The messages you hear about how you “should” be working your real estate business have some pretty hard core scheduling tips. Never miss a Monday, do your miracle mornings, ALWAYS spend 8-12 on Tuesday lead generating, etc, etc. When the real estate gurus tell you to time block and have a set schedule do you just roll your eyes? In this episode we are taking an honest look at scheduling for a real estate career plus your LIFE. Can you truly separate work life and personal or mom life? How do you take a day off? When do you get your database work done when something(or someone) is always interrupting? It’s time to tackle all things scheduling and find out if we really can navigate showings, inspections, marketing, database work, social media, groceries, doctors appointments, kid activities and more without certain burnout!
Leave us a review at RateThisPodcast.com/HustleHumbly
Get your FREE Database Template
Submit your topic ideas and toasts to Hello@HutleHumblyPodcast.com.
The following is a rough transcript provided by Otter.ai.
Alissa 0:01
rah rah, this is the only way you gotta do it this way and color coded.
Katy 0:10
I think that if you fill up your whole calendar, you’re going to constantly be having to dump something when something urgent comes up, and that thing won’t get done now.
Alissa 0:19
Okay, Katie, we’re gonna change that one realtor at a time here and hustle humbly
Katy 0:26
all these things that are so important in society before and then they started to work and but they weren’t taking anything away. They didn’t take anything away. Yeah.
Alissa 0:36
Hi, y’all. Welcome to hustle humbly. It’s Alyssa and Katie. And we are two top producing realtors in the Baton Rouge market.
Katy 0:42
We work for two different companies where we should be competitors. But we have chosen community over competition.
Alissa 0:47
The goal of our podcasts is to encourage you to find your own way in business to stop
Katy 0:51
comparing yourself and start embracing your strengths. Hi, Alyssa, Katie. How are you today? Great. It’s episode 212. Okay, and working to time block for or against? Or is time blocking even possible in real estate? Yeah.
Alissa 1:09
How do you make your schedule?
Katy 1:10
How do you make your schedule? What
Alissa 1:12
am I supposed to be doing?
Katy 1:13
Right? That’s what we’re going to tackle today. And we just had an episode on routines. Not long, maybe last episode. We’re not doing routines again. No, not routine? No. But we’re going to talk about scheduling and sort of getting through a real estate schedule. Yeah. Also, we got a really great message that spawned the idea for this episode. And we have to show you to our friends on the on the on the video. Look at the size of the emoji.
Alissa 1:42
In all fairness, they did not look that way in the email. But when we printed the email, they’re like, like, really big, it was my first time to see an emoji that large.
Katy 1:52
I mean, they took up like 10 lines of text anywho we’re not going to share the person’s name. But we are going to share some of this email. So I’m just gonna start with this. Basically, they are asking us how to schedule out your week, like what the heck am I supposed to be doing with my time? How do I block it out in the best, most effective ways between 830 to 315? When the kids get home and I have to start dinner and homework and all the things um, she also mentioned that she was seeing a lot of industry hype around. You gotta block this out. Yes. So this many hours, right? Yeah, I’ve she was getting live, she was getting like,
Alissa 2:33
rah, rah, this is the only way you gotta do with this way. And color code it.
Katy 2:41
Tell me your thoughts on time blocking, like, you keep saying color coding. So I want to hear what your what is your mind picture,
Alissa 2:46
I picture color coding, like the green highlight means you’re making money and the whatever pink highlight means you’re with your loved ones and your friends and family. I’ve sat through many educational classes on scheduling and time blocking, where they talk about, you know, color coding your schedule, and like blocking off pieces of time and things like that. And it never worked for me,
Katy 3:14
well, let’s just talk about the term in itself block like you’re blocking out when you’re in real estate or you’re a mom, you can’t just block out some of the things are going to come and you’re going to have to address them. Yes, I am always a little bit jealous of people in careers that are like, Oh, I always, always do X on Tuesday morning from nine to 11. I always this and there will be some realtors that will argue well, I always make calls Tuesday from nine to 11. Always always. But you can’t block everything out. Right? Especially if you’re a mom because we are going to get this message did get a little into how do I handle this with my children. Like I’m not just a realtor 24/7 I’m also a mom and I have a life outside of that. You can’t block everything out right as hard as you might try.
