Most investors want to get to a point where deals are coming in on a regular basis. However, when they reach said point, it is often accompanied by a sense of anxiety. It is a lot to handle at once. However, this is what you have worked so hard for – embrace it. How you handle being busy will often determine where your business goes in the coming months. If you can effectively handle multiple projects while still bringing in new deals, you may be ready for more. If you cannot handle being busy, the people around you will notice and start to back off. Remember, being busy is always a good thing. If you are having trouble maintaining a busy schedule, try the following:
1. Prioritize your work: When you get busy, the first instinct is to try to do everything at once. You cannot be in five different places at once, or do three things at the same time. You may fool yourself into thinking you can, but inevitably something will slip and you will end up doing more work than you signed on for. The first thing you should do when you have multiple tasks to accomplish is to prioritize your work. Write down everything that want to accomplish and everything you have on your plate. From there, you can prioritize these tasks based on what is most important. This will help you narrow your focus and accomplish one thing at a time. By making lists, you should never forget a simple task or overlook something that you need to get done. A prioritized list will also help you work on the things that are most important to your business. It is easy to reach for the low hanging fruit and do the easiest tasks on your list. If you make a list of what is most important, you will be more inclined to move your business forward.
2. Set a schedule: A real estate investor’s day is never easy to predict. Things often come up out of nowhere that can throw their day for a loop. Putting out fires is part of the job, but these are the exception rather than the norm. Most days you will be able to set a schedule and follow it. A schedule is much like a list in that you can work on things that are most important first. The difference is that you need to allocate certain times for each task. If you don’t give yourself set times, you can get distracted and lose focus. When this happens, you end up accomplishing nothing. A set schedule will also give your day some structure. Regardless of the profession, there is often plenty of wasted time in a day. By writing and following a schedule, you will become much more efficient and be able to handle being busy much easier.
3. Recap your day: Instead of forgetting a bad or busy day, you should spend time to really think about what you went through. Why did you become overwhelmed? Was it a lack of time or was it your approach? Is there anything you can do or use to feel less busy? Take time to recap what it is you went through and how you can avoid it. You will find that by simply writing down what happened will help. It also helps to talk to someone who has been through the same thing. No two investors are the same, but the problems are often similar. Don’t bury your head in the sand when you are busy. Figure out ways to make things better.
4. Embrace your situation: Instead of complaining about being busy, you should embrace it. There are many people who would love to have as much going on as you. Success typically only comes when you are busy. The next time you have multiple things going on consider, the alternative. You could be struggling for deals and hoping you get to this point. When you are busy, there are a few things to remember. For starters, nobody wants to hear how busy you are. Everyone has their own problems to worry about. They do not want to hear how busy you are. Secondly, when you are doing something, make it your sole focus. Embrace everything that you are doing and do it to the best of your ability. You worked hard to get to this point. You should enjoy it.
5. Prepare: Before you go to bed, you should make a list of what you want to do the following day. Aside from that, you should mentally prepare yourself for what is to come. Think about any variables or any curve balls that may come your way. The more prepared you are, the less overwhelmed you will feel. It is impossible to predict everything that will happen, but you can reasonably expect and anticipate certain things. In many cases, the unexpected is really predictable if you think about every scenario. You should never feel busy because of a lack of preparation.
Being busy can be stressful and overwhelming, but it is also a wonderful time. You can find out a lot about yourself when everyone is coming at you. Being busy is a good thing if you know how to handle it.
