I don’t know about you, but I had dreams of working remote and traveling the world with my family, while bringing in a nice passive revenue stream that allowed me to do all of that. But little did I know that I’d trade my 40-hour a week career with benefits for an 80-hour week of pounding the pavement and barely seeing my family…
That of course was over a decade ago. Well before I learned the secret of delegating my way to success, utilizing shared resources, and maximizing my daily schedule.
But prior to that, I was flopping all over the place manually analyzing deals, networking, throwing new marketing strategies up and seeing if anything sticks, and so on. I was zig-zagging all over every day. I still remember many times where I’d turn my computer off at midnight and go straight to bed, only to lay awake for several hours thinking about how I felt like I literally got nothing done. I felt defeated and I had little to gain for it.
No free time, no life…
The business I was trying to build was stealing days, weeks, months, and ultimately years from my life. I missed out on so many important family events in those first few years.
I can’t count how many times I considered just calling it quits. I thought, I might as well go back to my old career where I worked a normal schedule and could actually see my family.At least there I would get insurance benefits, weekends off, vacations, and actually have a life.
After all, I pursued this dream in real estate because I wanted a better life for my family and myself. And that was not happening… Yet.
This schedule of misery repeated over and over again until I finally realized that the key was in the problem itself. I was losing time and my schedule sucked. So I needed to fix that by reclaiming my time, and fixing my schedule.
Setting a strict real estate investing schedule is fundamental for success.
My story isn’t unique. In fact, this is one of the top questions I get asked when I coach real estate investors. If you think about it logically, this challenge makes a lot of sense. Most of us worked in careers prior to jumping into investing fulltime. And in those careers we had a consistent daily schedule with project deadlines and scheduled meetings that kept us in line.
But when you first jump into your own business like I did, you have to set your own deadlines and scheduled meetings. And if you don’t, you’re likely to spin your wheels all day long and feel like you’ve accomplished very little.
This is why one of the fundamental rules of success for real estate entrepreneurs is to create a powerhouse schedule and stick to it. Make it a habit and own it. Like any new habit, this won’t be easy at first. But once you start reclaiming hours to spend doing the things you love, this success cycle will keep on spinning.
Here’s an example of a real estate investing schedule that worked for me.
5:00 a.m. Wake up early. If you can wake up an hour early, you can reclaim five extra hours in your work week. This allows you to fit in exercise, a shower, and leaves time for a meditation or for you to read something that energizes and encourages you.
6:00 a.m. – 7:30 a.m. Instead of thinking you can do the things you love to do in the evenings after work, consider doing them at the beginning of your day too. Spend time with family and friends. Engage in your favorite hobby.
7:30 a.m. – 9:00 a.m. Review all of your current deals that are in progress. See where that rehab is at, contact all parties in your deals to make sure all is on track for closing. Get your pulse first on what you have in the works to make sure it all deals goes smoothly.
9:00 a.m. – 10:30 a.m. Work on growing your pipeline. Make some calls, go to a networking meeting, send some emails. If you grow your pipeline daily, your business will stay on track for reaching your goals.
10:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. Check your emails and voicemails. Use this time to respond so it’s done in a timely manner. This builds trust and dependability with the people you work with.
12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m. Never lunch alone! Okay, this might not be practical every day. But try to make time to have lunch with one to two new contacts a week.
1:00 p.m. – 2:30 p.m. Let’s generate some leads. Spend time marketing and looking for leads. Work on your social media and email newsletters. Call mortgage brokers, real estate agents, and wholesalers to see if you can work with them. This time should be all about networking and lead generating.
2:30 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. This is the perfect time to fit in unplanned events, meetings, closing, doctor’s appointments, etc. If you have a set time in your daily schedule, you’ll have an easier time making appointments without worrying that you’re going to mess up your work day.
5:00 p.m. or 6:00 p.m. STOP WORKING! With the exception of weekly or monthly networking events or meetings that happen late, you need to have a firm cut off time for your work day. Otherwise you could be working until 4:00 a.m. like I did in the beginning.
Your Schedule Will Always Be Flexible.
Yes, you need a strict schedule. But sometimes things just don’t go as planned. You might end up working late, or having to skip some of the tasks. That’s life. So if this happens, just try to get back on schedule tomorrow.
Your Dream Is Possible!
If you keep your schedule going, then before you know it you’ll be at the point where you’ve built a successful business and can afford to hire a sales team to do the daily work for you. That’s when you’ll get to live out your dream of financial freedom, traveling, and time freedom you always wanted.
Our team at RealEstateInvestor.com believes in you! Reach out to us and ask us how we can help you get more of your time back this year. We look forward to hearing from you soon!
