The Power of Two Hours by Jennifer Lind

I know everyone who is still active in this market is working harder than ever before. I know the hours that are required to get the same results has at least tripled for most of us. I tell my team all the time that we have to look at how to work smarter because we cannot work any harder. We have to stay focused and efficient. We have to think bigger and fine tune our strategies and systems so it is a well oiled machine that can adjust to whatever comes our way.

As a mother this advice needs to apply to several areas of my life…….my work, my office, my agents, my children, my husband, my household. I have the same amount of time each day, I need to be able to split my time correctly. How do I manage it so nothing gets missed while at the same time, not getting too stuck in one thing that I lose perspective?

There needs to be a schedule that is highly respected and of course color coded. Every Sunday night after the kids go to bed my husband and I spend our alone time going over the “family calendar”. We start by going over the logistics of the kids: which one of us is dropping off at school, which on of us is picking up, soccer/football practices, dentist appointments, family dinner nights, etc. Then we move on to our work commitments and client appointments, company meetings, workout schedules, time with friends/extended family, and hopefully a date night.

It’s not a perfect system, things still get missed and there are plenty of things we have to say no to. There are certain things that are non-negotiable and certain things that just have to stay tentative and flexible. But it IS a system! There are routines built in that we all need and that keeps us active and involved in our children’s lives while still taking care of our business, our company, our clients.

Here is the trade off…..sleep. When I heard an agent complain the other day because they had to be up for a 9:00 meeting I thought “are you kidding me”. What you don’t know is that before you see me at the office I have been up for hours!!! I have gotten kids dressed for school, made lunches, helped double check homework, answered emails, prepared for a meeting later in the day, fed the dog, picked up the house, and walked the kids to the bus stop. THEN my day begins. Making the time after the kids are home from school and before they go to bed to unplug and “be present” with them is one of our vital goals. There are definitely days and weeks that go better than others. My husband and I divide and conquer a lot, we have to take turns and work smarter to fit everything in.

Once the little angels have had the last glass of water and are finally all tucked in is when the day starts to hit. If I sit down for a few minutes, I realize the events that are waiting for me tomorrow. The work that has to be done, the emails, the follow up and the preparing all start to come back to the forefront. This is it……the uninterrupted time. This is the time I have been waiting for all day……this is the time I can get some things done! It is from 9pm-11pm that I can hammer things out. (In fact it is after 10pm as I write this blog right now.) If you can carve out 2 hours a day that is uninterrupted you cannot believe how much you can get done. Heck, even 2 uninterrupted hours a week is pretty magical. I’m not suggesting you work until 11pm, that is just the time that works for me. But it might mean starting your day earlier, being more selective about who you are working with, knowing how to utilize technology to be a mobile agent so you can work from where you are.

All I know is that:

• 2 hours unplugged and laughing with my kids makes all the difference for them and for me.
• 2 hours at dinner with my husband makes all the difference in keeping my sense of humor.
• 2 hours of uninterrupted time to focus on getting work done makes all the difference in how my tomorrow goes.
• 2 hours of business development makes all the difference in staying focused on the big picture.
• 2 hours at the gym make all the difference in my energy and outlook.

What will you commit 2 hours to this week?

I am absolutely honored to be part of this blog in any way. Not just to be a contributor to someone I have a lot of respect for but also to be part of an honest conversation about our reality as real estate professionals. I think the facade, image, and ego that can start to overrun this industry can leave a lot of people (myself included) feeling very defeated over a perception that is not reality. Thank you to Ian for taking the time and guts to start this!

A little bit about my current situation: I am under 40, married, the proud mother of a 11yr old son & 6yr old daughter. I am the co-owner of a successful and innovative real estate office, I am the branch manager of my office plus I still list and sell property to a select group of friends/family and their referrals. I have a genuine passion and love for what I do which is what drives me. However, there has always been an underlying battle. One that, if I am being totally honest, I still have not won. It’s the battle of my time, my sweet sweet time!

I know most of us in real estate are torn in so many directions. It is the merging of personal time and work time that gets very muddy and very grey. I know in a lot of cases this is that very thing that makes us love this business. You can be out with friends and be networking! You can receive offers on your phone while you are at the beach! You can be out to dinner and get showing details via text! However this merging of the two sections of your life can morph and turn in to something you lose control of when you aren’t even looking. Add to that the pressures and demands of starting a family and/or raising a young family and you have a whole new situation on your hands.

My perspective of the business and of success has always been a little different and has dramatically changed over time. I didn’t really realize when I first got in to the business how unique it was to be a young mother. I learned very quickly that a lot of my peers were older and had raised their children or were single. At the time I got in to the business I had a 3 year old and really wanted to have a second child. Real estate seemed like a great way to use my previous employment skills to take my success in to my own hands and create some flexibility to spend more time with my family. For me it was always about the whole package! If a worked hard enough and stayed focused I should be able to have it all…….right?

The main piece that turns out to be a flaw in my plan is how much time and energy I feel is necessary to give to everything that is on my plate. My motherly instinct and love automatically drives an immeasurable amount of work and energy that knows no end. Then there is the part of me that has always been wired to give my business 110%. But there is always more that is needed. More clients, more marketing, more follow up, more play dates, more school programs, more practices, more hand holding………more time!!  And so the battle begins.

It feels complicated, overwhelming, and sometimes lonely because I have a career that fuels me and excites me but the more success and opportunities that come my way the more it potentially eats in to my master focus and the goals that I have for myself and my family. This battle for my time is one that I have had to examine, strategize, and readjust all the time. I have to pick my battles with my business just as I do with my children. I have to decide when to dig my heels in and when to really fight. Everything else, I have to know how to roll with and try to keep a levelheaded perspective about. I know first hand, if I try to master and control it all then I am just setting myself up for failure. I have a short list of what I will not stray from and I have to know what to let go of. I have to know how to be present and engaged in what is in front of me. I have to know who in my business and in my personal life matter. And above all, I have to remember why I am doing all of this in the first place……what is the battle really for

I do not have everything figured out or pretend to have all the answers, this is a work in progress for me. But I am happy to share the passion and challenges of my journey. As the token mother (affectionately termed “queen bee” by my office) I hope to empower and encourage others to do their best and feel good while doing it.