Center for REALTOR® Development 037: Life Management in Real Estate with Cheryl Knowlton
Establishing a work-life balance is important in overall life management. In today's episode, Cheryl Knowlton returns to the show to talk about life management in real estate. It can be challenging to set boundaries when you don't necessarily work a traditional nine to five job. In this episode, they talk about making shifts in our business, what systems you can put in place, and the importance of making time for yourself and the people you love. As you listen, take a breath, and use this opportunity to think about what changes you may need to make.
Many people get into real estate for the job flexibility, but sometimes this flexibility can backfire and turn into too much work or end up taking an emotional toll. Cheryl talks about some statistics about some realities in real estate. One of the biggest factors to upset work-life balance is expectations — of what the industry really is and what it requires.
Cheryl shares her own journey of getting into real estate. She started on the mortgage side of things, and after getting her real estate license, she had to change her mindset and her skill set. Education and designations were instrumental in getting her to where she is today. Education can help you restructure and improve your business in ways that will remove stress from you and your clients.
Cheryl shares a resource you can use to identify and diagnose what aspects of your life are out of balance. Knowing this can help you pick out the pain points that you need to adjust to balance things out. Use the code BONUS with the Self-Assessment link below to find out yours. She talks about the importance of having a coach or accountability partner and setting measurable goals.
If you are struggling to find balance, it is important to get feedback from others. You can identify which area is causing you stress, and then focus on fixing that. Monica talks about taking a sabbatical, and how this helped to reinvigorate her business. They talk about things you can do on sabbatical, to refuel not only in business but also in your personal life.
Cheryl talks about her daily schedule, and how having systems in place helps her keep her business structured. Anytime anything isn't working, we need to create a new system to figure out how to make it work. Monica and Cheryl talk about some of their business systems, including a transaction coordinator, an assistant (if you can), and also people to help with other chores so you can take things off your own plate.
Make today count — whatever systems you are putting in place for your business or personal life, it's important that it's affording you more time to be with the people that you love. When you're with them, try to make sure you don't have any outside distractions so you can be in the moment. Setting these types of boundaries is especially important for individuals who don't work a traditional nine-to-five job.
Setting goals for your personal life can also inspire you to work harder. Having goals that are beyond paying the bills can keep you motivated. Cheryl talks about 10 areas in her life and the goals she is working toward in each area. She also shares how she is able to find joy in each area, even when it's hard. As you set these goals for yourself, make sure they are things you are in control of. When you control what you can control, everything else seems to fall into place.
Tweetables:
"Anyone who has any business background at all, you don't have to have an MBA to know that starting a business of any kind is expensive, and it requires blood, sweat, and tears." — Cheryl
"No matter where you are in your real estate career, education is the key to get you behind the wheel of that Ferrari and help you drive it successfully." — Cheryl
"Any time we do something, even if it's a small thing, that creates marital harmony or greater happiness in ourselves, that has ripple effects on every aspect of our lives." — Cheryl
Guest Links:
High-Performance Habits: How Extraordinary People Become That Way, by Brendon Burchard
Presence: Bringing Your Boldest Self to Your Biggest Challenges, by Amy Cuddy
The 5 Second RuleTransform your Life, Work, and Confidence with Everyday Courage, by Mel Robbins
Additional Links:
Online learning.REALTOR for NAR Online Education
Training4RE.com — List of Classroom Courses from NAR and its affiliates
CRD@REALTORS.org
Host Information:
Monica Neubauer
Speaker/Podcaster/REALTOR®
Monica@MonicaNeubauer.com
Additional Bio:
Cheryl Knowlton is the CEO and Chief Energy Officer of Dynamite Productions, Inc. A 20-year veteran of the real estate and mortgage industries, Cheryl works with real estate professionals who want to increase confidence through compliance and elevate their expertise through education. Cheryl is a proud member of the National Speakers Association and holds the highly coveted Certified Speaking Professional (CSP) Designations as well as the Distinguished Real Estate Instructor (DREI) designation, given by the Real Estate Educators Association. She also holds fifteen designations and Certifications bestowed by the National Association of REALTORS®.
A record-breaking recruiter, licensed broker, and real estate sales and mortgage expert, Cheryl specializes in enthusiastically empowering excellence by consistently delivering highly engaging, timely and relevant content. Cheryl's programming ensures that today's real estate licensees and brokers have the tools they need to hit the ground running to raise the bar of professionalism in the real estate industry.
Cheryl is the author of Burn the Hamster Wheel: Stress Management Strategies for Today's Real Estate Professional. She is consistently working to fight overwhelm and burnout and to "burn her own hamster wheel" in her personal and professional life through long runs, loud concerts in the car, weekly massages, and playing with her grandbabies and her dog, Buzz Lightyear.