Alissa 4:07
So I have found for myself, I am the type of person and it took me honestly a long time to realize this. Probably her podcast therapy has me probably recognize this and myself, especially when we get to talking about Dawn is better than perfect. But in any area of life, whether it’s like business or health. If I set an absolute the second that I falter. You give it all I give it up. Yeah, I am just kidding myself. Like I’ll start again next week. I’m not gonna I was having a hard time with the absolutes. I think that’s why it took me so long to do a newsletter because I thought it’s a monthly newsletter. If it doesn’t go out on the first of every month, then I have failed and if I can’t commit to that, then I don’t need to be doing it. And now it’s like I have one and I only do it when I feel inspired or how have something valuable to share fair. And so same thing totally functional? Yes. Same thing with this, I think it’s fine to have certain amount of times where you’re trying to get things accomplished. But the reason that I was having trouble with it is that no day was the same, right? Whether it be real estate, whether it be a call from school, the kids are sick, whether it be whatever. I could never have, like the perfect week. And so it was a frustration for me, right? Because it was never fulfilled. Yeah. So I had to keep it a lot looser.
Katy 5:39
Well, I think the problem is that you can’t get stuck on the structure of your week, what I think you are, and in a way, the term and the theory of time blocking could kind of work in that. Why don’t we pick the things we know we have to do every week, and let them be these floating blocks. And then we kind of see how things go. But we try to get them in somewhere along that week. Like I can’t say Tuesday morning, from nine to 11. I can reach out to my database, because maybe Tuesday at 10am. I have an inspection. Sure. So why can’t I just have a floating block that says, Yeah, two hours of database reach out, right? And then I just try to get because I think the problem is, when we don’t pin it down to a specific day and time, then we just don’t do it. Yes. So how can we make this work? How do you make it work? Like, do you know what you have to do every week? And you kind of just let it fall where it may?
Alissa 6:36
I mean, not necessarily. There’s a few things that I know I go to, okay. Every Monday I have our Monday morning meeting. Monday morning. I dropped the kids off a little bit earlier, like maybe more like 745 instead of 815. And I do get to my office earlier before anybody’s there like maybe around eight. And I have an hour before the Monday morning meeting because I need to open my laptop because I probably haven’t opened it much that weekend. Yeah. Or I’ve been snoozing things till Monday morning. So that I will say that that is one thing that has been able to stay pretty consistent. That’s just what I do on Monday mornings, I go through emails for an hour do the Monday morning meeting, and then I schedule whatever appointments I need. Yeah. I think what I have done that makes it work for me is that I do try to leave a lot of space. Okay, good. That was in my notes. I just don’t we call this a whitespace. Yes, I just don’t overschedule. Right, ever, like I always try to keep these these big gaps. So if something comes up, I’m not frustrated. It also allows
Katy 7:48
for you if something comes up mentally or health wise, you have, you know what, I just can’t deal with this today, I need to take a break. Yeah, have you have the space in there for you personally, or for you professionally, it’s just space. I think that if you fill up your whole calendar, like every single bit of it, you’re going to constantly be having to dump something when something urgent comes up, and that thing won’t get done now. So like if you filled every minute in and then you had something Oh, a new buyer comes in, you need to do a showing, well, something had to get thrown off the list, right? And then you’re frustrated because you didn’t get it done, or you never come back to it. And like people
Alissa 8:25
are like, but what about lead gen?
Katy 8:28
I’m sorry, God, how does that lead gen.
Alissa 8:32
For example, if I have 10 minutes before showing starts when my clients not there yet, I’ll get out my phone and go through my database, right comment on some Facebook posts that are my friends like to communicate with the people that I want to communicate, because you’re
Katy 8:47
not putting so much pressure on that period of time to be perfect. So you’re like, Well, I have 10 minutes here on instead of scrolling. I’m going to do like my database contacts. Whereas someone else might be thinking, like I can say, I’ve fallen victim to this thought process. But I need to get the spreadsheet out, make sure everyone’s updated. Get everything right in my office, make sure there’s nothing outstanding that I need to be doing. And then I’m going to contact the database for one hour, right? Well, that is a lie. You’re telling yourself, just go to the showing and realize that you have five minutes and be like, Oh, let me pop onto Facebook and see who the birthdays are today and reach out to these people.
Alissa 9:24
Right. So I struggled with that too. Like if I couldn’t start and complete something I did not even want to start it right. And it did help me change my mindset thinking of it as I have 10 minutes. I wonder how many people I can get through in my database made it into a competition with Yeah, yeah. Like, how much can I do? And it’s amazing. If you have all these little 10 minute gaps. They come together and you’ve had an hour of productivity sprinkled throughout your day and you didn’t even realize it.
