As part of my consultancy work around the country and in various conversations with numerous estate agents I am used to uncovering a wide range of challenges and problems as well as hopefully presenting potential solutions.
These challenges include the usual suspects – low fees, over valuing (always by OTHER agents!), unrealistic expectations from clients and a lack of leads for landlords and sellers to name but a few.
All of these challenges are simple, though not necessarily easy to overcome, normally with personal coaching and the implementation of a tried and tested process. I do LOVE a process!
However, there is one problem that is common to every estate agent I meet and possibly nearly every human being, though is frequently never mentioned as a potential obstacle initially. I find that it normally underlies nearly every challenge facing an organisation and more specifically every individual…
TIME.
In my experience time management becomes more of a factor when people start their own estate agency after working for an employer, perhaps because they are suddenly faced with a big list of tasks just to get going and generate business long before they can expect to receive any income. Fear can be an excellent motivator. I would certainly say it is the biggest single issue facing all of my self-employed eXp colleagues, including and perhaps especially for the most successful ones. However, it’s similar for fully employed agents and support staff – particularly for those in management and supervisory positions who often mention that their time is “stolen” by helping to solve other people’s problems as opposed to directly earning fees.
The most common refrain I hear from agents when faced with suggestions on how to generate new business or to more effectively deal with their current customers is… “I simply don’t have the time”. That’s an interesting response considering that we all have the same amount of time. Clearly some people use it more wisely than others. Yes of course, we all have different pulls on our time with varying responsibilities that require our attention both for personal and professional reasons but essentially, it’s the same challenge for us all.
So what to do?
There’s no shortage of advice from a plethora of coaches, trainers and time management experts, though I note that it is rare for this subject to feature at many of the estate agency conferences that are common at this time of the year. Conference organisers please note as I suspect that this would be of real interest to delegates.
My non-expert very basic advice is simple (perhaps too simple) and as follows:
Firstly, spend an entire month simply recording exactly what you currently do with your time. Write it down in a diary, or record it digitally, including everything! That’s taking the kids to school, food and drink preparation, social activities, travel and of course any work related activity– everything! This task alone will be very revealing and as a minimum will at least increase your awareness of how you spend your valuable time. But exactly how valuable? Next, by estimating your average monthly income and dividing it by the total number of hours in the month you can estimate approximately how much each hour (and therefore each minute) any timed activity actually costs you. Yes, it’s a very crude analysis open to interpretation and opinion but it can be very enlightening in my experience. It also means that if anyone asks “Have you got a minute to help me with something?” as people frequently do, you will know exactly how much that ‘minute’ (it’s usually more) will actually cost! As I mentioned, this very basic awareness will almost certainly increase your efficiency and use of time.
And here’s another basic tip on how to approach almost any task, something I was taught 40 years ago. The 3 D’s…
Do It
Ditch It or
Delegate It
I find this is an excellent approach when faced with the daily deluge of emails we all receive. When I share this idea with clients they often say that they have no subordinates to delegate tasks to. I remind them that delegation need not necessarily be to people who are answerable to you but can be people outside of your organisation or others within your organisation – even your boss! It’s definitely worth considering.
Of course, time management can be a very complicated topic if it is to be dealt with effectively and research into the subject is, in my opinion, essential. To that end there are numerous books on the matter. One of my favourites, because of its simplicity is One Minute Manager Meets The Monkey by Kenneth Blanchard, William Oncken and Hal Burrows. If you don’t enjoy reading normally this is the book for you – it’s SO easy to read!
If you are looking for a digital answer to the time management challenge, ChatGPT can help of course…
Key Principles of Time Management
1. Set Clear Goals
o Use SMART goals (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound).
o Break large goals into smaller, actionable steps.
2. Prioritise Tasks
o Use tools like the Eisenhower Matrix (urgent vs. important).
o Focus on high-impact activities, not just busy work.
3. Plan Ahead
o Use daily, weekly, or monthly planners.
o Time-block your calendar for important tasks and breaks.
4. Avoid Multitasking
o Focus on one task at a time for better productivity and fewer mistakes.
5. Eliminate Distractions
o Identify what interrupts your flow (phone, notifications, social media).
o Use tools like “Do Not Disturb” mode or website blockers.
6. Use the 80/20 Rule (Pareto Principle)
o 80% of results come from 20% of efforts—identify and focus on the critical 20%.
7. Review and Reflect
o At the end of each day or week, review what worked and what didn’t.
o Adjust your strategies accordingly.
Useful Time Management Tools
• Task Managers: Todoist, Microsoft To Do, TickTick
• Calendars: Google Calendar, Outlook
• Pomodoro Timers: TomatoTimer, Focus Booster
• Time Trackers: Toggl, Clockify
So there we go – your time management problems solved or at least acknowledged.
I’d love to hear your own tips and ideas on this, one of the most common challenges we all face.
Please share your thoughts below – that’s of course if you have time!
Simon Bradbury is a consultant specialising in securing new instructions and runs a (very) small estate agency powered by eXp.
