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As real estate professionals, you’re constantly juggling multiple demands — clients, colleagues, family and the day-to-day whirlwind of running a business are commonplace. With each phone call, email and showing request, your personal time slips away, leaving you feeling stretched thin, overwhelmed and sometimes even resentful.
Many professionals in the field of real estate fall into the trap of trying to be available 24/7, believing that always saying “yes” is a necessary path to success. But what if the real secret to success lies in reclaiming your time?
You, the agent, are the architect of your business, and strong boundaries are your blueprint for success.
Boundaries are not a luxury but an essential element of your professional well-being. By setting clear, intentional limits, you can avoid burnout, stay energized, and show up fully for both your clients and yourself. As Harvard Business Review aptly states, “Boundaries are all about who — or what — we give power to.” By defining your boundaries, you’re taking control of how your business and life will be run.
Boundaries have been lauded by psychologists, experts and professionals as an essential form of self-care, building positive relationships and a key ingredient in businesses that become successful and stay successful. According to Forbes, a lack of boundaries not only creates unnecessary confusion in our work environments, it can leave us feeling exhausted, potentially irritable, resentful or guilty as well as unwanted chaos among our teams.
How can you start creating those boundaries?
Here are five actionable strategies to help you take control of your time, energy and overall well-being:
1. Get clear on what matters: Define your values, priorities and non-negotiables
To set effective boundaries, we need to be aware and clear on what we value and prioritize in business and in life. Identify your core values. What are you unwilling to compromise? What are you unwilling to tolerate?
Once you get clear, be clear in your communication. Set the appropriate expectations and agreements with the people in your life, from colleagues, clients, friends and family that support your values, priorities and non-negotiables.
For example, to avoid working with clients who demand you be available at all hours, it’s healthier, clearer and kinder to all parties involved to explain your work hours and boundaries upfront.
Pro- tip: Be clear, be kind, be firm. Your values, your livelihood and your health will thank you!
2. Learn the power of saying no
Have you ever felt fueled by worry or fear? It’s all too common, especially among real estate agents, where the fear of missing out on a potential deal can lead to overcommitting and feeling overextended.
The result? Feeling exhausted, irritable and compromising the excellence of our service. And when we’re not feeling not feeling our best, not only do we not offer our best, we compromise our repeat and referral business.
Learning to say “no” when necessary is one of the most powerful ways to create space for what truly matters, showing up consistently at our best and offering our best.
When we say “no,” we prioritize the right opportunities — the right clients, the right properties, the right decisions that ultimately support and align with our values and our business goals.
You’ve probably said “yes” to a client that you knew was not ideal or sent up a few red flags because you “needed” the business or you felt you had to take their business. It’s absolutely appropriate to respectfully decline a potential client’s requests that don’t align with your expertise or values and refer them to someone better suited for their needs.
Saying “no” saves you time, creates space for what you value and prioritize and helps avoid resentment.
Pro-tip: Practice saying “no” with grace. You don’t need to over-explain. A simple, “I appreciate the opportunity, but I’m unable to commit at this time,” works wonders.
As a bonus, according to Psychology Today, saying “no,” will boost your self-esteem and overall mental health.
3. Set clear work hours — and stick to them
One of the most common challenges real estate agents face is the blurred line between personal and professional time, but that doesn’t mean you need to be on call 24/7. You might find yourself answering emails at 10 p.m. or scheduling showings on your only day off, which eventually leads to burnout and frustration.
Setting — and sticking to — clear work hours is one of the most powerful ways to reclaim your time and avoid burnout. When you establish boundaries around your availability, not only do you protect your personal time, but you also demonstrate to your clients that you are a true professional who values their time as well.
Pro-tip: Include your work hours in your email signature and your voicemail greeting, so clients know when to expect a response. Automate your “out of office” reply to go on after hours to remind people you’re unavailable.
4. Turn off notifications and reclaim your time and focus
Let’s keep this simple and clear. You do not need your notifications pinging you around the clock. Your focus and attention demand it. Silence or limit work-related notifications outside of work hours to avoid being constantly “on-call” and distracted.
When we’re running and growing a business, we require time for deep work, a term coined by Cal Newport in his book Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World. To tap into our creativity, innovation and high-level problem-solving requires extended periods of focus with minimized distractions. No matter how “busy” we are, there is time for deep work when we prioritize it, block out the time and mute those notifications.
Pro-tip: Set “Do Not Disturb” times on your phone for focused work or personal relaxation.
5. Make self-care a daily non-negotiable
When you prioritize your well-being, you bring more focus, creativity, and resilience into your business. And that’s not just good for you — it’s good for your clients, too.
In the fast-paced world of real estate, self-care often gets pushed to the back burner. But here’s the reality: If you don’t take care of yourself, your business will suffer. Making self-care a non-negotiable part of your day is essential for maintaining your mental, emotional, and physical health, which directly impacts your performance in business. Carving out time each day for self-care isn’t selfish — it’s strategic.
Whether it’s a 20-minute morning meditation, a walk around your neighborhood, or shutting off your phone for an hour to read or exercise, creating space for yourself daily ensures you have the energy and clarity to show up fully in your work.
When you honor yourself with this time, you’re not only prioritizing your well-being but also setting a boundary with the world that says, “I respect my energy.” This ripple effect extends into your business, where you’ll find more focus, creativity, and balance.
Pro-tip: Schedule your self-care like you would an important client meeting. It’s just as important to your success.
Boundaries aren’t barriers — they’re the foundation of a thriving career
When you master the art of saying no, establish clear work hours, and prioritize self-care, you are investing in yourself and, by extension, the quality of service you provide to your clients. Remember, your time and energy are finite resources. By respecting those limits, you are ensuring your well-being and modeling professional standards that others will respect and appreciate.
As you grow in your real estate career, keep in mind that strong boundaries don’t limit your success — they expand it.
So, how will you start building those boundaries today?
Melanie C. Klein, M.A. and Emily Bossert are highly sought-after coaches known for empowering individuals and teams to achieve their full potential and success.