Katy 9:54
Right? You got so much done. A lot of times I do those posts that it’s like what I did today at the end of the day, how did you get so much debt? I’m like, because when I take all these things apart, none of them took that long. But you, you have to use some part of your day to be efficient. Okay, I want to remind everyone that we did have an episode number 188, about task frequency. So when you’re trying to decide what are the things that I want to do every week, however, I’m going to end up scheduling that, what are they not every single thing in your business you do every week, you don’t plan to send out a mailer to your whole database every week, you don’t like there’s some things that are going to be quarterly or, you know, monthly or yearly. So check out that episode, because it’ll give you some like frequency stuff. So you know, what’s daily and weekly?
Alissa 10:43
I think I also just like to stay on top of things as they come in. Yeah. So that it’s never this huge overhaul, right? If I can stay on top of my email as much as I can. I mean, there are certainly days where it gets busier. But even a clean out like that, like a big clean out would take maybe 45 minutes, right? So it’s like, whereas if you’re if I’m constantly just checking it periodically, and doing what like after closing, do it closing that transaction out, instead of waiting till there’s eight that I need to write don’t wait till there’s eight, right? I mean, it’s just I don’t know, I just feel like it’s so simple, but we try to overcomplicate it,
Katy 11:24
we definitely try to overcomplicate it, I think it’s simple for you to because you’ve removed as much fluff as you can, like, where are things that are maybe not necessary, and then we just get done what we have to get done. Some weeks, you might have time to go to the office meeting. And some weeks, you just might not. Right, right. Okay, what are some of the things though, that you feel like you need to do every week? I mean, as far as I think your database has to be in there somewhere. And then your transaction management is going to happen? Sure. The better you plan for that hour, the easier the rest of your week is, instead of me having to do one little task at a time. Why can’t I just take an hour on Monday or an hour on Friday and check on all the transactions and make sure they have everything they need?
Alissa 12:07
I also will just make some calls while I’m in the car. Yeah, so I can be hands free, put them on speaker and we just chat. I just recently, I have a some sellers right now. And their house is having a very hard time selling and she has been such a delight. The husband is so stressed out. It’s it’s just been really sad. And so we had another disc that we had to offer that had a lot of buildup. And then when it finally came, it was so terrible. I was embarrassed to even present it. But I did and it just, you know, made everybody mad and sad. Right. So the next day, I was feeling like, I need to call because I feel awkward. Yeah. And I feel like, I don’t want them thinking. I’m not there. Like I just knew I did not want to call right. Did not want to call. But I was driving and I was like just call. So I called and she answered and I was like hey, what are you doing? And she said, Uh huh. I’m just kind of trying to pack up the closet and just continue the process. Yeah, you know, I said, Well, I was just calling to check on you. I know, yesterday was a really hard day. Right? And she just talked Yeah. And we talked for like 15 minutes. Not about any big game plan or what, you know, it was just a good conversation. And I ended it with I know, I have been so disappointed too. And I just wanted to let you know, I’m here for you. Right. And after we got off the phone, I was thinking that that was that was a, I really needed to do that. But sometimes when I’m in that situation where you need to make the call and you don’t want to, I get it, I get like you where I’m like, I need to be at my desk, right? I need to be mentally prepared in this. But it’s more the more I overthink it right? The longer it’s going to take, the more painful it’s going to be and then it just doesn’t happen at
Katy 14:00
all. Just do it. Just Just do it. Just like That’s right. That will be so don’t worry about time blocking it, just do it. We’ll just do it when the mood strikes. Yeah, there are a couple of other things I think you could plan when you’re doing your weekly plan. And one most importantly is your off day. You have to pick it the week before probably you can’t wait to the week up and pick it and then your office day. So in some ways, I feel like Office day to me allows you to get a second day off, if you will. Sure you could be in your pajamas in your office working although I think you’d be better off in shoes as we’ve said before, but I do think that knowing that you’re not going to have to go out on appointments and you’ve protected that day kind of gives you that second off day in a way you know make like you maybe you’re gonna go do your laundry while you’re doing your office work right? If you’re not taking two days off when also I still cannot believe that it is just commonplace that real Do not take two days off. And no, it is not even something people blink at
Alissa 15:04
Katie, we’re going to change that one realtor at a time.
Katy 15:09
seems insane to me. Because we have to work on a weekend or you know, our schedule is kind of like all over the place, that we also don’t think we deserve two full days off.
