Use this simple Realtor time management system to overcome limiting beliefs about not having enough time to conduct lead generation activities to get more business.
Utilizing a Realtor time management system is essential for success. Today we are going to dive into overcoming limiting beliefs and adopting the systems that Top Performers use to manage their time.
VIDEO: Realtor Time Management Training
Realtor time management: excuses & limiting beliefs
“I don’t have enough time.” This is the worst excuse in real estate.
Everyone has a different bandwidth. And bandwidth with time management is like a muscle in your brain. People who are strict about calendaring and embrace routines and rituals have the most time for their personal life.
Agents who don’t time block and manage their time end up doing non-productive busy work all day, and feel stressed. They want to do everything themselves. They’ll spend all day putting a new desk together and always feel behind.
Stop cleaning your dorm room
When I train on Realtor time management, I use this example a lot because many people can relate to this situation.
In college, as a freshman, I lived in the dorms. When it was the week before finals week, everyone started cleaning their dorm rooms. When everyone should have been studying and focusing on the important final exams next week, all of a sudden they had to clean their rooms. This was a week where there were no classes so that everyone could just focus on studying, but instead, students used it to do absolutely anything except study.
The excuse that everyone used was that they wanted their dorm to be nice and clean when they came back after break. Yes, this is productive. No, this is not the same as partying all week (because that would clearly be a stupid idea). So, students found a way to do something that was objectively positive, although still avoiding the issue at hand.
Realtor time management: avoid the dorm room mentality
It’s amazing how much we use this “dorm room mentality” as adults. “Well, I really need to get a new desk for my office because my old one has a drawer that won’t open. This is what I’ll spend today doing because it’s super important.”
Agents will avoid doing the most important activities by doing “good” things, like taking classes or working on getting their broker’s license. These are great things! But don’t do “good” things in lieu of doing the most important things, like lead generation.
It’s not time to “clean your dorm room” – it’s time to “study”
Don’t play around with busy work. Lead generate. Recruit. Convert leads. Those are your most important timeblocks.
The most important activity for rainmakers, leaders, and broker/owners: Recruiting
The most important activities for agents: Lead generation and lead conversion
It’s not time to “clean your dorm room” – it’s time to “study.”
Brian Icenhower
Realtor time management: our sample weekly calendar
On your weekly calendar, your routines and rituals are laid out into timeblocks. Check out our Sample Weekly Calendar as shown in the video of this blog. Then, scroll to the bottom of this blog to get your free copy straight to your inbox.
You can see from this sample that you are working Monday through Friday. I want you to have weekends off. I’d like to have you done early in the day.
On the Sample Calendar, you’ll see
- the “big rocks” in black. These are our 20% activities. These are income-generating activities that bring you business.
- you aren’t doing any “business servicing” activities (like responding to emails, phone calls, and text messages) until after your lead generation time.
- afternoon appointments are wrapped up by 6pm.
- personal time and family time are both timeblocked.
Realtor time management: are you too available?
A lot of agents have a hard time not answering the phone when it rings. You might feel like you need to be “Johnny on the spot” all the time. The problem with that? It’s unprofessional. And, it makes you look desperate.
I’ve said this before but it bears repeating. Nobody is going to have a problem with you getting back to them later in the day when you have time blocked “business servicing.” That’s a matter of a few hours later. And, nobody should expect you to answer the phone after 6pm. If they do, that’s a client worth dropping.
Successful professionals are busy
Think about other professions. Would you want a lawyer who is always immediately available by phone? No way. That’s a major red flag. At face value, being available may seem positive, but if you think about it … shouldn’t a successful lawyer be busy? Aren’t they working with other clients? Shouldn’t their schedule be full? Isn’t that what you want in a professional?
The same applies to Realtors. For some reason, many agents feel this intense pressure to drop everything and be available to their clients at all times.
Respect yourself enough, and respect your profession enough, to hold to your timeblocks. And, you can always back it up with, “I was in an appointment, but I wanted to get back to you as soon as possible.”
This is true! An appointment with yourself doing lead generation is a legitimate appointment. You are busy! You are successful, and you are professional. Act like it.
