Green Colored Time Blocks

Green colored time blocks
by Ruthie Mae Parker on Sunday, September 26, 2010 at 10:58pm.

"Your aim these days is to learn how to time block. You need to organize your business hours so you can get more done!"

My business swallows my days starting at 7 in the morning. Two hours lead generation, one hour social media, three hours upgrade websites, four hours prepare for teaching a class, two hours showing a house, two hours preparing a contract, one hour scanning and sending and negotiating the contract... Lets see, thats fifteen hours already and haven't scheduled getting dressed yet!!! And that doesnn't include going to meetings at the office: 30 minutes to get there from my home office, 2 hours there,30 minutes back home. Thats three very important hours for just one meeting, and there are at least three meetings a week....Meanwhile, if I am a really good agent, I should be listing at least two houses, staged and priced perfectly, two times a month.

I busily move the piles of papers that need to sorted, filed, addressed,or shredded to the side so that I can more clearly see the Microsoft Calendar with the fancy colored squares for blocking time. Awww..lets see..... Pink for lead generation, Blue for office meetings, Red for Leatherhead team activities......I am getting the swing of this, feeling more successful already!!

My attention is suddenly caught by the sound of my phone ringing and I hear my mother's voice leaving me a message "I know you are busy Ruthie, always busy. You are such a hard worker and I understand, honey. I am so proud of you. But if you have a moment, could you give me a call? I need you......... bye"

How do I time block for personal matters? Am I the only Realtor who struggles with this? Can I say ""But mother! My time blocked for you is between 7:50 and 8:00 pm on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays!!" ? or can the young mother say: "Sorry honey, can't pick you up from school today. Are you sure the throwing up is that serious?"

My point is, business to a Realtor is so many things, all wrapped around clients. The business of a Realtor is to seek, find and satisfy clients and that is a full time job. The job has the ability to rob every available minute in a calendar, time blocked or not, unless I force myself to take a break!!

But take a break I must. I just bet my clients will understand that needs of a friend or family member needs to take a bigger chunk of green on my time block....green representing the richness of relationships that money can't buy.