Alissa 15:22
I know. And I will say when I was a newer agent, and I had just gotten married, and you know, Tanner was in law enforcement. So he was working a lot. And at that time, I was new, so I didn’t need a day off. Because I had plenty of days off. I had nothing to do. I was figuring it out. We’d like guilt work. Yes. I felt like an even when I got super busy and started implementing a day off mid week because I was working so much on the weekends. Yeah, it felt very foreign. Almost like I would be embarrassed if someone found out that you I wasn’t dressed today. Yeah, on a Wednesday, right. But then I’m like, but like these are working on the weekend.
Katy 16:03
Like, if you took a job, and your boss told you, great, your salary is going to be x and you get one day off a week, you will be like, oh, hold up, right one one day, or what they said, no days off, you have to work a portion of every single day, you’d be like, well, this is not for me, I have to have some days off. You are your own boss. If you don’t give yourself a day off, you’re not a very good boss.
Alissa 16:29
And it goes back to if you hired you to run your business. Would you fire you?
Katy 16:34
It should be ridiculous to us that we don’t take off two days, at least. It should just be like, well, this can’t be okay. And we’ve talked a lot about because obviously, this is more like how do we make our flexible schedule work for us? Yes, sometimes I feel like I need a couple of half days. And I have to work a little on a lot of days. But I always still feel like one day off is a requirement. Sure. Okay, so when you’re planning your week, you get yourself a day off. I also really like to plan for a weekly shutdown or some type of Friday shutdown. And we’ve talked about this one, the routines episode, we’ve talked about it on the task frequency episode. But I want to try and make my mind understand that the weekend is not work unless it is an appointment I have to go to out of the house. It is not for coming into my office. But wait for it. I have a little hut tip for you. Okay, if you’re having trouble getting things done, and things are breaking in, and you’re not like getting your admin done the way you want to, just for one time, try Saturday morning office hours, like an hour or two. Nobody bothers you on Saturday morning. Your family doesn’t really want to have anything to do with you. I mean, unless you have tiny children and then you say a little kids may. No one is typically reaching out to you for work related things. Not your lender, your title up No, no, that’s happening. But Saturday morning, you can knock out some pretty good focus time, if you need to do some admin or office work or clean out your email or one of these things when everyone else is sort of like
Alissa 18:06
quiet. I have not done open houses since before COVID. Okay. I don’t know that I’m going to get back into them either. Okay, but not all the kids are this little. But when I think about how productive I was on those during that time, like when Monday came, I didn’t need to get to the office hour early. Because I had my laptop. I had two hours alone in a house. I was cleaning out email. If someone came in, I greeted them. We did the tour and then they left and I went back to my email and just I was so productive for that two hours to myself. Yeah, I was in work mode because I was dressed and out of my house. And sometimes I do miss that special time I had with myself. I bet you do. But um, you know, again, if you do open house and when nobody’s coming, you’re sitting there scrolling, you know, you’ve just wasted a lot of time
Katy 19:02
waste so much time we spend a lot of time being wasted. Okay, do you want to hear the bottom of this message which cracked me up so much. I was surprised you were going to read it. I’m not going to read it read it again. It’s gonna cover like how we’re gonna make a little shift in our minds. And this is basically the other part of this person’s question. It wasn’t just how do you structure your week, but how do you mix mom and work life? And she said, Just curious, who’s doing all the grocery shopping, making your meals dropping off and picking up kids taking them to all the appointments and practices and making sure they have all their back to school supplies in order and helping them get their homework done every night while also tending to their tween drama, hormonal craziness, and thinking about what upcoming birthday parties and presents are needed and hosting playdates and sleepovers and keeping the house clean and thinking ahead to which in laws in logical visit for the holidays and what to get everyone for Christmas and
Alissa 19:54
you get my point.
Katy 19:57
You get my point. And I get your point for So much yeah, to get your point read this article once that was like such a lightbulb moment for me. It was all about kin keeping.
