Trying to pull yourself out of a real estate motivation slump and still hitting a wall? We’ll be honest, it has happened to most of us. Real estate can be a lonely grind, and we’ve all had days or even weeks when we’ve lost our motivation. While this is an all too common problem, we have some proven strategies and resources to help you get your mojo back—and start kicking butt and taking names.
1. Slow Down & Take a Break
Many struggling agents drop out of real estate or pile on more work when they hit a slump of real estate motivation. We want to gently nudge you in a different direction because we bet you can get that motivation back no matter what challenges you’re facing.
Let’s start with the fact that research increasingly shows that it’s general happiness that drives work satisfaction. Shawn Achor, author of “The Happiness Factor,” argues that 75% of success is predicted by three things: optimism, social connections, and how you perceive stress.
There is an important correlation between burnout and quality of life. So while many people pile on additional busy work when they are struggling, it might backfire and make you feel even more overwhelmed and tired.
Instead, do the opposite.
Let’s focus on that 75% factor. Reducing stressors in your life, changing your schedule, hitting concrete objectives, and working on improving happiness can get your motivation back and help you to begin hitting your goals.
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2. Identify & Solve Your Most Pressing Problems
Your problems are virtually impossible to deal with when they’re tearing around in your head, so take a few minutes in a quiet space to write each one down. They might not look as scary on the page as they do in the deep recesses of your imagination at 3 a.m.
These nagging issues are weighing you down like anchors, literal drags, and will zap you of all real estate motivation. The solution is to develop actionable, concrete plans for each problem.
Have a medical issue you’ve been putting off? Schedule that doctor’s appointment.
Have toxic friends who only hold you down or stress you out? Got to cut them loose.
Of course, not all the obvious stressors in your life will be this clear-cut, and you probably won’t be able to fix all of them in one day. That’s OK—just do your best and make a plan to address the ones that need more work.
Freeing yourself of anchors allows you to be more optimistic and less stressed so that you can focus on bigger and more complicated problems.
3. Divide & Conquer Your Schedule
Now that you have identified and worked out solutions for some of your stressors, it’s time to tackle your schedule. Scheduling is a common cause of feelings of helplessness and chaos. No one really prepares you for how overwhelming it can be to run your own business.
One important way to conquer your schedule is to be highly specific when assigning tasks. For example, don’t just schedule “lead generation”—schedule specific tasks you want to complete, like “email three warm leads.” Put specific tasks into specific time slots and stick to them. Be sure to schedule your most challenging tasks first thing in the morning when your mind is sharpest.
Also, try to limit your distractions and interruptions. If you can break up your work into specific tasks, schedule them early, and truly focus on each one, research indicates that you’re more likely to get more done with less time procrastinating. Achieving these small goals will go a long way to helping you regain your real estate motivation.
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4. Make Time for Relaxation & Fun
Believe it or not, scheduling time to grab lunch with a friend or go to a fitness class makes you better at your job. If you have a hobby you want to get back to, time with friends you’ve been skipping, or something new you hope to try, it’s time you made it a part of your life.
📌 Pro Tip
Consider volunteering with an organization related to real estate, like Habitat for Humanity.
Instead of selling a house, build one. You’ll help your community, work some muscles, feel a real sense of accomplishment, and maybe even have a rejuvenated sense of purpose.
5. Lean on the Experts
There are some incredible resources out there from agents and brokers who’ve been in your exact position. Videos, TED Talks, books, and even inspirational quotes can help you find a little kernel of wisdom or a tip for mental fortitude that will help you soldier on when you lose that drive.
A great starting point is to learn how top agents regained their lost real estate motivation. You’ll gain tips and insights from the experts, and perhaps most importantly, you’ll see that you’re not alone in feeling this way.
Our collection of the 28 best real estate books has a few that are perfect for building motivation, including Angela Duckworth’s “Grit” and Leigh Brown’s “Outrageous Authenticity.” We find ourselves coming back to these again and again.
We also have a selection of our favorite 19 TED Talks that specifically speak to building real estate agent motivation. Dan Pink’s “How Motivation Can Be Hacked to Take Your Career to the Next Level” and Kelly McGonigal’s “How to Make Stress Your Friend” are especially helpful.
And if you enjoy videos, check out our 27 best YouTube channels for real estate agents and our own YouTube channel, where you’ll find content like our Top 5 Real Estate Productivity Hacks.
Podcasts can be another way to tap into motivational expert advice and experience. We have our own podcast, The Close Weekly, where we bet you’ll find some helpful resources, and we also have this list of nine other excellent podcasts that agents should listen to every day.
