Month: July 2024

Balancing work and family life is a challenge many property investors face, especially for property parents over the summer holidays. The demands of managing your property projects, sourcing new deals, and overseeing various property management demands can easily encroach on personal time, making it difficult to allocate quality time to your kids when they are off school for the summer. Parents can easily fall into the trap of trying to do it all, only to end up frazzled and not actually doing either thing very well.

This little guide will provide you with some practical strategies to help make the most of your summer, ensuring you achieve your professional goals without sacrificing precious family moments.

To execute this you are going to need to be intentional and commit to designing a weekly rhythm and plan in advance, but when you do…it will pay dividends. Here are a few tips to help you organise your summer schedule. 

Techniques to Achieve Focused Productivity:

1. Time Blocking: Allocate specific time slots for different tasks throughout the day. For example, dedicate mornings to high-priority work and afternoons to meetings or administrative tasks (or afternoons might be dedicated to outdoor time with your kids 😎).
2. Prioritisation: Use tools like the Eisenhower Matrix to categorise tasks based on urgency and importance, ensuring you focus on what truly matters to progress your goals.
3. Eliminate Distractions: Create a work environment free from interruptions. You can use apps like Focus@Will or Freedom to block distracting websites and notifications (although the single biggest tip I can suggest is no phone or email until after your morning focus session).

Creating a Family-Friendly Work Schedule

Tips for Setting Work Hours That Align with Family Time:

1. Define Clear Work Hours: Establish a routine where work hours are clearly defined and communicated to both your family and colleagues (this might be a new schedule just for the summer holidays ie waking an hour earlier so you can finish at 3 or 4, enjoy the summer afternoon/evenings, yet still get to bed at a decent time).
2. Incorporate Flexibility: Allow for some flexibility to accommodate unexpected family needs (literally, schedule a couple of hours of ‘chaos time’ into your calender).
3. Set Boundaries: Make it known when you are not available for work-related issues to ensure you can dedicate uninterrupted time to your family.
4. Book In And Block Out Some Fun: If you start each week with some specific time allocated to a fun activity, a day trip, an afternoon at the beach etc, it is so much easier to prioritise and time block

Involving Your Kids in Your Property Business (a few ideas)

1. Educational Tours: Take your kids on property visits or viewings where possible and explain some basic concepts, rewarded with an ice cream stop for you both 😁.
2. Simple Tasks: Involve them in age-appropriate tasks such as organising paperwork, gardening or something on social media maybe.
3. Financial Literacy: If you’re analysing potential deals, choose a few to use as teaching examples and relate it to basic personal finances and real life examples. 

Balancing work and family life as a property investor is especially crucial during the summer holidays. By understanding and implementing focused productivity, creating a family-friendly schedule, involving your children in your work, and dedicating quality time to family activities, you can enjoy both property success and a fulfilling family life. 

Stay tuned for details of our Summer Accountability Challenge where we help you have it all without sacrificing anything. 

Summer is a time of warm weather, family gatherings, and a break from the usual hustle and bustle. However, for busy property entrepreneurs, summer can present a unique challenge. Often, they find themselves pulled in two opposing directions: Beast Mode and Beach Mode. Each mode has its pitfalls, and striking the right balance is crucial for maintaining both personal fulfillment and professional progress.

The Pitfalls of Beast Mode

What is Beast Mode?  Beast Mode is characterized by intense focus and relentless work ethic. Property investors in Beast Mode prioritize their business goals, often at the expense of personal time and family activities.

Challenges of Beast Mode During Summer:

1. Missed Family Moments:
   • Working late means missing family activities, day trips and making new memories, leading to regrets.
2. Burnout Risk:
   • The continuous push can lead to physical and mental exhaustion, reducing overall productivity.
3. Regret and Resentment:
   • By the end of the summer, investors might feel a sense of regret for not spending quality time with their family. This can lead to resentment and strained relationships.

The Pitfalls of Beach Mode

What is Beach Mode? Beach Mode is the opposite extreme, where property investors take extensive time off to enjoy the summer with their families, often sidelining their professional goals and responsibilities.

Challenges of Beach Mode During Summer:

1. Stalled Progress:
   • Taking too much time off can result in missed opportunities and slow business growth. The property market doesn’t stop for summer, and a lack of attention can lead to lost deals.
2. Financial Stress:
   • Continuous expenses without ongoing revenue can strain finances. Investors might find themselves with depleted reserves and financial stress by the end of summer.
3. End-of-Summer Disappointment:
   • While the summer might be filled with fun and relaxation, the lack of progress can lead to disappointment and stress as the next season begins.
   • Each year there will be  investors who regret taking too much time off, facing a backlog of work and missed opportunities in September.

How can you Strike A Balance? 

1. Plan and Prioritize:

• Create a schedule balancing work hours and family time, focusing on high-impact activities.

2. Delegate and Automate:

• Use your team and technology to handle routine tasks, maintaining business momentum without constant oversight.

3. Set Boundaries:

• Define work and family time clearly, and communicate these boundaries to both family and colleagues.

4. Regular Check-ins:

• Schedule check-ins to review progress and adjust plans, ensuring flexibility and staying on track.

5. Enjoy Quality Time:

• Make the most of family time. Quality over quantity ensures meaningful connections without guilt about work.

Conclusion

Balancing Beast Mode and Beach Mode is crucial for property investors, especially during the summer holidays. By planning ahead, delegating tasks, setting boundaries, and prioritising both work and family, you can achieve a harmonious balance, in other words you can be your BEST SELF. This approach ensures business continuity and allows for meaningful summer experiences with your loved ones. Make the most of both worlds, ensuring you don’t miss out on precious family time while still progressing towards your property goals.

Stay tuned for details of our Summer Accountability Challenge where we help you have it all without sacrificing anything.