Alissa 20:09
Have we talked about this? Oh, can
Katy 20:10
I keep being kin like your kin k i? And I guess it’s like your kindred like your peoples? Yeah. Like your family or your friends. Yes, timekeeping is all of the work associated with all the things you just listed. Getting the birthday presents, getting the Christmas presents, planning for family vacations, planning for family travel, you know, checking on your sick relatives, like, all the things that are part of being alive and having humans in your sphere, right? And you’re in your like, core. Okay, how do we get like, you got to put the birthday party in the calendar, you have to figure out who’s taking your kid there, you have to get a birthday present, like all the things right? Can keeping and that that takes up so much mental energy it does. And oftentimes, and that thing always, but oftentimes falls to the mom. Sure, right? Or the female in the relationship, even to people without children. It was it was standard for the female to be doing all the kin keeping, because I guess part of that theory was previous to most women working, they were in the home and that was the biggest part of their job right, keeping the household keeping the children doing all this kin keeping taking care of the elderly taking errands, right? Yeah, right volunteer like all these things that are so important in society before and then they started to work and but they weren’t
Alissa 21:31
taking anything away. They
Katy 21:33
didn’t take anything away. Yeah, they just really Hey, you can also work go supermom, yeah, go win. Now. I’m gonna go on a real tangent. Oh, gosh, now they’re selling mom juice. Did I tell you this? No. Like a seltzer like an alcoholic beverage that is actually called mom juice. Okay, not sponsored because I’m livid. It is just but your you know, I guess they’re like, Haha, the big meme now is like the mom with the wineglass that’s big enough to like the whole bottle of wine, right? Like, you’re not funny.
Alissa 22:06
It’s like we’re laughing because if not, we all cry,
Katy 22:09
right? Because they’re trying to keep up with a full time job. And all this other stuff that takes up all this mental space. And they’re afraid to say they need help, because they’re trying to be super super, super wife super real to her. Yeah, I don’t know what kind of super you’re trying to be, but just don’t. Yeah. I just, um, we need to give ourselves grace. And then we need to ask for help. So I had some tips for our friend in the email on how to mix mom and work life. Okay, tip number one ask for help delegate. Right. Then I said, say no don’t overcommit like, just No, we can’t do that. I’m sorry. You won’t be able to make that birthday. We will have two others that day. Yeah. I have a hard one birthday a day person. Like, what I can’t do multiple. We’re gonna have to pick Yeah, someone’s gonna have to pick number three. And my most important tip, especially for parents of multiple children, is lower your standards. They’re going to be dirty. Maybe their clothes aren’t going to match. Maybe you’re clear on laundry isn’t clean. Maybe you’re eating McDonald’s. I don’t know what it is. But just lower your standards. Yeah, it’s gonna make a lot easier. Okay, and then use your mom activities as opportunities to network. It’s don’t worry about fighting it. You do a great job of this.
Alissa 23:26
I feel like any opportunity. I’m like, How can I make this productive?
Katy 23:30
Right? How can I think the problem happens? And this was my final tip on the mixing mom and work life. Don’t bother trying to compartmentalize it. Oh, yeah. That’s not gonna work. You can’t be like, I’m all I’m all on work right now. Or I’m all on mom right now. Especially not if you have children at home. I think we all know that is a silly thought. We’re not going to be like, Oh, I’m blocking off these two hours. And it’s just for my real estate advertising and no one’s gonna bother me. False. Yeah, this, maybe it’ll happen, but maybe it won’t. And I think when we try to tell ourselves, I’m on work mode, or I’m on mom mode. That’s when things get off the rails when one or the other breaks in.
Alissa 24:07
My most shameful mom moments have been when I’m trying to do something work related. And they’re bothering me for like a snack or something. And I’m just like, Give me
Katy 24:16
a minute. I have to I have to finish this.
Alissa 24:20
Like I do have a hard time right and
Katy 24:22
then it’s really hard to give yourself grace because like I’m trying to get this thing it look, these things are going to cross over. Sure. And then one day, they won’t. I know. So it’s going to be okay. But I thought there would you know, you see all these there is no work life balance. You know, but there is a lot of I think Jenna talks a lot about integration. Or at least this is fine. I can be in 75% Mom mode or home mode, and then a call or a text or something breaks in that maybe you have to address but I’m not going to also go in my office open my laptop and start cleaning out my inbox, right? You We can’t it’s not all or nothing like you can just say, Okay, I’m answering this one text and then I’m going back to the board game or like, whatever it is,
Alissa 25:11
I also think to how you said like, say no. And going back to boundaries, especially as we’re coming out of this super crazy market where you had to go, go, go go, you know, and reminding people look, if a home is occupied, it may need more notice for an appointment, really making sure you’re using your email templates with your buyer rules. So buyers know how things work, and they understand that we’re not on call, we do have to make appointments and, and schedule things.
Katy 25:43
Well, that’s the nice thing about a more normal market. I’m not expected to jump the minute a house hits the market, so I can be in the long line of cars out front to go see it right.
Alissa 25:53
I think, although some markets are still. So if you’re having trouble going back to and listening to some of the boundary episodes, yeah, and how to communicate those boundaries, and just make sure that you’re in control of your business.
