We were all new in our respective real estate role at one point, we all started from the beginning, with no business, and, frankly, no one to tell us what to do.

I suspect this autonomy and lack of routine is what entices many of us into the world of real estate. It’s an exciting, dynamic industry, with lots of unpredictability. However, for someone starting off in the business, or, frankly, for the more experienced real estate professional whose business isn’t as hectic as they would like it to be, the lack of structure to the work day can be demoralizing.

If this is your chosen career, it’s likely you don’t have a boss, you don’t have a list of items and tasks to complete on a daily basis. Instead, it’s up to you decide how your work day and work week are arranged, what you will do to keep yourself occupied while all your friends are dashing to be at work by 8:30AM and can’t leave until 6PM.

Watching re-runs of Oprah in your pajamas until noon every day will lose it’s appeal just as soon as your first rent or mortgage payment is due and you realize you have no transactions pending. You may be autonomous, you may be your own boss, but you have to start holding yourself accountable for your work load, your activity, and, yes, your income.

Your career in real estate may have its flexible schedule benefits, but, you must still treat it like a job. Dress for work. Even if you are working from home, set up an area in your home that you dedicate to your work time. Be dressed and ready to walk out the door to meet a perspective client at all times. You never know when you might need to do that. Besides, sitting in your yoga gear is not sending the right message to your brain. Sit in your business suit and you know you mean business.

If you don’t have any appointments with clients, schedule appointments with yourself. From 9-10, make prospecting calls. From 10-11 work on inputting contacts into your spreadsheet. It’s okay to make a lunch date with yourself, just as long as you return to work right after you have eaten.

Choose particular days for particular activities. Develop routines, habits, structure. Be disciplined. As a broker/owner, this is a hot topic for my agents. I can say with certainty that my agents who structure their work hours, whether they are with clients or not, and treat their real estate career like any other job, are the most successful.