Today Was Not a Great Day

I sat down today to write a post I've had planned for a week now, but instead I'm writing this one. I'm writing this one because, today, I am burned out. And frustrated. And tired. And today, this whole thing feels impossible. Or maybe not impossible, but close to it.

Today I tried really hard to study. And today I just couldn't.

Today I am overwhelmed. Maybe you are too. Or maybe you aren't today, but you were yesterday. Or will be tomorrow. Anyway, it seems dishonest or disingenuous to me to write a post with study tips when I'm struggling so much.

So, I'm not going to write that post. Instead I'm writing this one.

I'm writing, in part, because writing is how I express myself. It's how the jumble of thoughts and feelings get out of my brain and I release myself from the burden of carrying them around with me.

That's my first tip for recovering from a bad day. Whether you're a write-it-down kind of person, like me, or whether you're a talk it out person--do that thing. Vent your fears, or frustrations in whatever (healthy) way appeals to you.

But I'm also writing it down because that's how I figure out whether this is just a bad day, or whether it's the culmination of many days of doing too much with too little rest.

I chose to share it on the blog because there's nothing worse than struggling with something and thinking you're the only one. Or thinking that because it's a struggle, it's a sign you've made a huge mistake and never should have pursued whatever the thing is that you're overwhelmed by at the moment.

So, if you're having a rough day or a rough week: I'm with you. This is hard.

Social media, including blogs, often only show the parts of our lives we want other people to see. The pretty parts. The parts where it looks like we've got it all together. The parts where we make it all look easy. And effortless.

Sometimes life is pretty. And easy. And effortless. And sometimes we do have it all together. But sometimes we don't.

I don't. That doesn't mean this was all a big mistake. Or that I'm failing.

If this is more than just a bad day for you too, it's okay to re-structure how you're studying. I think I committed to too many hours, given the other things on my plate. I probably should have added in an extra week or two into my plans, to avoid burnout. I also didn't incorporate days off (despite advice to the contrary).

Where to Go From Here?

I'm at the tail end of my studying process, but I'm going to make some changes for these last days.

I'm taking days off each of my remaining weeks. I might look at some flash cards if I find myself with a few minutes of time waiting for a friend or for an appointment or something. But I'm going to have two days where I don't have any scheduled study time.

I'm rewarding myself with some of the things that bring me joy and/or relaxation. I loaded a non-real estate book onto my Kindle and I'm giving myself permission to read it a little bit each day. On one of my days off, I'm going to read a lot of it!

I scheduled a massage at a day spa. Sitting at my study desk all these hours is wreaking havoc on my back and shoulders. So, Monday I'm going to my favorite day spa for a massage.

I'm committing to taking a break when I first notice my attention start to wander during a study session. If my concentration is going, it's time for a 5-minute break.

I'm cleaning-up my sleep habits. Screen time stops at least an hour before bed. No caffeine in the evenings. No more pushing to stay awake long after my eyes are telling me they want to be closed.

And finally, I'm changing my plans for the day before the exam. I was going to have a big cram session that day, but I'm re-thinking that now. My current plan is to take the day before off from my other jobs and have a relaxing day at home. I'm going to get a workout in, eat well and get as much rest as I can get. Then the morning of the exam, I'll review those few concepts that continue to challenge me before heading off to the testing center.

Have you had any tough days as you go through this process? What are you doing to take care of yourself and make sure you get through it in a healthy way? Please share any tips you have below!

Making Money in Maui

"I do it! I do it!" Do you remember when your kids were at this stage of life? Or maybe they are right now... Anyway, I remember my daughter, Bella, saying, "Bella do it. Bella do it. Bella do it," a lot when she was little. That first flash of independence--of wanting to do everything and wanting to do it now--can be such a moment of bittersweet pride for a parent. But that "I can do it all myself," instinct can be destructive as we transition into our professional lives, especially for us business-owners, can't it?

One of the blessings that being a Realtor has given to me is the freedom and flexibility I've needed as a mom. In fact, one of the reasons I chose this career specifically was because I knew I could structure my day in such a way that I could work while my kids were in school and then be at home when they were.

The reality of this business though is that it can take over your world 24/7 if you let it. It will take up the space it's given, which is why we have to be so careful about setting boundaries where and when we can.

You may be asking whether setting boundaries on your business is also limiting what you can achieve. And the answer is that yes, it probably would, but for leverage.

Many agents function in real estate solo. They've structured their business in such a way that if they themselves are not actively doing something, money is not being made. This is just as limiting as setting boundaries, if you think about it. There's only so much one person can do with the hours in a day. And there's only so much you can do before you burnout.

The shift comes when we embrace the idea of hiring people and establishing systems that allow you to leverage other means of productivity to run your business. In a practical sense, leverage means you could be on the beach in Maui while still making money for your business at home.

Do I have your attention now?

Thought so :-)

When we shift from I do it, to we do it to THEY do it, then you know you've arrived. I took a 2-week honeymoon last year. Two weeks of almost no wi-fi or cell reception and my team had sold 4 homes by the time I got back. It's so important to surround yourself with trustworthy individuals who can cover you when you need it, and systems that would allow anyone to come in and keep things thriving, regardless of your presence.

Here are examples of how to leverage your time and effort, taken from specific things I did in almost exactly the order in which I did them.

Pay for transaction coordination as-needed. Once a sale was under contract, I turned the paperwork over to people in my office who would act as a transaction coordinator for a fee. That freed me up to generate leads and meet with prospective clients.