Katy 26:06
And that you feel happy and content with however it goes. Do you want to work seven days a week, your business? Is it seven half days? And then the rest of the day you spend flying kites? Live it up? Like is that what you want? Like? Are you happy? Do you wake up excited about that day? Do you feel burned out? Do you feel like is your immune system struggling? Are you like sick a lot like what? It’s your it’s all part of your life. And if you love your work, and you want to get up and do it every day, that’s great. And I still think you should take two days off. But what’s working for you?
Alissa 26:40
Like? Well, that’s a really good point. Because she asked us in the email, do we provide a daily schedule that would help them? And the answer is no, because my schedule is so different than your schedule and her schedule, or anybody else’s schedule. And what phase and season of life I’m in is different and right. It’s all different. And so it’s really about you getting clarity on what you want, and where you need your help, and finding a way to make that work for you.
Katy 27:12
Yeah, and I think her message and her ultimate vibe in the beginning was she was getting a lot of it sounds like probably social media messages. Well, people were shitting all over her. Yeah. And she felt like I should do this you should do. Instead of doing anything, she was doing nothing, because she didn’t want to do the things that people were screaming the loudest at her. Right? Like, I don’t want to have a real strategy or I don’t want to cold call. Well, that’s fine. Don’t like, that’s okay. You don’t have to. But I think that’s all in you have to take a moment and think about well, what messages Am I receiving? Am I on social media too much? Am I following a lot of realtors that made me feel bad about myself? Do I not want to do whatever this guru was teaching, then just don’t
Alissa 27:55
unfollow them, get it out of your life? If it don’t making you feel less negative, turn
Katy 27:59
it off? Does it make you feel good? Like just say goodbye. We’re so overwhelmed that someone used to turn the other day about, it wasn’t social media burnout, but it was we’re all fatigue, social media fatigue. Okay, I think we’re all kind of there. Like we were stuck in our house with COVID. We’re all scroll, scroll, scroll, then we all learn to make everything content, which is great. Like you need some content, but then it’s like you almost can’t turn it off. And so it’s like, we just need a break. Yeah, gonna go on a little bit of a break. And that’s really you can do that for a day, a week, a month, a year. I love seeing when people like, I’ll be off of social media for 30 days. And like, I want to hear more about this when you come back. Right. Sometimes they come back sometimes they’re back right away. Yeah. I mean,
Alissa 28:47
like, how do you ease into it without getting sucked in all the way? Oh,
Katy 28:51
this is a great time to since we’re talking about schedules to bring up the time audit again. Yeah, go to Google and just do like Google 15 minute time audit, I think there’s all these little worksheets, but you can do it yourself. Basically, it’s just like breaks down the day from the time you wake up to the time you go to sleep into 15 minute chunks. And you can just audit yourself for three days. What am I actually spending my time on? It’s really helpful, then you can figure out like, where are the spots that maybe I have some opportunities to get something different done. If you don’t like the way your schedule feels.
Alissa 29:27
I was really nervous when Haven was going to start kindergarten because it meant I was going to have to shift my day an hour earlier. And I was just any big anytime we have a change or shift in schedule. I always get a little there’s like a learning curve and I get anxious and then it happens and it’s fine and you’re out of your routine and yes, start a whole new routine. It’s like I have to like readjust and like now summers ending and I thought summer was going to be so hard and now that it’s ending I’m like no right. I want to stay A summer because you know now we’re going to be back to the hour earlier. But what I found was by 10am, I had gotten so much done and lived a whole life because I had worked. As soon as I dropped my kids off. Usually from eight to nine, I have found nobody really pretty funny activity. Yeah. So I usually dropped the kids off. And we have two offices in Baton Rouge One is right by school. Yeah. And so I’ll go there, nobody’s there. I’m just it’s just, it’s funny how like, something that you think is going to be bad for your routine. It’s up being this big. You just said just Yep. And it becomes just like this good thing, all of that to say, I’m not a morning person mean either. But what I learned about myself is whether it’s 5am 10am, I just don’t like waking up getting out of bed, no matter what feels the same, like the times that my alarm went off at 5am. And I turned it off and was like, I’m not working out today, when it went off at 730 was just as my belt. Yes, I was just as mad as I was then. So I may as well have just gotten up and gotten it over with. But maybe even if you could just get up like 30 minutes earlier and get ahead of things because I get all flustered when I’m not ahead. Okay, when things are coming at me, and I’m like, but I didn’t finish the last thing. Yes. And that’s when the office day is so helpful. Because I can just have computer time. I’m dedicated to just clearing things out. And getting ahead office Day Keeps me head I cannot imagine a week without office. Right? I really can’t. Right.
