients” In this case, you should consider what level of prospecting will be needed to meet that level. As you spend more time in the business, you will be able to calculate how many leads you need and gauge where they are in order to make sure your business doesn’t go through any lulls in business.

RULE #2: Do the important stuff first!

These are the things that are really going to move the needle in your business.
So when you’re looking at your day, schedule them for the AM, and when you’re scheduling for the week, plan them for Monday or Tuesday.

There is a stark difference between things you want to do and things you need to do. Oftentimes, new real estate agents will sacrifice their time prospecting to meet with clients and focus on warm relationships that can easily convert into commission. The danger of this is that business is built off of ongoing relationships. You don’t want to risk losing out on a person who’s ready to sell their home because you didn’t communicate often enough with them.

A real estate agent’s daily schedule should take prospecting into consideration and help you stay on task for the things you don’t necessarily want to do but need to do in order to build a healthy business.

RULE #3:  Avoid energy-sucking vampires

There are always going to be people or things that distract you.
The key here is to block out your schedule so that there’s no room for those energy-sucking vampires!

Some situations you might see arise as a result of this mentality, include:

• People who are looking for properties can never seem to find that ‘perfect’ house that checks off every single box they want. Have them drive by properties themselves. Look for the key things they’re looking for and ask them to identify their top properties rather than everything they can find online.
• Watch out for people in your direct sphere who think that real estate agents’ schedules are completely flexible. Oftentimes, this works to undervalue your time because, in their mind, you’re not working and could do what you need to another time. It is really easy for family and friends to fall into this mindset.

Only by keeping to time blocking and regular scheduling can you ensure that your business grows in accordance with your real estate business plan that you crafted when you came into the business.

RULE #4: Do everything in blocks of time!

Instead of trying to multi-task on a million different things, schedule your day in blocks.

Making blocks allows your real estate agent hours to easily be scheduled if need be, while also keeping you on task or specific activities like listing meetings or prospecting. Blocks of time allow you to effectively organize your day and understand what you should be doing, or where you should be, at any specific point in time.

RULE #5: Put it in your schedule

It’s simple if it’s not in your schedule, it doesn’t exist.

A real estate agent’s daily schedule keeps them honest and ready for anything that arises in their day-to-day activities. While some things, like a closing, showing, or listing appointment will always command time — a schedule allows you to move things around to make that happen.

For a successful real estate agent’s daily schedule, there is no such thing as ‘free’ or ‘unaccounted’ time. Everything has a dedicated space in their schedule that ensures they are staying on task.

The Hour-By-Hour Plan for Your Perfect Day

Below is a sample of how to prioritize tasks and set a real estate agent's daily schedule. Of course in the real estate industry, things are constantly changing based on business and personal needs, but overall this can be used as a guide for how an ideal day might go. Real estate agents should treat their business as a job and not a hobby – meaning that it is critical to put in the work to achieve the level of results they expect.

While one perk of being a real estate agent is the flexibility of schedule, it’s important to note that this doesn’t mean eliminating practices that will make your business successful. Being able to adjust and prioritize your own real estate agent schedule will help make your business the most successful that it can be.

5:00 AM – 6:00 AM: Wake-up + Gym + Nutrition
Use this time to fuel your body and energize yourself for the busy day ahead! Eating right and spending time preparing for your day will ensure that you are well equipped for whatever plans are scheduled.

6:00 AM – 8:00 AM: Morning Routine + Get Ready
Set yourself up to be in a peak mental state – this is crucial to reaching your goals. If you don’t have a morning routine, I recommend reading The Miracle Morning by Hal Elrod. My morning recommendations: prayer, meditation, visualization, audiobooks, gratitude, journaling, affirmations, etc. Additionally, you can’t forget your personal responsibilities. This might include things like taking the trash out, walking the dog, taking your children to school, and cleaning up around the house.

8:00 AM – 9:00 AM: Prep + Review
Connect with your assistant (or sit down with your calendar) and go over your objectives and outcomes for the day. Review the hot sheets to keep your finger on the pulse of the market. Do some role-playing to enhance your negotiations skills, your conversion scripts, or your objection handlers. Create and execute your social media marketing plan.  Click here for a free social media marketing calendar for realtors.

Spend some time checking your email and engaging in responses where they are needed. Make sure that you have everything that you could possibly need in making yourself productive for that day.

9:00 AM – 10:30 AM: Appointment Setting
No distractions, just 90 minutes straight of prospecting and appointment setting (DO NOT SKIP THIS!). 

When time gets short, or we find that we have enough appointments to keep us busy, we always tend to cut from appointment setting and prospecting. The danger here is that prospecting keeps your business alive. A real estate agent’s schedule might seem complex when you consider that some tasks are non-negotiable. Making sure you always have an influx of leads is not something you can skip out on.

10:30 AM – 11:00 AM: Break
Take a brisk walk to mentally recharge before your next tasks. Take a minute to call someone in your family, scroll social media, or just relax.

11:00 AM – 12:00 PM: Lunch + Prep
Prepare your hot sheets and plan for your afternoon appointments. A great practice to get into is watching Ted Talks or some other form of education while you’re eating your lunch. This will keep you occupied and also make the most of your time consequently

12:00 PM – 4:30 PM: Appointments + Listing Presentations
Use this 3.5 hour block to schedule in three 90-minute appointments or listing presentations. If you’re a new agent and don’t have 3 daily appointments or presentations booked, use this time for additional prospecting and appointment setting time.
Work your face off so that you can go home at a decent hour and be present with your loved ones!

4:30 PM – 5:00 PM: Daily Wrap-Up
Close up the day and identify what you accomplished and what your goals are for tomorrow.

5:00 PM – 7:00 PM: Home + Dinner + Family Time
Work/Life balance is so important. If you want it to happen … you’ve got to schedule it in, just like everything else in your day! Stay present and enjoy a good meal with the ones you love. Real estate agent work hours are something you should enforce to make sure that you can have balance in your life and that of your family.

7:00 PM – 9:00 PM: Personal Time

Use the final hours of your day to hang out with your significant other, read an enjoyable book, or focus on a favorite hobby.

9:00 PM – 5:00 AM: Sleep

Rest and recharge for an action-packed day tomorrow.

Your perfect business starts with your Perfect Day.

Leave a comment below with what you PLAN to EXECUTE in your daily routine!

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