Mastering Your Schedule

Master Your Schedule

The greatest skill one can develop is decreasing the time between idea and execution.

This chapter is all about how to decrease that time by mastering your schedule. We’ll look at it from monthly, weekly, and daily perspectives. First, you need to buy a 12-month weekly planner—you can find one online or use the link on page Link to Planner for a discounted option. Once you have your weekly planner, follow the steps below to set it up and maximize productivity. Remember, your schedule is only as good as your discipline to follow it. At Keller Williams, they would say: “If it’s not on your calendar, it doesn’t exist.” You should adopt this rule, and for consistent results, you must stick to your schedule.

Monthly Planning

Take your weekly planner and go to the page that shows the month in a calendar view. Grab a pencil (use a pencil, not a pen) and go through each month to note:

• Planned vacation time
• Days off
• Real estate events/meetings
• Work hours (don’t be too specific on tasks yet—labeling them as “lead generation” or “work” is fine)

Revisit and update your monthly plan on a monthly or bi-monthly basis.

Weekly Calendar

Now, on your weekly calendar, reflect the tasks you noted in your monthly view:

• Planned vacations
• Days off
• Real estate events
• Work hours

At this stage, you want to get more specific with your “work hours.” What exactly are you doing during this time? A typical workday might look like this:

• Emails
• Lead generation: outbound calls, texts, and marketing
• Lead follow-up: tasks and client outreach
• Flex time: for showings, follow-up tasks, appointments, etc.

For weekends, I typically take one day off and dedicate the other to one task, leaving the rest of the day as a flex day for follow-ups, appointments, etc.

Daily Planning

On a daily basis, you’ll get the most specific. A helpful tool to maximize your time and productivity is time blocking. Time blocking means setting specific time frames for the tasks you want to accomplish each day.

A time-blocked calendar might look like this:

Or like this:

Time blocking helps you focus on one task at a time instead of being overwhelmed by multiple tasks and leaving them unfinished. As they say, “The best way to eat an elephant is one bite at a time.” Similarly, approach your day by completing one task at a time to maximize efficiency.

By incorporating time blocking, you’ll create more time for the tasks that generate the most income.