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?