Katy 31:41
And a lot of times I think people feel pushed or pressured to hire at that point. Yeah. And I do think you can probably make some scheduling tweaks and plans before you have to go to hiring a whole person because that costs a lot more money than adjusting your schedule. Right? Right then and then instituting an office day, for sure. And then you have to find someone and train them and do all the things. And
Alissa 32:02
then I think back on, you know, leading up to having Haman, and I’m thinking how am I going to do this? How am I going to do this? And then it worked. And then you know, we started the podcast, and we were going to record we were going to have podcasts every Tuesday. And I was like, I have to basically take off a real estate every Tuesday, you know, and then I had taped and I’m like, Okay, I have two kids and this podcast. How am I going to do this, but it’s just see my babies. And then we changed it to every Tuesday Thursday for 2023. And I really thought that this was going to impact my real estate business negatively. And it just hasn’t. Yeah, and I I can’t put my finger on why other than the fact that I have gotten really good at telling my clients I have Wednesday at noon available does not work for you that you make the schedule. Yes. A schedule. Yes. I have no problem communicating what I need to make this work. Yeah. And I just don’t get a lot of pushback. Right. But I think that agents don’t know that because they’re never, they’re just saying when can you go? Yeah, just
Katy 33:07
stop saying that. Right. Okay, you need to see this house. I can go tomorrow at two or Thursday at five. Like, that’s fine. If you want to give an app like if you have a late day, you work on a weekend day. But don’t say, oh, I can go anytime this weekend. No, one of those days was your day. Oh, yeah.
Alissa 33:24
Which one was your dad? I don’t know. But don’t give that one. Just as a real life example. This past Monday, I hosted our Monday morning meeting at one of my listing. Okay, so I had to get there early and just set up and make coffee and all that. Sometimes it goes longer. And I knew I was going to have to be the last one there. So I just didn’t schedule anything for immediately after it. It ended pretty timely. And some of the agents stayed after to help me close up. So I was done pretty early. And this lady who I had just gone on a listing appointment with like two weeks prior, had sent me an email and was like, Hey, I just finished the final to do list. Let me know when you have time to come by and see if I’m ready for photos. And my listing was right by her house. And so I texted her I was like, Okay, I know this is short notice, but can I come in like 15 minutes? She was sure I’m home. I said great. And so because I had some flex space, I was dressed Yeah, I was in the area. It just worked. So it’s not like I need 10 hours notice for everything I also feel like
Katy 34:31
you aren’t over not in a weird this sounds wrong. But you aren’t over preparing for every appointment like no, just prepare like in you’re just like we’re just going to look it doesn’t have to be a big production. Yeah. And I think it’s funny because we’re similar in that way. But I am going with more like I want to bring I want my folder, but the whole thing is I’ve already made them all yes, they’re already ready. I could leave right now. Sure, just like you could leave right now because it’s already inside like you’re just prepared. Yeah, I know what to listen to what I’m doing my process. Right. So, I mean, that is kind of nice. Yeah, I think if we can, and that would work the same as if you can’t put that. Oh, no, I can’t go right now because I said 24 hour notice right appointment. Yeah, but you’re like, I’m right around the corner and I could go right now. Well, that might be easier for you.
Alissa 35:19
It was because honestly, when I was looking at the rest of the week, I was like, I could fit it in. But it would be more difficult or difficult. And I’m here right now, right
Katy 35:27
now. I know. So I think it really is about being flexible and allowing that flexibility to be a positive for you. Yes. And not feeling like, oh, well, no, I was going to take the kid to get ice cream right now. Well, on the way back, I need to get the sign. But you’re passing the sign, just grab the sign, right? Like it’s not the end of the world. Okay, any other thoughts about mixing work and mom and your schedule? Do we get them all, I just also want to caution anyone that is feeling pressured by someone with absolutes in the way they teach, you must always you need your time
Alissa 36:06
like this, like every week, once you know, it’s the absolute statements that they really,
Katy 36:12
right, because once a month, reaching out to your database is better than never. And once a week, maybe it’s better than once a month. But that’s doesn’t, it doesn’t matter. Like maybe that’s too much, maybe it’s too much. I did want to say that when you’re picking the things that you want to do in your business. So if it’s social media planning, or, you know, transaction management or contacting your database, decide how frequently you want to do that. Let’s just say you want to check transactions once a week, say it’s gonna take you an hour, you now have these four hours you need to do put one in the schedule somewhere every week for the whole month like don’t just like not planned for it. But then when you can’t do it, if you have to go to closing, take the calendar event and move it to a different hour like
Alissa 36:58
yeah, move it or write it down just a minute. Don’t delete it, drag it down.
