Successful Real Estate Agents Stick To A Schedule

Being a real estate agent is unlike any other job. People are attracted to this career because they love the flexibility of setting their own schedule. But that blessing can also be a curse.

Close to 90% of real estate agents fail, because most agents struggle with accountability. In a corporate job, you have someone looking over your shoulder, telling you what to do, and what projects to work on. But when you become a business owner, you have the freedom to do whatever you want each day.

And it usually ends up going a little something like this…

Dropping the kids off at school until 10am, checking emails until 2pm, scrolling through Instagram until 3pm, picking the kids up after school by 4pm, having dinner until 6pm, and watching Netflix until 9pm… Then hating yourself every night, because you didn’t do anything to grow your business that day.

Sound familiar? Yeah, because we’ve all done it.

When you own a business, and you’re faced with the option of doing tasks that move the needle and doing tasks that are comfortable, it’s a lot easier to choose comfort. And it’s because moving the needle is hard!

Creating a daily routine is an essential part of your job as a real estate agent. The success of your business depends on it. Sticking to a schedule ensures that you’re time blocking all of the most important tasks so they always get done – Things like generating leads, taking care of your clients, working real estate transactions, growing your business, taking time to rest, and spending time with your family.

It’s a lot easier to choose things like checking emails, going grocery shopping, or having a long conversation with a fellow agent in the hallway. Doing these things may be fun, but they don’t make you any money. Making money requires you to do hard things. Anything else is just playing business.

And after working with tens of thousands of agents, one of the most difficult things that I’ve seen people struggle with the most is sticking to a schedule. In fact, a daily schedule is one of the biggest gaps I’ve seen between a new agent and top-producing agents. Every successful real estate agent knows, that if they want to grow their real estate business, a schedule is non-negotiable.

So, in this episode, I’m going to show you how to create a schedule and focus on one task at a time, so you can grow your business.

Because true freedom can only be found in constraint…

What Does a Real Estate Agent’s Schedule Look Like?

Morning Routine (1 Hour)

A morning routine will look different for every agent, so no two morning routines will look alike. But the most of the successful people I know are up early, before everyone else, to get some quiet time.

This part of their daily schedule is a sacred time. During this hour in their morning routine, they gather their thoughts and focus on the day ahead, which is absolutely essential for being in the right mindset to conquer the day. Some people meditate, but personally, I pray. Starting my day off in prayer allows me to practice gratitude, spend time in the Word, and stay present.

After taking time to focus on their mind and soul, successful people then shift focus to their bodies. You can take a brisk walk, eat a healthy breakfast, take your daily supplements – or anything else that benefits your health.

Most agents don’t include morning routines as part of their daily schedule. But taking care of your mind, nourishing your soul, and keeping your body healthy is one of the biggest competitive advantages you have in business. So make it a part of your morning ritual!

Lead Generation (3 Hours)

Creating a new business is an essential part of being a real estate agent – That is if you want to stay in business! Professionally speaking, generating leads is your most important task of the day. So be sure to add it to your schedule!

Lead generation includes things like prospecting and appointment setting, making phone calls to past clients, sending text messages to hot leads, and getting new listings.

Most of the agents I work with aren’t into cold calling or door-knocking. So instead, they focus on online marketing via social media, blogging, and online advertising. In addition to posting on their social media accounts, they may run a Facebook Ad, engage with followers on their social media posts, or write a new blog post.

This is why lead generation is one of the most important things you can do to grow your business as a real estate agent. The real estate leads you generate today will sustain your business tomorrow. So build lead generation into your daily schedule to make sure that it gets done!

Administrative Tasks (3 Hours)

After you’re done with your most important thing, you can move on to the administrative tasks in your schedule. These are all of the administrative tasks you have to do to keep your business running – Things like getting back to clients, answering emails, going to a listing appointment, doing listing presentations, showing homes, and anything else that needs to be done as part of your daily schedule.

You may even have to call other agents, do some additional prospecting, set up events, schedule photography for a new listing, view real estate hot sheets, or meet with clients. Every agent needs to build all of these activities into their daily schedule to ensure that they get done!

Lunch Hour (1 Hour)

Many agents forget to schedule breaks throughout the day. But periodic breaks allow you to stay focused, nourished, and ready for the second half of the day. So be sure to build breaks into your schedule as well!

Appointments and Networking (2 Hours)

In-person appointments and networking is absolutely essential as a REALTOR®. During this time block, you should be meeting with clients and networking with potential clients.

And since you’ve already done your lead generation for the day, you can also include in-person classes, events, or spending time with industry professionals during this time block as well.

Review Day Ahead (1 Hour)

Another one of the most important tasks in your real estate schedule is to review your entire day. Great real estate agents make sure they’re prepared today for what may come tomorrow. Review your MLS hot sheets, confirm your calendared appointments, and ensure all of your real estate operations are in order.

Great real estate agents also take the time to keep track of their new business. When planning your schedule, be sure to create time blocks that allow you to tally all of your lead generation efforts that day. This would include things like real estate conversations, leads, presentations booked, sales, and referrals. When you do, it’s really easy to calculate all of your numbers at the end of the month, so you can keep track of your closing ratio.

Personal Time (3 Hours)

This time slot is about being intentional in the final hours of the day. Take an hour or two to cook dinner, do a favorite hobby, read an enjoyable book, or have some family time. It also includes time to sleep, rest, and recharge. If you don’t take time to rest, you’ll work your life away.

Rest is work. So take your rest seriously.

Sample Schedule:

• 6 am: Morning Routine
  • Workout
  • Pray, Meditate, Focus
  • Get Ready
  • Breakfast
• 8 am: Prospecting
  • Prospecting and Appointment Setting
  • Lead Generation
  • Lead Followup
• 9 am: Social Media Marketing
  • Film Videos
  • Marketing
  • Social Media
  • Run Ads
• 11 am: Administrative Tasks
  • Following up with vendors and lenders
  • Creating CMA’s
  • Transaction Check-Ins
  • Transaction Paperwork
  • Recruiting
  • Property Searches
  • Email Replies
  • Scheduling Photos
  • Upload Listings
• 12 pm: Lunch
• 1 pm: Appointments and Networking
  • Meet With Clients
  • Listing Presentations
  • Property Showings
  • Photo Shoots
  • Networking Events
  • Catch up with Friends
  • Grab Drinks, Coffee, Lunch Dates
• 5 pm: Daily Review
  • Tally conversations, leads, sales, and referrals for the day
  • Write down the 3 most important tasks for the next day
  • Delegate anything that does not need to be done by you
  • Reflect on what went right
  • Reflect on what you’d like to improve
  • Reflect on what you’re grateful for
• 6 pm: Personal Time
  • Family Time
  • TV
  • Take Real Estate Courses
  • Continuing Education
  • Sleep

Real Estate Agent Schedule Summary

Whether you’re a new agent or a top producer, be sure to build time blocks in your schedule. Many agents don’t have a morning routine to get on the right foot and stay consistent. But successful people know that it’s an essential part of growing a business. Now you do too!

Let’s Grow Your Real Estate Business

Now that you’ve mastered time blocking and have a great real estate agent schedule, it’s time to grow your business! Are you a real estate agent who wants to learn how to grow their business to 7-figures (and beyond)? Take my free masterclass now!

Frequently Asked Questions