When to take time off in Real Estate

Real estate can be a very full-on job and as a result, you can end up working all the hours that God sends. There never seems to be enough hours in a day and we never seem to get the work done that we need to. There is just more work, weekends, late nights, it just never ends.

This can become a problem when agents are working 15 to 20hour days without taking a break. The human body just wasn’t designed to work for those stretches of time and this practice can become very dangerous, with you suffering from burn-out and health issues. You may not see this in the first year or two, but sooner or later it will catch up and you will pay the price. Your physical and mental wellbeing is the most important thing in life. Even more important than family, because without your health you cannot help your family.

So, when is the best time to take off work for a real estate agent without it affecting your Income?

It is true that when a real estate agent is away from work or on holiday, they lose money because, as we all know “Real Estate waits for no one!”, which makes it even more difficult to step away. First of all, every agent needs one day off every week. No don’t argue with me, just take a day off every week. Your body, your mind, and your soul need it whether you think you do or not.

Ok, what about long weekends? In my opinion, agents should have every 6th weekend off for a long weekend. I’m not talking about your traditional long weekend, I’m talking about a long weekend being Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and Monday. Yes, a full long weekend.

What about holidays?

In my experience, the best time to take holidays is around the school holidays. It seems that whenever school holidays are happening, the market quietens down. There are two obvious reasons for this:

• The parents are away with their kids or
• They are at home taking care of the kids

Therefore, it’s not exactly the ideal time to be getting agents in to list the property. It’s also not the best time to be shopping for property either.

This one may sound like a no-brainer, but I also believe that you should take a few weeks off at Christmas. Christmas is probably the quietest time of the year and the best time to take long holidays. Yes, there is still activity, but let the young gun rookies who are hungry for the business work over the Christmas break and holidays.

School holidays is another good time to take a week or two, in fact, the winter school holiday period is a great time to head up north to the warmer more beautiful parts of the country. Trust me when I say it will recharge your batteries and make you realize what it is all about.

Easter is another great time to get away from work. This year (2019) Easter, with ANZAC Day in the middle, meant you could take three working days off resulting in ten full days off! While this isn’t going to happen every year, this time of year is still a great opportunity to step away.

Remember, you don’t have anything to prove to anyone. If you’ve been working hard and are feeling tired and your family is in need of some attention take a break. There are exactly 7 High Dollar Productive Activities that all real estate agents should focus on and I’ve always taught that number 7 is to spend time with family and friends because that’s what is most important in life.

So, go ahead and book some time off. You can tell your boss Ryan said it was OK!

To learn more about the 7 High Dollar Productive Activities and how to earn more while taking more time off, make sure you register for my upcoming FREE half-day Real Estate Brilliance webinar.