Wake up painfully early, head straight into an intense morning workout, dash between client and developer meetings for 12 hours nonstop, answer hundreds of calls and emails ceaselessly, go out to a networking event and barely ever sleep.
Sound like a super successful real estate agent you follow on Instagram? Whether it be fact or fiction, isn’t that the routine we’re all trying to emulate?
Staying at peak levels and on top of our game translates directly to our bottom line, more so in sales than in any industry in the world and even more in real estate than other sales jobs.
Face it — clients judge us based on our appearance, confidence, knowledge, negotiation skills, and the list goes on.
On top of that, real estate is a marathon, not a sprint. Top agents must spend countless years building their business. Maintaining those high levels of energy is crucial in persevering the roller coaster ride of real estate. Here are five steps I recommend to maintaining high energy throughout your career.
Find mentorship
As much as we rely on ourselves, our energy is a direct product of the people we surround ourselves with and the environments we live in. To me, it starts with the presence of mentorship.
Basically, no matter what point you’re at in your career, we all need someone to learn from. In many cases, it may not even be someone in your industry, but it surely helps if they are.
Working alongside someone five to 10 years ahead of where you are motivates you to do more, while at the same time teaching you the right way to do things.
For me personally, I was working on my own brand for many years, with little to no guidance around me. Until I began working at the brokerage I am at today, my energy levels were so dictated by how I felt that day individually on my own.
Now, I am lucky to work with people who I aspired to be like and observe their work ethic, habits and successes, which fuels me to push even harder each day.
Set goals
Along with surrounding yourself by people who inspire you to do more, setting goals helps you visualize what you’re working toward.
You should set up incremental goals such as daily, weekly, monthly and yearly tasks and milestones you want to hit, to hold yourself accountable and to make sure that each day you’re consistently working toward the end product.
It’s nearly impossible to achieve your yearly goal if you don’t make progress each day. I feel much more energized and productive when I have small daily goals on my checklist to hit that day.
Change the status quo
Changing the status quo is something us real estate agents have the luxury of doing on a daily basis. We don’t necessarily sit in an office all day or follow the same routine.
Each day we encounter new listings and clients, or rather, that’s how it should be. Nothing is more draining than doing the same thing over and over and not getting the results we want.
Change it up.
Work out of a new location, go see some new apartments, switch up your schedule. Part of the reason you became a real estate agent was probably because of the freedom and flexibility. Exercise that freedom.
Last year, during a slower part of the year, I felt a bit stagnant and bored with my daily routine. I switched over to working out each morning before work and then hitting the phone for the first part of the day and calling new landlords for listings.
My body immediately responded to the new stimuli, and I snapped out of that dreary state I was in.
Fuel your mind
Fueling your mind is like working out at the gym. The brain isn’t a muscle, but it can be trained like a muscle in terms of improving cognitive functions and memory. When you feel sharp, you perform at your highest level, and your energy responds.
Finding time to read as a busy agent can be tough, especially when you’re reading emails all day long. Finding time at the beginning or end of your day, when work is less likely to interrupt, even for a half hour a day can strengthen the mind.
Start your day by reading about industry news, and kill two birds with one stone.
Take care of your body
Be aware that the connection between mind and body is somewhat vastly overlooked by adults worldwide. Eating healthy, daily exercise and ample sleep are put on the back burner under the I-don’t-have-time excuse.
If you don’t make time for it, you won’t have the energy necessary to succeed. Every person is different, but incorporating exercise into your daily routine is equally as important as following up on your leads. Whether you do it when you wake up, on a lunch break or at night, just do it.
Chances are if you’re doing real estate or any type of sales for that matter, you were kind of high energy to begin with. You’re outgoing, motivated and want to get after it, but maintaining it over long periods of time, especially through the ups and downs of this industry, can be a daunting task.
Start by doing the small things. Sleep, exercise, switch it up, and set goals every day that are attainable. Work toward finding someone you look up to. This can not only help you become a better agent, but it also creates an environment of positivity and energy.
Mike Jeneralczuk is a licensed real estate salesperson with REAL New York. Connect with him on LinkedIn.
