Why Real Estate Agents Lose Control of Their Schedule

✅ Join Our Mastermind → https://linktr.ee/realestateuntucked

Losing Control of Your Schedule?  Here's Why

Summer doesn't have to mean chaos.

Every year, agents tell themselves they'll "figure it out" as they go. 

Then suddenly it's August, they're exhausted, their business feels inconsistent, and they've barely enjoyed the time they wanted with their family.

The problem isn't summer.
The problem is trying to wing it.

In this episode, we break down why successful agents don't just work harder they become more intentional. From creating an ideal week to protecting your calendar, delegating the right tasks, and saying no to the wrong opportunities, you'll learn how to build a business that supports the life you actually want.

Whether you're feeling overwhelmed, struggling to balance work and family, or simply tired of reacting to every demand on your calendar, this conversation will help you take back control.

In this episode, you'll learn:

• Why "working harder" isn't the answer
  
  
• How to build an ideal week that matches your goals
  
  
• The biggest scheduling mistake agents make every summer
  
  
• Why lead generation gives you more freedom not less
  
  
• How time tracking reveals where your business is leaking hours
  
  
• The power of saying no to low-value clients
  
  
• Simple ways to delegate before hiring an assistant
  
  
• Why intentionality is the real key to success
  
  

Chapters:
00:00 – Why summer throws so many agents off track
01:39 – Start with your vision before your schedule
03:17 – Define the "musts" that move your business forward
04:54 – Why successful agents live by a schedule
06:29 – The 5-step system for achieving your goals
08:35 – "Lead generate so you don't have to tolerate"
09:13 – The time-tracking exercise every agent should do
11:00 – Delegate smarter before hiring an assistant
13:30 – The power of intentional scheduling
15:01 – How to join an E4 or E5 Intensive

The agents with the most freedom aren't the ones who work the least.
They're the ones who plan the best.

If this episode helped you rethink your schedule, like the video, subscribe, and share it with another agent who's trying to build a business without sacrificing their life.

#RealEstateUntucked #TeamLeaderLife #LeadershipReality #BusinessGrowth #HighPerformance #EntrepreneurLife #RealEstateTeam
✅ Join Our Mastermind → https://linktr.ee/realestateuntucked

📲 Follow Us:
Instagram → @realestateuntucked
Facebook → /realestateuntucked
Brad → @bradallensc
Wayne → @waynesalmans


🎧 Listen to Podcast:
Spotify | Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Google Podcasts → https://www.buzzsprout.com/2426765

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:00

Being successful isn't about working hard. It's about following a schedule that matches your goals. The price of success is intentionality.

SPEAKER_02 0:10

It's summer, dude. It's like I don't know about y'all, but it's like 98 degrees down here in South Carolina and about 3,000% humidity. And I think everybody's threshold of like kids, summer, being a pro, supposed to be sales season, supposed to be going on vacation, show up to the lake, and I gotta sell a bunch of houses, but the market's soft, dude. How many times have we had that struggle or have people we coach or work with just, dude, I'm talking torn like a damn, I mean torn, just stretched like a gumby. Remember Gumby? Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 0:39

Yeah. I'm yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Dude, it is. I think that one of the biggest mistakes people make is they start summer and they just white knuckle it instead of going like, I need to reset and I need to come with a summer plan. You know what I mean? So like winter is different than summer. School, especially if you know we're talking, especially to people that have kids and things like that, but like summer is different. You better get prepared before summer and actually instead of like white knuckling it through summer, which is like just hold on and yell at everybody and throw snacks. You need to have a summer schedule, a summer plan. So I think it starts with figuring sitting down and figuring out, okay, what kind of summer do you want to have? What do we want to do? What do we want to experience? What are those things? And then mapping that out in advance. Or or if you're halfway through summer, do it right now.

SPEAKER_02 1:23

Well, that's what I'm saying. So, like, I mean, we need to do this video, we need to do that video like in February next year and like have that planned out. But like, it's June. So, how can we help people make this the best summer they can make it when they're already in it, right?

SPEAKER_00 1:38

Yeah. So here's here's what it starts with. So it starts and I'll give you a couple things, but I think it starts with the vision, right? What do we want to do this summer? Think back to last summer. What did you love last summer? What did you not love last summer? Right. And then figure out what's what is your vision for for the summer? For for real estate, for your for your business, for your kids, for your relationships, for your health. What do you what do you what's the vision of that? I think that's where you start, right? Okay, we want to do a vacation. I want to, you know, I don't want to work Sundays. I want like what are those things? So I think you start with like the vision of it, then we start putting in the pieces to actually get there. So I think it starts with the vision.

