5 Surprisingly Simple Ways to Find Work-Life Balance in 2020
Every time I go on Instagram, I see one or two real estate memes about the real estate pro that works 30 hours a day, 8 days a week. Jokes about Friday not being the final day of the workweek and stuff like that. My theory is that if doctors, lawyers, and accountants can find work-life balance (if they can actually take a weekend off once in a while), why can’t we?
Why do you–the real estate agent–have to work long hours and be expected to answer late-night and Saturday phone calls? Here’s the answer: you don’t. Here are 5 surprisingly simple ways to find work-life balance in 2020:
5 Surprisingly Simple Ways to Find Work-Life Balance in 2020
- Join a gym and go. (‘Go’ is the more important piece of this one.) Commit to a daily or 5 days a week gym routine that incorporates cardio, yoga, and weight training. Go at the same time each day, and make it a mandatory part of your daily schedule which nothing–not even the best listing appointment ever–could compel you to cancel. Some people like to go at 5:00 am, and others, like me, go at 5:30 pm right before dinner. Research shows that afternoon and early evening workouts also help you sleep better. With so many worrisome transactions in your pipeline, who doesn’t want a better sleep cycle?
- Always eat dinner with your family (or your partner). If you have still got kids at home, it is beneficial to their upbringing that they have regular meals with their folks. There’s a ton of research out there to show that kids that have their parents around at night and eat dinner with them tend to be healthier and happier. Hard to believe it but Michelle Obama stated that during the White House years, President Obama always ate dinner with his kids when he was in town. If he could make time, the real estate agent certainly can do the same.
- Set your phone to Do Not Disturb at certain times and on certain days. You do not need to be available to your clients every hour of every day. Try putting your phone on Do Not Disturb at a certain time each evening, and then leaving it on DND until morning. If that is tough for you, start at 9:00 pm and once you get accustomed to it, try moving it to 8:00 pm or 7:00 pm as you get more comfortable. The key is to allow yourself to separate from the constant stress of client communications.
- Get a dog. Of course, if you rent, then, of course, seek the permission of your landlord or property manager first. But a pet provides a meaningful and worthy distraction. Additionally, the right dog can be a great ice breaker for meeting new people and loosening up tough or angry clients or customers. Our dog, Dixie, is our Chief Morale Officer and actually joins us at the office Monday through Thursday, but it’s also great to take breaks with her and play catch or go for a long walk.
Meet Dixie, our Chief Morale Officer
- Take a trip. If you are daring, you can even take a trip where you have limited Internet connectivity. Recently, I did a hike on the Inca Trail and was 100% off the grid for 4 days. This meant that I had zero Internet or phone service. I was very nervous about it but found that I became very engaged in the present instead of having the constant stress and distraction of work. It almost made the trip better, but at the same time made me more attentive to my business when I got home.
If you feel that the constant focus on your real estate business is getting you down, consider these 5 tips to finding better work-life balance in 2020 and beyond.