Let’s be real—real estate is a whirlwind. Between showing houses, managing paperwork, and keeping up with clients, it’s easy to feel like there aren’t enough hours in the day. But here’s the truth: how you spend your time matters more than how much of it you have.

Top agents like Ryan Serhant and fans of Robin Sharma’s The 5AM Club aren’t superhuman—they just use their time differently. They’ve built habits and systems that allow them to focus on what matters most. And you can do it, too. Let’s explore how you can reclaim your time, focus on what moves the needle, and set yourself up for success.

1. Start Your Day with Purpose

Mornings set the tone for your day. Research shows that early risers are not only more productive but also happier. Members of The 5AM Club start their mornings with time for themselves—reading, exercising, setting goals—before the world wakes up. 

If 5 AM feels like a stretch, don’t worry. Your morning routine doesn’t have to be extreme to be effective. Hal Elrod’s The Miracle Morning offers a simple formula: Silence, Affirmations, Visualization, Exercise, Reading, and Journaling. Even if you only pick one or two, starting your day with intention can shift everything.

What could you accomplish if you carved out an hour every morning to work on you?

2. Time-Block Like a Pro

You’re the boss of your own time—and that’s both the best and hardest part of being a real estate agent. While you control how you spend your day, it’s also easy for time to slip away. That’s where Ryan Serhant’s 1,000-minute rule comes in.

Each day offers roughly 1,000 minutes of working time. Serhant divides his into 15-minute blocks, each one aligned with his biggest goals. The beauty of this system? It’s designed to keep you moving forward. Even when a meeting runs long or a deal falls through, you can reset and refocus, thanks to the structure you’ve already put in place.

Admittedly, such a rigorous approach might feel extreme—who wants to obsess over every minute? But there’s some great takeaways here. Time-blocking can help give your day direction, and with a clear structure you can work intentionally toward your bigger goals—one purposeful block at a time.

3. Lean on Technology to Save Time

Technology isn’t just for techies—it’s for busy agents like you. CRMs like HubSpot and Follow Up Boss can take the guesswork out of tracking leads and managing follow-ups. Automating email campaigns or setting up auto-responders ensures no lead slips through the cracks.

Another great tech tool is BombBomb, which sends personalized video messages to clients. It’s one of Tom Ferry’s favorite tools, and for good reason—people remember you when they see your face and hear your voice.

By letting technology handle the small stuff, you’ll free yourself to focus on building relationships and closing deals.

4. Outsource the Stuff You Don’t Need to Do

Here’s a secret: You don’t have to do it all. In fact, you shouldn’t. A Gallup study found that entrepreneurs who delegate effectively earn 33% more revenue.

Think about tasks that drain your time but don’t need your personal touch. Could someone else manage the look-and-feel of your social media and marketing designs, handle your transaction paperwork, or even structure your operations set-up so that you’re working smarter, not harder? Companies like Blok specialize in handling those day-to-day tasks so you can focus on growing your business.

Ideas for outsourcing:

• Marketing Collateral: Hire professionals for branding, website management, and even marketing audits so that you know your overall efforts are moving in the right direction.
• Transaction Coordination: Let someone else handle the paperwork while you stay client-facing.
• Business Growth: Work with a team for your advertising, website management, and even your mailers, so that you can spend your time where it counts – with your clients.

5. Work Smarter with the 80/20 Rule

The Pareto Principle (aka the 80/20 Rule) teaches us that 80% of results come from 20% of efforts. What’s that 20% for you? Is it prospecting high-quality leads? Negotiating contracts? Whatever it is, double down on those activities and let the rest go.

Tim Ferriss, author of The 4-Hour Workweek, puts it best: “Focus on being productive instead of busy.” Take five minutes at the end of each day to ask yourself: What worked today? What didn’t? Then, adjust accordingly.

6. Invest in Relationships

People do business with people they trust. Think about time spent nurturing relationships with clients, colleagues, and vendors as an investment, because that’s what it is.

Schedule weekly check-ins with your top clients or send personalized messages for birthdays and anniversaries. Use your CRM to keep track of these touchpoints so they feel authentic. Small efforts can lead to big referrals down the line.

7. Books That Will Transform Your Time Management

If you’re ready to dive deeper into mastering your time, these books are incredibly helpful:

• The 5AM Club by Robin Sharma: Unlock your productivity with an early start.
• Deep Work by Cal Newport: Learn to focus in a distracted world.
• The One Thing by Gary Keller: Simplify your priorities for better results.
• Atomic Habits by James Clear: Build habits that stick and compound over time.
• The 4-Hour Workweek by Tim Ferriss: Delegate, automate, and optimize your workload.
• The Miracle Morning by Hal Elrod: Create a morning routine that sets you up for success.

Time is your most precious resource. The good news? You don’t need to do more—you just need to focus on the right things. By building smart habits, using technology, and outsourcing strategically, you’ll have more time for what really matters: growing your business and connecting with your clients.

You’ve got this. Let’s make every minute count.