The Busy Real Estate Agent
Once upon a time, there was a busy real estate agent.
The agent kept busy with all sorts of real estate tasks. Buyers and sellers cycled through the office. Homes needed to be toured and re-toured. Open houses were hosted, trainings were conducted.
There was always another phone call to return.
Over time, the agent got better and better at the job. After a while, they were one of the top performing agents in the region, maybe even the country or the whole world.
The agent had developed systems that made their work more effective. These systems helped the agent thrive in the midst of multiple deadlines and competing requests.
Above all, the agent was a super-responder. That’s what made them so effective: staying on top of things, hitting deadlines, going the extra mile—but always in response to an environment full of stimulation and opportunity.
The agent liked the work, at least for the most part. The work consumed energy and adrenaline. It was rewarding and fulfilling.
True, there were times when the work got in the way of something else—relationships, health, hobbies—but for the most part, the tradeoffs were worth it.
Then one day, the market shifted. The economy took a turn for the worse. Technology had advanced to make many of the agent’s services less important.
Suddenly, the busy real estate agent wasn’t nearly as busy. The phone calls and messages and requests to see properties slowed down—first a little, and then a lot.
Which was nice! At least in the beginning. With more available time, the agent was able to focus on those things they had de-prioritized during the busy season. They found new hobbies and took afternoon naps.
But after a while, the agent had the opposite problem as before. They had loved being busy, and now they had too much time.
Weirdly, with more free time the agent felt like they accomplished less and less! What could the agent do?
What To Do
The agent went on a long walk, puzzling over what had happened. On this walk the agent made a list: “What was good about being busy before.”
1. Always had something to do
2. Felt like I was making a difference
3. The work was rewarding
4. One thing connected to another: sell this home, help this buyer, crush the quarterly sales goals, etc.
This was the problem, they realized: the new work was different. If every input creates an outcome, the required inputs for the best possible outcomes had changed.
Simply put, what worked before wasn’t working now. Something had to change.
The other agents who thrived in the new environment had all learned to adapt and work differently. They didn’t just respond, they had to initiate. They had to become Creators, effectively.
The busy agent wanted to be busy again. Not busy for the sake of busy, but busy with the right tasks and responsibilities.
The next day the agent went on another long walk. This was the challenge, they realized: to be busy in the way that felt best to them.
Upon returning to the quiet office, the agent started making another list: “How to get back to the right kind of busy.”
The agent started over several times, crumpling up and discarding papers with drafts that didn’t feel quite right.
The items for this list seemed elusive. Why can’t I just respond to more phone calls or show more properties?, the agent wondered. But they had to let go of the old way, so they kept searching.
It would take a while to find the right answers, the agent realized. But for as hard as it might be, or as long as it would take—the agent knew this search would be worth the effort.
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