September 12th, 2018
Why property managers leave
Property Management
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As a property manager, you’re often expected to wear a number of different hats. On weekdays, you’re inspecting and listing properties, touching base with clients, completing paperwork, disbursing funds and scheduling maintenance. On weekends, you’re hosting open for inspections and following up leads. Before you know it, you start feeling stressed and burnt out.
Well, you’re not alone. Studies show that up to 65% of real estate agents admit to feeling stressed with 47% suffering from physical symptoms of anxiety. While some stress can be beneficial, it’s important to recognise when you’re over-stressed and to take actionable steps to reduce your stress and anxiety.
To help you out, here are seven things you can do today to reduce property management stress:
1. Take care of your physical health
Physical health and mental health are intrinsically linked. Therefore, if you take care of your physical health, it can positively impact your mental health and vice versa. This can be achieved by:
Eating healthy
Eating a well-balanced diet can boost your mood and reduce your risk of disease. You should include the five food groups in your diet and limit your intake of fats, sodium, sugar, processed foods and caffeine.
Getting enough sleep
Lack of sleep can negatively impact your memory, concentration, mood and overall health. That’s why it’s important to get enough sleep so that your body has enough time to recover. Be sure to get at least eight hours of sleep every night.
Drinking enough water
On average, the human body is made up of 60% water. So when you don’t drink enough water, it can negatively affect your motor skills, attention, memory and mood. It is recommended that you drink eight glasses of water every day.
Exercising regularly
Exercise can help reduce skeletal muscle tension, increase your energy levels, boost your mood and help you sleep better. Just 30 minutes of moderate exercise, at least five days a week can make a big difference on your physical and mental health.
Avoiding alcohol, drugs and smoking
Alcohol, drugs and smoking can harm your body in many ways and lead to chronic disease. Avoid these unhealthy substances as much as possible to maintain good physical health.
2. Eliminate distractions
Distractions are everywhere: the 12 tabs you have open in your browser, your email notifications ticking up, the printer constantly whirring, your mobile buzzing every few minutes, Melissa telling Sam about her recent inspection…
Then your phone rings…
If you have something really urgent that you need to do, be sure to eliminate distractions by setting your mobile to aeroplane mode, closing redundant browser tabs and locking yourself in a meeting room for an hour or two. This way, you can focus on the task at hand and get it done quickly and efficiently.
3. Meditate
Meditation is a simple relaxation technique that can help you reduce stress, decrease anxiety and lower blood pressure. Find a quiet place free of distractions to sit with your eyes closed for 10 to 20 minutes. Focus on breathing and relax your muscles, starting from your feet to your face.
If you’re new to meditation, download an app like Calm or Headspace to guide you through what to do. Both apps have a wide variety of guided meditation courses and audio experiences that you can try.
4. Take a break
According to a study published on Science Daily, stress can be readily communicated and transmitted to others, sometimes without even knowing it. So if you’re feeling stressed, step away from your desk and take a quick 10 minute break.
Try going for a walk, make a cup of tea, listen to some music, read a chapter of a book or find a quiet place to meditate. A short break can help you restore mental and physical balance and frees up your mind to think about other things.
5. Automate tasks
Gone are the days where you have to manually enter bill details and go through your statements line by line to reconcile your accounts. You can now simplify your workload by automating tedious property management tasks. This can save you hours every week, freeing you up for more important tasks. In the long run, this can also help you restore work-life balance.
There are various programs available that can help you perform different tasks. You can manage leads and transactions straight from your Gmail using Streak for Gmail. You can send automated emails to prospects using Mailchimp. You can check in prospects at an open home and send automated follow-ups using Open Home Pro. You can scan bills to capture details, automatically reconcile your accounts and disburse owners and suppliers in minutes with PropertyMe.
Read more about The Rise of Real Estate Robots and Automation.
6. Ask for help
When you don’t feel your best, you don’t operate at your best, which can greatly impact your decision-making and productivity at work. That’s why, when you’re feeling stressed and overwhelmed, don’t be afraid to ask your coworkers and managers for help. This might mean asking your manager to delegate some of your tasks to others or talking through an issue with a coworker to find a solution.
Additionally, sharing your work troubles and stressors with your friends and family can help you alleviate stress and anxiety. Not only will they be happy to lend an ear, but they might also be able to help you see things from a different perspective.
7. Perform a mind dump
Is your to-do list constantly running through your mind?
If so, take five minutes to write it all down. Dump it all out: your to-do list, thoughts, feelings and ideas. Not only can this help relieve stress, but it can also help you gain control of your emotions, clear your mind and improve your overall mental health.
This is especially beneficial before you go to bed. Neuroscientists have found that writing a list of 10 things you need to achieve over the next few days can help you fall asleep 15 minutes faster. Plus, it helps you prepare for the next day as you already have your tasks written out for you to prioritise when you wake up.
Hopefully you’ve enjoyed this blog post on how to reduce property management stress. You might also be interested in Why Property Managers Leave, 7 Time Management Tips for Real Estate Agents and 10 Incredibly Useful Tech Tools Every Real Estate Agent Needs.
Did we miss anything in How to Reduce Property Management Stress? Please let us know in the comments below.
