Dealing with Realtor Burnout
In the latest print of the HousingIQ Survey of Kentucky REALTORS®, two out of three respondents reported that current market conditions are causing burnout among realtors. This should not come as a surprise given the impossibly low inventory and bidding wars that have kept realtors working long hours and for most without a commensurate increase in sales volume. This intense situation, lasting more than 15 months, makes realtors strong candidates for burnout.
What is Burnout?
Burnout is total body exhaustion (mental and physical) caused by prolonged stress. Burnout looks different for everybody from physical reactions such as shortness of breath or chest pain to irritation and anger. For many people, burnout often includes a decrease in concentration and enjoyment of work. The good news is realtor burnout can be managed and even avoided with a few modifications to one’s routine.
Avoiding Burnout
Create Work/Life Balance
Although your work is important, it should not become all-consuming. Create time in your life for other activities. Make it a priority to spend time with friends and family (in-person or virtually). You and your work will benefit from it.
Schedule breaks in your day. Maybe it is a quick walk around the block between showings or a brief meditation session. The workday is long, and working nonstop will lead to burnout. Schedule time for yourself.
Take Care of Yourself Physically
Proper sleep, nutrition, and exercise play an important role in preventing burnout. Prioritize your sleep. Even if you need to schedule it in your calendar, sleep is vital to preventing burnout. After all, burnout is exhaustion.
Do not skip meals. It is easy to skip breakfast in the morning and work through lunch, but food is important to keeping you healthy and energized.
Be active. Exercise may be the last activity you want to do when your entire body is exhausted. However, exercise improves your mood and helps you focus and be productive while you are working.
Schedule and Prioritize Non-Work-Related Activities
The best way to prevent burnout is to schedule and prioritize non-work-related activities, but this can seem counterintuitive. When people are burned out, they often feel that they do not have enough time to get all their work done and take care of all the other responsibilities they have. They then proceed to try and work more, making their burnout worse and becoming even less efficient.
Instead, you should take a small break, relax, focus on yourself, and come back to your work when you can be productive and enjoy it again. By taking care of yourself and combating burnout, you can get back to enjoying your job.