Katy 37:03
And like if it’s your database, and you want to contact them once a month but you don’t know when that two hour block is gonna be pick a time and then same thing, move it around if it didn’t work out. I think we get really focused on Tuesdays have to be this Wednesdays have to be this and honestly
Alissa 37:21
like I would love that.
Katy 37:23
It would be great. works but I also love that I don’t know what’s
Alissa 37:27
going to happen today. Yeah, definitely has its pros and cons. You know, you just prepared for anything.
Katy 37:32
Or maybe you just prepare to take the day off. I’m like one time I remember having showing scheduled or something and I got sick. And I’m like, oh my god, I have to like call in sick. Like I have to tell this client like I cannot go I am sick. I’m like what’s gonna happen? Yeah,
Alissa 37:51
what happened?
Katy 37:52
We just reschedule Oh, my.
Alissa 37:56
That’s great. It’s a wild.
Katy 37:57
Yeah. So it didn’t fire you know, oh, they shared it. And because you know what? People get sick. You’re not super realtor. You’re not super woman. You’re just like, maybe you’re sick. Maybe you have to go to the birthday party. Maybe you gotta go show a house on Sunday? I don’t know. Yeah, maybe you forgot your aunt’s birthday. You know what, you can’t do it all. But oh, I don’t want to glaze over the fact that I said ask for help, like, someone’s gonna have to help you with this stuff.
Alissa 38:24
I am a huge advocate of befriending the new agents in your office. Yeah, they we have a great group right now. So I’ve really enjoyed like our Monday meetings and things like that. But I just think back to myself, when I was in, you know, 2011 and I was new. And when somebody the first time somebody asked me to go meet a termite inspector, I was so honored. I’m excited. Like, yeah, yes, I did not get paid for it. I did not want to be paid for it. I was just offering to learn. Yeah. And so also, if you are new, and so slow, we have an episode called What to do if you’re new or slow. Yeah, so we’ll post it on Instagram, but number 71 to if you just feel like you don’t know what you’re supposed to be doing. Like what? What are
Katy 39:13
the options? Right?
Alissa 39:14
What are our options? Yes, that’s gonna
Katy 39:16
give you some of the options. And the free task frequency one will give you that too. Great. Yeah. Anything else? This was good. I’m gonna let you do the You said you wanted to do
Alissa 39:27
that. Oh, my I didn’t read it before. Well, do I just read it? Is that how you do it? That’s how I do it. Okay, this toast is from Clark St. John to Susan meander in Northwest Indiana. I like that name Clark. St. John Clark St. John. Yeah, I like to. Hi, my name is Clark. And I have been an agent for a little over a year in the Northwest Indiana market. I’m a full time agent. I discovered your podcast several weeks ago and I very much enjoy listening to your episodes. You both do a great job and I have learned a great deal already. I recommended the podcast to my team leader leader Susan mender. She instantly loved your podcast and she has listened to many episodes as have I. Susan is not only my team leader, but she is a top producer in our market. She has been in real estate for about five years. But this is the first year that she has been full time after giving up her teaching career because she was so in love with real estate. As soon as Susan started listening to the podcast, she purchased the templates. Susan is very helpful. And she’s very similar to both of you and that she’s very concerned about making other people feel good and helping them succeed. She pumps me up all the time and tells me I’m doing great. Even at times when I don’t think I am. At least you’re honest. Right. She’s a great realtor and a great friend and I hope you can honor her with this toast. Thank you for all that you do, Susan.
Katy 40:52
Oh, cheers to Susan. Thank you, Clark.
Alissa 40:54
That was a good one. Clark, St. John Clark, St. John.
Katy 40:58
So cheers to Susan. Okay, y’all get out there and you know,
Alissa 41:02
take control of your schedule. You’re flexible. You can do it right, you can do this. Okay, goodbye. Thank you so much for tuning in to the hustle humbly podcast.
Katy 41:11
If you enjoyed this episode, please go to rate this podcast.com/hustle humbly and leave us a review or drop a comment if you’re listening on Spotify.
Alissa 41:19
If you have an episode topic or someone you’d like to toast on the show, please email us at team at hustle humbly podcast.com
Katy 41:26
Find us on social media at hustle humbly podcast. Don’t forget to find all the free resources at hustle humbly podcast.com/resources See you next week.
Unknown Speaker 41:36
This is the goodbye