SPEAKER_02 2:13

Yeah. No, I I agree with that. I do agree with the vision, but I feel like people right now that if they're watching this, like the title grabbed them, they're like, oh shit. Because here's what I'm seeing with some of my agents. They're going on a ton of vacations, which I get it, dude. Like my daughter's getting ready to go to high school, I only got so many summers left. Like, gotta do it. But I might sound like an asshole when I say this. Just because you're on vacation doesn't mean you don't work, right? Yes. If you do one, I've got a I've got an agent getting ready to take a two-week vacation to like Colorado and she's been playing for a while. Perfect. I got her set up. We got people covering for, like, take it, take it off. But if you're trying to make a long weekend every weekend or half a week every week all summer, people think that they get vacations in real estate. I don't believe you do. I believe you get one, but like then you have to adapt where you're working from. That's the only difference.

SPEAKER_00 2:58

And and here's where I would argue with you. I think that a lot of people that are watching watching this could have they get one of my clients takes a week vacation every month. That's amazing. Right now, here's the thing it didn't happen overnight. For sure. And she had to put a lot of planning in place. So I think that here's the here's the piece of this that I want everyone to consider is what are the musts? So, what are your goals? What are the musts? What are the activities you need to do? And maybe you need to make 50 contacts a week. Well, cool, you can do that on Monday, Tuesday, and then take the other three days off if that's all you need to do. But what are the musts you need to do? And I think that's where it starts. Like, what are the musts? And then it starts with, and you and I preach this all the time, but sit down and write out your ideal average week, right? What right or your ideal average summer, but what is your ideal average week? What do you do on Monday? What's what's required? And then put that into the calendar, right? What's required for life, business, health, everything else, and then write out your ideal average week and see if you can get everything in there. And then here's the thing: if you can't get it all in there, you better go back to the basics. If if you just want to do your business by referral, but that's not going to bring enough business, we got to go back. If you want to take a week off every single month, we got to figure out what we need to do to get there. So I think it starts with writing out what is my ideal average week and blocks and then go from there.

SPEAKER_02 4:13

Okay. Fair, fair. But now we're in the thick of it. Right. So I do I think when people say, when you say the ideal week, I've said that before and they're like, I don't time block very well. So here's the difference. I see it. I have my calendar and then I have my ideal week. So therefore, if I don't have a block during that time, I know what I could or should be doing, right? Like whether it's attraction or content or whatever, I may have an appointment during my content block. Okay. But if I didn't, I know during that time what I'll revert back to. Because if you don't have it set aside or pre-planned or at least a fallback topic, you're just gonna think of something else. I'm like, you know what? I should go vacuum out my car right now. Like, I think that'd be a good idea.

SPEAKER_03 4:51

So I do agree with you. They need an ideal week, but being successful isn't about working hard.

SPEAKER_00 4:57

It's about following a schedule that matches your goals. Sure. Yeah. And and you're people that go, I don't time block, I don't schedule. You cannot name one person you know that doesn't have a schedule and has the life you would actually like to have. Meaning they go home for dinner, they take vacations without their phone, they show up with their kids' events, whatever's like you can't name one person unless they're just independently wealthy. You know, grandpa, grandpa sold Heinz, right? Right, but every other person, like following your having a schedule following is just one of the things you better come to terms with. Now, there's lots of different ways, and some people do big windows, and some people do little windows. There's lots of ways, but not having a time management system, you cannot be successful.

SPEAKER_02 5:43

Yeah, I was trying to find this quote I saw the other day. I'm a I'm a sucker for a good quote, you know, screenshot it, you know, it makes me feel good. But yeah, it's like, you know, you're mad at yourself for not living the life you want to live, but yet you're not living the life you want to live. You know, like you're not doing it. I mean, and it goes back. I talked to a really successful agent this morning, Rush Garden Coffee, and she's like, My friends just think I'm wealthy. She's like, they don't see it. And you know, it's that whole meme going around the internet. It's like, hey, must be nice. I think you even did one. It's like, yeah, you didn't see me get up at 5 a.m. to go work out so I can take my kids to school. Must be nice. Like, that's the shit. Is I think people, and I just this podcast just took a complete left turn from like planning for the summer, but you gotta, you gotta want it. And I think people say they want it, they get frustrated that they want it and they don't get it, and then they're mad that they didn't get it. And you're like, but you never did anything to get it.

