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Mental health and work/life balance are important to achieving a long-running career, especially in an energy-draining environment such as sales. Here’s how you can win back time.
PRDnationwide's Mark Kentwell who was the top-ranked regional agent in REB's Top 100 Agents listing, says balance doesn't always come naturally, and instead it's about planning, preparation and pre-empting.
"I think you need to put the same amount of discipline into your work/life balance as you do in your work," he tells REB. "That comes from planning.
"When we plan each year, I'm not interested in what commission [the agents are] going to raise, I'm interested in when they're booking their holidays in."
Mr Kentwell says he likes his team to have four breaks a year, two little ones ("what I call a recharge") and two "big knockout ones".
Balance goes beyond just taking holidays though, he says, reminding agents their day-to-day activities are just as important.
"Even in the evenings when you finish work, have some discipline around when you stop working on the screen because that will affect your sleep. Have a wind-down routine at the end of the day. If Sunday's your recharge day, then make it your recharge day.... Be present. Be with your family or your partner or your friends or just get some time on your own. But it needs to be planned because if will overcome and consume you."
Freedom Property echoes this advice and says agents should be able to reclaim their personal time.
Founder and CEO Randall Curry said the network – which doesn’t require agents to have an office or even hire any staff – supports a looser work lifestyle.
“A lot of our agents choose to work from home and they can have a lot more freedom as such because they’re not tied to a desk. They don’t have to be in an office. If they choose to go away for three months on holidays they can ... so they’ve really got the flexibility of running any type of real estate business that they wish,” Mr Curry said.
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