Hire a part-time (or full-time), licensed executive assistant. Give anything that doesn't require your active involvement to someone else. Scheduling, maintaining your website, ordering office supplies, dealing with vendors, marketing tasks, etc. can all go to a skilled and trained assistant. They can get you involved in a task when you're needed.

Take advantage of automated systems. Keller Williams has tons of systems in place for agents to use, including email campaigns. I enroll everyone in my sphere of influence into one campaign or another. The campaign sends out regular communication to my contacts and reminds me of important follow-up activities. My team and I also create systems, customized to our business. We make everything as simple as we can and follow the procedures we establish. We have procedures for responding to client leads, for developing CMA's, for hosting open houses--you name it, we've probably got a system for it.

Hire other team members as dictated by your business. This may mean brokers, listing coordinators or contractors to help on specific projects that you don't have the expertise to complete efficiently. It doesn't help my business if I spend 100 hours designing a website, when a professional would have done it in 10. Those 100 hours are hours I'm not meeting new business leads, so it's not the highest and best use of my time. Speaking of which...

Find your highest and best use. This will be different for everyone, but for me, my highest and best use is generating client leads. Almost everything else can be delegated to someone else on my team.

iPhone Laptop

Maybe you're a mom like I was, looking for extra income. Or maybe you're not a parent, but are ready for a career change and love the idea of having your own business. Real estate could be the answer! Contact me and let's chat. I'm happy to share my experience with you.

Mega Mom Event!

Are you a Realtor,  balancing your business with your role as a mom? I am too! If you're in the Greater Seattle area, consider joining me and other mom-agents for my Mega Mom Mastermind event.

I'm hosting this opportunity for collaboration and support on Monday, October 2nd from 12-1:30PM. Lunch will be provided by my friends at Eagle Home Mortgage, Stephen Wright and Sunny Wilson. Just bring yourself, your ideas and your questions and we'll have a great conversation.

The event is free, but seating is limited. To reserve your spot, RSVP to Kate Roussell Favaloro at k.roussellfav@kw.com today. Contact me with any questions.

Hope to see you there!

Signs Online Studying Is Right for You

Hi there everyone! I'm jumping on the blog again to talk study strategies for aspiring real estate agents. As you may remember, I chose to study for my real estate licensing exam entirely online. But you also have the option of taking a live class. Both are legitimate. Both have impressive exam pass rates to recommend them. So, how do you know which one is right for you? Here are a few signs that online is best choice for you.

You Know how to design an effective study schedule and you know you will stick to it without outside supervision/structure. You can break down the large amount of content into manageable pieces, without getting overwhelmed by the whole. You are confident that you can accurately estimate how long each piece will take and then extrapolate that to determine a realistic target exam date.

You will show up for your studying shifts even if no one else knows you did. You know how to dig deeper on concepts or terms that you don't understand, and find the information you need online or in your textbooks. But you also know when you need to ask for help from an expert, how to do that, and aren't afraid to do so.

You Want to Go at Your Own Pace. Which, by the way, could be quicker or more slowly than an in-person class is likely to go. You don't want to be rushed through lessons that challenge you (for me that was Real Estate Math!), and you don't want to be held back on sections that you find easier. It would frustrate you equally to sit in a class and have to listen to concepts you already understand explained multiple times; or to feel like the only person in the room who was struggling with a concept and have the instructor move on before you were ready.

You Have an Accountability Partner Already. You have someone who has agreed to check-in with you regularly. Someone who knows the study goals (hours and exam date) you've set for yourself. Someone to whom you will have to confess if you don't reach them. Someone who will call you on it if your target exam date comes and goes and you're still re-reading lesson 5 from the Fundamentals course.

You Need Flexibility. Whether it's because of your work schedule, family or other obligations, you can't commit to being in a classroom on the same night every week for an extended period of time.

You're Comfortable with Technology. You're comfortable with computers and navigating online course formats. You know how to pace yourself so that you give your eyes a break from the screen. The idea of sitting in front of a computer for 90 hours over the course of a couple of months studying this stuff doesn't make you shudder.

You Don't Need Face-to-Face Time. It doesn't help you to discuss concepts with classmates, and/or you have people in your life who are happy to listen to you talk about what you're learning so that you can cement the concepts in your brain. You are okay with hours of independent work and you don't crave a sense of camaraderie in this process.

There Aren't Any Live Courses Available/The Timeframe of Live Courses Isn't Convenient. This one is pretty self-explanatory.

I want to close by saying that none of the qualities I've listed above are objectively better or worse than their opposites. They're just different. Different people work best in different environments, but it's not a value judgement. The idea really is to be honest with yourself about yourself and then pick strategies that will set you up for success.

If you have study tips or if you have questions please share them in the space below and we'll do our best to respond. Thanks!

Who Do We Want to Be?

This week is the week of sharing, apparently, because I'm popping back onto the blog to share another article with you. Click the link below to read it. It's a quick read, but an amazing story. Keller Williams Realty Greater Des Moines RISES ABOVE Unethical Business Practices.

This story represents who Keller Williams is as a company, in more ways than one, so I wanted to make sure as many people read it as possible. Companies draft mission statements and belief systems all the time. But when faced with a choice between living those principles and making a profit--well, there are plenty of stories about companies who choose the latter. I love this story because it's a great example of trusting that by doing the right thing, good things will come to you.

And if you read it and say, "that is the kind of company I want to work for," call or email me today.