SPEAKER_00 6:28

Well, and and here's the five-step success system, right? It the the step one is what do I want? Right, and and why do I want that? Step two, in a sense, is like, what is it going to take? Right? Like, I want to be in shape. I wonder, like, what is it going to take? And then step three is am I willing to pay that price? Now, if if you figure out what it's gonna take and you're not willing to pay the price, go back to the drawing board, right? That that's oh that's I'm okay with that. What I'm not okay with is here's what I want and delusion, delusion, delusion. December 31st, why didn't it happen? Right. What I'm okay with is here's what I want, here's why I want it, here's what it's gonna take. Do the math, right? Like, oh, it's gonna take me getting up at 5:30. It's gonna take this and this, it's gonna take saying no to some people, but that's okay because I did that. Like, where is it going to take then making the commitment? And then step four is you know, doing the work. Step five is doing the work when you don't feel like doing the work, right? But I think that's the key is is doing the math. It's like you said everybody wants what what you have, but are they willing to do what you did? And I think that's the math part of going back. So when you think about schedule, the summer it's like, hey, if you want to take every weekend off, that's probably possible. Guess what? You better figure out how to nail the week, right? Or or you better say no to the clients that aren't high paying and highly motivated, right? You you better say no to the clients that are three towns over and refer that out for a 30% referral fee instead of you know 15 hours of you driving. Like those are the kind of decisions that people need need to wrestle with and then make.

SPEAKER_02 7:52

Yeah, I'd rat much rather get a referral fee and have my weekend than not and not have six weekends, right? Like it's it's it's a it's a give and take. And I know people out there going, like, I don't have a lot of business, I gotta take what I can get. For sure. Then shut up. Just get what you can get. Get it. And then earn the right to take that week off, like your client. But you so many people haven't earned the right to take it off. And I know we feel like we're berating people, but like I'm just trying to put your mind where it needs to be.

SPEAKER_03 8:18

And the mind is where you're at. Dude, I'm with you.

SPEAKER_00 8:21

I'm I'm doing some calls on Saturday this week. Guess what? Because that's what I need to do. Right? I I I that's not my ideal. I don't hardly ever do it. But guess what? This Saturday, you better believe I'm doing it because that's what is required for me to do to get where I want to go. Right. Here's the other thing. I love the quote that says you lead generate so you don't have to tolerate. Ooh. Enough lead generate, and I don't have to tolerate the Sunday morning at 6 a.m. buyers, right? I lead generate, I don't have to tolerate the people that aren't gonna make right enough lead generation and you won't have to tolerate that stuff. So I think that's the people then I don't have enough business. It's like, I get it. Yeah, you're gonna have to go show at 6 a.m. But if you made a hundred calls next week instead of 15 calls like you did last week, guess what? You could pick and choose the people you work with.

SPEAKER_02 9:05

So I think that's too busy for a hundred calls, too busy, too busy.

SPEAKER_00 9:09

Then then then yeah, get get your life. Yeah, you know, due to the time tracking, Brad tells you for three days and then tell me you're too busy. Do a 50-minute track for three days and then and then we'll decide if you are too busy or not. And if you are, cool, we'll figure out what needs what needs to get out and put in. The second piece is be the driver. And what I mean by that is, and this is for so many of us, when you're talking to a client, they go, Oh, I want to I want to sell my house. And we go, all right, when you know what what works good for you? The worst, most horrendous question you can ask, right? A better question is I have Thursday at three or Friday at two, which one of those is best for you? Now, they may not be able to take one of those, but at least you're attempting to drive the ship, right? So get people to work within that. And when you lead, they'll usually follow. Yes, there's always the exception of the person that, hey, they can only meet Sunday morning at 5 a.m., right? I get that there's exceptions, but at least attempt to drive to drive the ship.

SPEAKER_02 10:02

Well, also, exceptions are an exception. So many people have so many exceptions because they just can't. And it's like, no, guys, if you ask somebody what works best for them, they give you what works best for them. They do not care about your schedule, they don't give a shit about nothing. So yeah. Yeah, I love what you just said.

SPEAKER_00 10:17

Like it's it's a pattern. Like, I remember one of my clients, this is this is not very many weeks ago, so I won't I won't say their name. But they're like, oh, it was just a it was just an off week. And I'm like, I love you. This is like your 38th off week in a row. Like, this is not a off week, this is a pattern. And when are we gonna just have the real conversation that every week is an off week, which means you have no control? This is this is bizarre, right? When are you gonna do what you say you need to do? Right. So I think you have to look for patterns too. Like, if every day is a shit jump, that's probably on you, right? If if your calendar is always out of whack, you gotta go take back and take responsibility. So then the the next of that's we have vision, right? We have get clear on on your ideal week and your priorities, what needs to get done. Does that make sense? Right, and start taking accountability. And then the next one would be get some help. You probably need to get some help, and that can look all sorts of different ways. Some people they need to get an assistant, they need to get a transaction quarter, whatever it is, that's cool. But look at the other ways, too. What are the other ways they need to get help? And some of those might surprise people. The other way is maybe you need a teenage kid to drive you two days a week so you can sit in the back and get a bunch of things done or make those, make those hundred calls you need to make. Maybe you need to get someone to drive your own. Maybe you need to get someone to come over for an hour and a half, three days a week, and do laundry, pick up the kitchen, and put the put you know dinner in the oven. It's probably it may be different than you assume it needs to be.

