Stay Positive Running Your Real Estate Business from Home while in Quarantine

We’re now a few weeks into working from home, social distancing, and quarantine.

For some of us, it’s been tough to find motivation, a routine or productivity. For others, the shakeup has led to some fresh ideas for how to work with real estate clients remotely.

This season will inevitably pass, but it’s going to take some time. So, to keep your business moving forward while you’re in quarantine, there are a few things you can do right now to stay productive and plan for the future, when things pick back up.

Getting into the mindset of a busy future can also do wonders for your productivity, mood and outlook. Let’s plan for the best, while working from home.

1. Record Personalized Video Check-Ins for Each Client

How many emails have you now gotten about how businesses are responding to the current crisis? Probably a million.

But how many personalized emails or messages have you gotten from businesses asking how you specifically are doing? Likely none.

Set yourself apart by recording a video message for each of your current clients. Use tools like Loom or Dubb. Be human and ask how they are doing. Use their names and ask questions related to their family, work or other interests. You could even offer to drop off groceries or help with anything they need if they can’t get out.

As you’re going through your CRM to make your personalized check-ins for each client, create an “after the crisis” plan for each of them. Get your ducks in a row so that you can hit the ground running, as soon as your clients are back on their feet.

2. Schedule Your Social Media Posts for an Entire Month

With the typical hustle and bustle of your business, you probably only had time to plan your content one week in advance. But now, you may have longer, dedicated chunks of time to batch create your content.

Take advantage of the time you have to get your social media done and dusted, so that when things do pick back up, you won’t be scrambling to also create content.

Set aside a few hours in one day to write the captions for your images and videos. Be sure to stick to your content calendar’s cadence and style to make sure everything looks uniform and professional.

Look up specific dates during the month ahead that you want to highlight for your clients, and consider adding in more posts that exude positivity, light and inspiration.

In other words, think of what you’re looking for right now too – uplifting content and things that make you smile. Add in your own personality and sprinkle in your real estate knowledge to create content that really resonates.

3. Update The Blog Posts On Your Real Estate Website

In line with having more focus for creating social media content, you may also have more space to look back into your blog archives and spruce them up.

For example, did you write an article about the “Top 5 Real Estate Trends in 2018”? Consider updating that article for 2020 and republishing it with new information.

You don’t have to start from scratch. You can upgrade your blogs with all you’ve learned over the last couple of years. Maybe you’ve even learned a little bit of SEO, meaning you can go back through blogs and improve their Google search ranking.

Bonus Tip: Now’s also a great time to read a little on SEO or take a short course on how to make your blogs stand out from the crowd.

4. Experiment with Productivity Techniques

If you’re having trouble focusing on work while in quarantine, you’re not alone. Don’t beat yourself up over it. Instead, try these two techniques to see if they help you get down to business.

1) Use a Pomodoro Timer

If you search for Pomodoro Timer in the app store on your phone, you’ll discover a bunch of free tools to get you started. You can also Google “Pomodoro Timer” and find options that run in your browser.

Here’s how a Pomodoro timer works:

• 25 minutes of focused work
• Five-minute break
• Repeat four times
• Take a long 25-minute break

You can set a goal for yourself of how many rounds you want to complete in a day. There’s something magical about gamifying your productivity to try to get as much done in a 25-minute chunk of time as possible.

Play around with different timers and lengths of focus/breaks until you find your groove. Having the timer on your phone screen is also a great way to avoid getting distracted and absent-mindedly picking up your phone to scroll.

2. Set At-Home Business Hours for Yourself

You’ve seen the posts on social media that getting up, showering, putting on work clothes and sitting down to a dedicated workspace will make all the difference for your productivity.

No one’s judging your work-from-home attire here, don’t worry. But there is something to be said for setting boundaries between work and rest/personal time.

If you have family at home, talk to them and explain when and for how long you want to be focused on your real estate business during the day. If you’re not cohabitating, then make a commitment to yourself to work from 10am to 2pm each day, or 1pm to 5pm uninterrupted.

Choose a spot in your home where you know you can work comfortably, and create a ritual that signifies it’s time to work. It can be as simple as making a cup of coffee, lighting a candle or diffusing a certain essential oil scent. These habits trigger your mind to get into work mode.

What’s been your biggest struggle while running your real estate business from home?