Property managers managing… their time?

Article by PropertyMe 10 June 2014

Let’s talk time management

Most have issues with it, roll their eyes when someone talks about it, or try to tackle it for a day and give up. In saying this, due to the nature of property management, there has to be some form of time management (otherwise you would be a crazy, crazy mess).

However, if you’re feeling like you’re achieving nothing and spending loads of time on everything, it might be time to think about some proactive steps to get your life back in some sort of order.

Michael Furlong (Principal and Director at MAP Real Estate) recently told Residential Property Manager that he has changed the way his office works. Office hours are now 10am – 4pm Monday to Friday, and Michael claims that this is one of the primary reasons for the company’s success. The staff still work from 9am-5pm, however the extra 2 hours allows them time where they can not be interrupted by the public.

Michael is not the only one, with an increase in agencies following this trend to try and regain their productivity (and sanity). You can do it too! Below are some points on how you can begin to organise your workflow and bring some zen into your workspace.

• Start by keeping a diary of how you spend your time for one week, then review it and see what you are spending the most time on.
• Never start a day without a ‘To Do’ list.
• At the end of the day, review your list to see how much you have accomplished, and what you could have done better. Then create the next day’s list.
• Set a big overarching goal, then break it up into smaller goals and make those your daily priorities.
• Dedicate one hour in the morning, one hour in the evening for these goals. Don’t answer emails and don’t take any calls in those times.
• Clear your workspace of clutter and get rid of any distractions around you.
• Set strict time limits on meetings
  • This includes ensuring you are on time for all meetings and finishing a meeting as planned.
• Introduce ‘stand up’ meetings, where everyone in the team stands together at the start of each day and quickly runs through their previous day, and what their current day ahead looks like.

The rest is up to you. There’s no harm in trying, and who knows, you might just find some extra time to do the things that you thought were just not possible (like the washing mountain on the floor of your living room).