SPEAKER_02 11:38

Yeah. No, I mean, I'm a big advocate of not getting an assistant right away. Like so many people want to get a TC and an assistant, but yet they don't have their life in order enough to give them the stuff that they need. So it just makes it a bigger cluster. So I agree with you. Take off some personal stuff so you can focus on the professional stuff and then build yourself out of it because that is that's more cost effective. And plus you're not worn out at home. My wife made me get a landscaper this year for the first time ever. Like I like cutting my grass, but it's a full day. I got about an acre yard and it's it's a mess.

unknown 12:07

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 12:07

But guess what I'm doing now in Saturday?

SPEAKER_00 12:09

And that's when you do that ideal schedule and you're like, oh shoot, I don't just because I enjoy doing this doesn't mean and and I'm saving money, doesn't mean it's the right thing to do, right? Oh wow, I could get every other Saturday back. Like I probably need to, you love going to the grocery store, but it takes four hours a week. Maybe you need to delegate that out or get them delivered, right? There's things you need to look at. But here's what here's what I think this is interesting. We did a call yesterday with this guy, and that he talked about how like 85, 90% of people think they're self-aware, right? Only like five to 10% of people actually have a lot of quote-unquote self-awareness. So everybody thinks they have, most people don't. And and this is where I think coaching and being around other people can help create some of that awareness because it's it's not just that you're not making decisions, sometimes you're just not aware, right? And I think usually it takes someone else saying something or it takes hearing from somebody else to create new awareness, like the time tracker. That's to create awareness, having a coach that goes, Why are you going to the grocery store twice a week? Right, like like those kind of things that create awareness.

SPEAKER_02 13:05

And that's what I love about our E4 and E5 stuff, because like our unofficial motto is like, oh shit. Like it's when you get it and like somebody's like, they don't necessarily call you on it, but you just start putting pieces, you're like, Oh shit, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 13:16

Yep. Damn. So I was telling one of our E4 members this morning, and she was talking about how like she doesn't work nights and weekends anymore because of the conversations that we've had and the things she's learned from us and ever and and others, which is I'm giving her life back.

SPEAKER_02 13:30

Yeah, no doubt. So we didn't really help anybody with their summer schedule, but that's okay. You need to hear the story anyways. But what you can do is start now and work on your winter schedule. Because you know that the fall's coming. If you got kids, August is coming. Like, how do you want to be? Go ahead and set up the drive the uh the drive into school part. Like, what days are you doing? What days aren't you doing? And that'll help you build it out. But like you said, Wayne, I think first and foremost, do a time tracker, sit down with somebody, even if you got to pay them, to talk you through it officially and be like, this is where I see you could give this up. This is where I see you could give that up. And it's a trust step. Like you got to do it, trust that it'll be done. You gotta do it, trust it'll be done. But you're spending so many people are spending 80% of their time on non-income producing activities. It's it's comical at some point.

SPEAKER_00 14:14

Yeah, yeah. Yeah, I I think it is. You when you when you really evaluate how much money you want to make a year and you divide that by the hours you want to work and you figure out how much your hourly wage really should be, you start looking at all these other things that you can, you know, delegate out, leverage, get rid of, and it becomes it becomes pretty, pretty beautiful at the end of the day. So I would say like if you if you write out your ideal average week and it doesn't work, like reach out to us, let's have a conversation, let's figure this out together because I don't think it needs to just be brutal. I'm I'm on a mission that nobody has brutal summers, right? We'll do the hard work, but it still should be a beautiful thing. And and figuring it out in advance. And we say this all the time the price of success is intentionality, being intentional about my schedule, being intentional about what I'm saying yes to, what I'm saying no to. That's the intentional piece, is is so huge.

SPEAKER_02 15:00

Hey, real quick, if you're liking this content, imagine having a full day immersed with people that are on this like us that are learning from each other.

SPEAKER_01 15:09

Man, we do these kind of events, these intensive, a couple times a year. And if you know that you are the smartest person in the room and you need to get into other rooms, this is the place to be, right? So apply, send us a message right now, we'll send you the application link and see if you are the right fit to be in one of the rooms.