For some reason, many agents feel this intense pressure to drop everything and be available to their clients at all times.
Respect yourself enough and respect your profession enough to hold to your time blocks.
Brian Icenhower
Realtor time management: protect your mornings
You are no longer available in the mornings. Going forward, your mornings are booked.
So, if a home inspector wants to inspect a house at 9am, you are tied up that morning. Request an afternoon appointment. You are in charge! Act like it.
If the appraiser needs to get in at 10am – you’re not available. You already have an appointment at that time.
Stop people pleasing and control your business!
Once you can start thinking like that – and you can be in control of your own schedule – you will start your journey to becoming a Top Producer.
Realtor time management: erase & replace rule
Yes, there are certain things you can’t control or reschedule. For example, a funeral. You can’t do anything about that, and it’s important.
For situations like that, you use the Erase and Replace Rule. You may need to move your lead generation to another time or another day. So, for example, if you have a funeral to attend Thursday morning, you can “erase” and move your 2 hours of lead generation to Friday. Yes, this makes Friday packed with lots of lead gen – but, you haven’t sacrificed your income-producing activities.
These situations should not be common. It should only happen when you have no control and no ability to move the intruding activity. Perhaps your child’s dance recital, or an important school function.
But something you have control over, like your dentist appointment, must be scheduled in the afternoon from here on out.
No more excuses. It’s not time to clean your dorm room! You can take control of your personal appointments.
If it’s not calendared, it’s not going to happen. Your calendar is a system. If you don’t have something timeblocked, it won’t be a priority. It will be forgotten.
Brian Icenhower
Change your mindset, change your results
You control your calendar. You need time blocks, routines, and rituals.
If it’s not calendared, it’s not going to happen. Your calendar is a system. If you don’t have something timeblocked, it won’t be a priority. It will be forgotten.
Time will fill the space allowed. The more that’s in your calendar, the better you are.
Honor thy calendar. Follow it. Live by it. It does no good if you don’t follow your calendar.
Top Producers wouldn’t be able to imagine life without living by their calendar. They don’t have to stress out or worry about getting things done because they timeblock their essential activities.
No more to-do lists. Use a calendar. It assigns a date and time to an activity. You have made the time, and it will happen. Time management is not about working a lot. It’s about making tough decisions about your priorities.
Which activities will get you where you want to go? These are the activities that must be calendared.
FREE DOWNLOAD: Sample Weekly Calendar
Today’s free download is available to subscribers. Simply subscribe below and receive the Sample Weekly Calendar directly in your inbox.
Want to learn more?
- Read The High-Performing Real Estate Team. You can buy Brian Icenhower’s best-selling book on Amazon.
- Subscribe to The Real Estate Trainer Podcast. You can find it on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Podbean, and anywhere you listen to your favorite podcasts.
- Join the Real Estate Agent Round Table. We are always posting fresh content — everything from market updates to free templates — and host dynamic discussions with the industry’s top producers.
- Subscribe to our newsletter. In the sidebar of this blog, you’ll see a subscription sign-up form. You’ll be the first to find out about our new resources, free downloads, premium online courses, and the latest promotions.
- Reach out and talk to an ICC coach. Not sure which of our coaching programs is right for you? Let us help you.
Stay up to date on what's happening in our industry and join our Facebook group, the Real Estate Agent Round Table for free, relevant content daily, including breaking news on the real estate market.
Check out our latest posts:
How to Build a Real
Brian Icenhower explains how to build a real estate team in less than 10 minutes!
Best Real Estate Marketing Strategies
Watch to learn the best real estate marketing strategies that realtors should implement with their
Real Estate Team Profit Margins
Learn the different real estate team profit margins for small and large real estate teams
Strategies to Motivate Real Estate
Use these strategies to motivate real estate agents in the fall & winter months when
Mortgage Coaching for Managers of
Mortgage Coaching for Managers - Learn the 5 key components of managing in house lending
Real Estate Leadership Program –
Learn this real estate leadership program foundational component to ensure that your leadership journey is
