Take 5 Boundaries, Breaks & Other Ways to Beat Burnout — and Love Your Job Again with Jessica Rector TRT 3:53 Transcribed Jessica Rector Directly addresses camera: You’re putting out fires, running to and from appointments, answering emails, fielding phone calls. And, that’s just one day in the life of a real estate professional. Feeling burned out? I’m not surprised. I’m Jessica Rector, a burnout and mindset expert with JessICAREctor International in Fort Worth, Texas. Let’s take five minutes to talk about how bad habits and perfectionism are burning you out. Surprisingly, in all of my research, I’ve discovered that working too many hours does not equal burnout. With Realtors, I’ve found that what does cause agent burnout is the fact that you’re not setting boundaries. You’re getting up early, working through lunch, answering phones at 10 p.m. You never take the time to unwind and turn off and that leads to burnout. Our brains need breaks! The problem? Most of us don’t realize we’re in burnout mode until we’ve been in it for six months to a year. By then, burnout mode becomes normal and it gets much harder to change bad habits. Plus, when you’re burned out, you’re less likely to get on the phone where you might get rejected, you don't want to go to networking events because they feel like a chore. You fail to move forward in business. Here are a few things I recommend you do to avoid burnout. First, set boundaries. Stop your work day at 6 o’clock. There are always real estate emergencies that aren’t emergencies at all. The issues will be there the next day. I even suggest you do this with your family. Does this sound familiar? You walk in the door after working all day and the kids are asking for help with homework, and your spouse is asking what’s for dinner. You snap. Instead, set a boundary. “I would love to help you. What I need from you is that you give me 15 minutes after I walk in the door to change and unwind and then I’ll be there.” It’s not that you don’t want to be there for your family, but you finally give yourself permission to unwind which allows you to be more present with your family. Having a support system is another way to avoid burnout. Find a mentor or a friend with whom you can share everything that’s going on in your real estate career but also talk too about your family and outside interests. Another strategy for burnout is to give yourself brain breaks. Put on some music, go out for lunch, change up your routine. If you’re always make prospecting calls in the morning, make them in the afternoon. What happens is that when we change something slightly, it helps break habits and relieves boredom. Finally, chart your burnout. Yes, seriously. This will help you pay attention to when you feel most stressed. When is your busy season? Be aware that burnout happens right after this time period. If you chart this information, you can be more proactive with your schedule so that you have a spa day, or a weekend getaway or a fun dinner scheduled. I worked with a real estate agent who tracked her negative thoughts each day. She realized by the end of each week, she had hundreds of negative thoughts that kept her from meeting new people and doing what she needed to do to grow her business. She realized that the negative thoughts were always the same. The fact that she charted this information and realized what she was doing allowed her to make an important change. She started calling more people, she started having more success and building relationships and selling more homes. She listened to her inner dialogue and changed the message. Next time you feel like you’re running on a hamster wheel, always working hard but never really accomplishing things, take a break. Allow yourself to breathe and set your boundaries. Mindfulness is a real thing that can lead you out of burnout IF you just take a moment to be mindful of the things that are going on in your life.