Staying Organized and Efficient While Overcoming Attention Challenges
Are you struggling with focus and attention issues?
ADHD or not, these tips can help you!
Are you missing deadlines? Losing clients? Forgetting appointments? Does your desk look more like a paper recycling center then an efficient work station? If you find yourself struggling with focus and being able to concentrate on tasks, you are not alone. Many people battle with attention issues. They have so many things bouncing around their brains that they need to remember, and so many fabulous ideas too, that it can make it very hard to focus and zone in on what needs to be done.
Maybe you are starting to feel like this whole real estate thing is not for you. Maybe you feel like you made the wrong choice when you decided to pursue this career. You just can’t seem to keep it all together, and nothing has a place. Then you take some breaths and try to figure out, “What in the world is going on here? I know I can do this job!” This is a struggle for many agents. Agents that might be coping with ADHD can find themselves in an even tougher situation.
According to the National Institute of Mental Health, ADHD, or Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, can make it hard for people to pay attention, control impulses, and they often have difficulty remembering things and staying organized. So, if you are a real estate agent with ADHD, or just having a hard time paying attention and keeping things together, then there is no wonder you might be struggling. This is a demanding job for all agents! It requires a lot of attention to detail, organization and multitasking. So what are some things you can do to help yourself overcome these obstacles? (Please note, these are all behavioral methods and suggestions for anyone to try. I am not a doctor, and will not diagnose or talk about medications. This is something that you have hopefully already discussed with your own doctor if you have thought you might have ADHD. I personally struggle with attention difficulties, but have developed skills over the years to overcome many of the challenges).
Lisa Woodruff, author of How ADHD Affects Home Organization, believes that organization is a skill that can be developed over time. The main things you need to focus on as a real estate agent are keeping track of your listings and clients, remembering important appointments, recalling names, not losing documents, etc. Basically, it’s a lot! It is no wonder that the amount of work can often seem overwhelming, even if you don’t have the added challenge of ADHD.
So, don’t let it overwhelm you. Instead, focus on a few things you can work on, that you can improve over time, to help you become a more organized real estate agent:
- Thinking and Memory — Don’t make things harder on yourself. Embrace tools that can make remembering things easier. There is no rule that states you MUST remember everything in your own memory. Make lists! Write things down!
BUT – remember, this doesn’t help if you forget where your lists are or you lose your notes. I suggest keeping all important information in ONE PLACE. Your to-do lists, calendar and notes should all be in one designated spot. Having thirty post-it notes stuck all over the place does NOT lead to remembering things better. If anything, it just causes more chaos.
When you are gathering information or listening to others, be mindful of what you are reading and/or hearing. This is going to take some extra focus on your part, but when you are taking in new information, concentrate and do not try to do any other tasks. Stay in the moment.
- Planning and Starting Tasks — ADHD can make it difficult to get things done, or even find the motivation to get things started in the first place. com says, ”Getting things done with adult ADHD requires unique time-management and focus strategies designed to increase productivity and decrease procrastination — even when distracting symptoms kick in.” First things first, don’t take on more then you can handle at the outset. Realistically consider the amount of available time you have in your schedule and don’t overfill it. In some cases, in order to finish your work tasks on time, you may need to scale back on other activities.
Take the time to plan out your action plan for each task. If it is an overly large project, break it up into smaller chunks and set deadlines for each individual segment. Make sure you have these deadlines where you can clearly see them. If a task involves other people, do not be afraid to give them deadlines, too, so that your overall project stays on point. It helps to designate a set amount of time you are going to work on a project at a given moment and STICK TO IT. Also, take frequent breaks. Do NOT let yourself burn out. This will also help you avoid distractions and keep you from getting frazzled on a project.
If all else fails, and time is just not on your side, outsource. You do not always need to do EVERY portion of a project yourself. Do not be afraid to ask for help when it is needed.
- Staying Organized — Mountains of papers and stuff can become out of control very quickly. To get better organized, the obvious answer would be to cut down on the amount of paper and things you have in your life, but that is easier said than done. Look at everything you have, in small chunks, and be realistic and honest with yourself about what you actually need and use. Anything that does not have a real purpose, toss it. You may have heard of the “one in, one out rule,” which suggests that everytime you bring something new into your life, toss something else. This is a good habit to put into practice, but also make sure you are aware of what you already have. This will help keep you from acquiring duplicates.
To do this, make sure your papers and files are gathered in a system that works for you. This could be hanging file racks on your wall, special folders in an accordion file, or maybe it needs to be in letter trays that are visible on your desk. There are many options to organize your papers, the point is don’t try to make things fit into a specific method just because someone says you should. It needs to be one that will work for you, otherwise it won’t stick.
- Self Monitoring — It is always important to be honest with yourself and your abilities. Take a good look at what you are able to accomplish within certain time frames. Are you keeping up with the competition? Know your limits and when you achieve a goal and complete a task let yourself take credit and have a triumphant moment. When you assign yourself a task, be realistic about how long it will take you based on your past experiences.
Do a daily check in with yourself to assess where you stand on certain projects, which items are the most important to get done that day and then prioritize accordingly. Focus on accomplishing the most important task before you move on to the next one. If you realize that something you had listed as a to-do is not necessary then cut it loose. Most importantly, take time to reflect on what it is you need to do before you start any task, and stay mindful as you work on it.
In addition to these pointers, it is also crucial that you take care of yourself. The things you would normally do for self-care, such as exercise, proper sleep and good nutrition, call for extra attention when you need to strengthen your memory abilities and stay organized. One of the things that can wreak havoc on your ability to achieve these goals is stress, and all of these self-care actions are stress reducers. Above all, do not get discouraged if you are having difficulty keeping things together. Take deep breaths and stay focused. Start putting some of these tips into play, and I know you will discover that you are capable of being the organized real estate agent you want to be. For more resources on how to develop your skills as a real estate agent, check out my other helpful trainings at Cindy Bishop Training.