If you’re short on time, check out our compilation of 89 motivational quotes, which speak to failure and success and offer genuine wisdom. We especially love one from Terrica Lynn Smith, a broker, author, and motivational speaker: “…you need to be courageous, even when things come up against you … you need to be vibrant because your energy is what’s going to attract your business.”
6. Be Receptive to New Ideas
As you dive into these quotes, books, and videos, remember that you have a lot of control over how you receive all of this expert advice.
According to Stanford professor Carol Dweck, there are two mindsets that people typically have: a fixed mindset, where individuals believe they simply have certain traits and can’t change, and a growth mindset, where people believe there is no limit to what they can accomplish.
According to Dr. Dweck’s research, people with growth mindsets generally take more chances and have greater success. She argues that someone with a growth mindset sees challenges as exciting, focuses on the process of building, tracks trial and error, forgives imperfection, and develops grit and persistence.
So as you’re looking to the experts to help you regain your motivation for success in real estate, remember to focus on maintaining that growth mindset.
7. Revisit Your Goals & Set Some New Ones
We bet at some point in your career, you’ve set some goals for yourself—where you want to be in a year, three years, and five years. Maybe you’ve even broken it down into financial and personal goals.
Take some time to revisit these goals and think about what is actionable and what can be achieved long term. For example, maybe you want to hit a certain number in sales, but your weekly goals need to be broken down to more actionable to-do’s and tasks. Did you set a goal to make 100 calls a week (20 per day), and you hit that goal? Congratulations!
8. Level Up With a Checklist
While we strongly encourage you not to pile on work for yourself when you need a reset, there are opportunities for leveling up that feel manageable and concrete. Ask yourself, do you see ways to be challenged? An area where you can practice or stretch yourself?
At The Close, we love checklists. When you feel that loss of motivation, these actionable step-by-step guides might be just the thing to lead you out of it. Here is a list of our favorites that could help you bump up to the next professional level and reach some of your loftier objectives.
5 Must-have Real Estate Buyer Agent Checklists (PDF Download)
7 Ways Top Agents Prepare for Listing Appointments (+ Checklist & Scripts)
Sean’s 47-Point Ultimate Real Estate Listing Marketing Plan (PDF Checklist)
9. Tap Into Your Creative Side
If you’re feeling a little burned out by the business side of things, consider taking a break to focus on something business-related but creative. Consider a new logo, business card, or maybe make an infographic. Tap into that right brain for a little while and have some fun with our guides, templates, and generators for branding and marketing.
- Real Estate Branding: How to Build Your Brand (+ Case Studies)
- The Best & Worst Real Estate Logos of 2022 (+ Pro Design Tips)
- 89 Creative Real Estate Company Names (+ Our Name Generator 2.0)
- 107 Best Real Estate Slogans & Taglines (+ Slogan Generator)
- The Best & Worst Real Estate Business Cards of 2022
- 97 Real Estate Infographics + How to Make Your Own & Go Viral
- Canva for Real Estate Agents: The Ultimate Guide for 2022
10. Consider Taking a Course With Actionable Content
There are plenty of real estate courses that promise maximum success with minimal effort. But we’ve found one that’s a little different, and it might be just the kind of class you need.
Ryan Serhant, of “Million Dollar Listing New York” and SERHANT., has put together a crash course on branding and sales called “Sell It Like Serhant.” You can read our in-depth review here, but its strength is that it’s extremely actionable. He and his fellow instructors lay out a clear strategy, complete with step-by-step guides and an in-depth workbook.
It’s not cheap, but if you’re really looking for something to shake it all up, this course could be the key to rethinking your entire professional strategy.
Bonus Tip: Take a Deep Breath
Yes, I know. It’s a cliche. But it’s a cliche because it works.
Stop whatever it is your doing and breathe along with the animation below for at least a full minute:
Keep practicing your breathing whenever you feel the stress taking over, and take a look at our article on meditation for some beneficial videos.
Meditation for Real Estate Agents: 4 Easy Ways to Reset & Thrive in 2022 (VIDEO)
Bringing It All Together
You can do this! And we’re here to help.
Conquering your lack of motivation takes courage and a lot of chutzpah, but if you trust these tips, you’ll come out the other side feeling better and back on track.
After all, the sparks of motivation begin when you start seeing the possibility of what you can do, not when you’re focusing on what other people are doing.
Over to You
We hope we’ve given you some strategies to get back on track. If you’re someone who has gone through bouts of a lack of real estate motivation and have some wisdom to share, please let us know in the comments.
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