Batching similar tasks improves focus & personal efficiencies. The cat’s out of the bag when it comes to the myth of multitasking. While you may think you’re capable of juggling multiple tasks at once, recent studies show it’s simply not true (http://n.pr/mMl2tD). To be faster and better at what you do, you need to focus.
In an “always on” career like real estate, it’s easy to let your phone dictate your day. While there’s a clear advantage to promptly returning missed calls from clients and new leads, there’s also a cost involved in repeatedly interrupting your work.
First, you’re more likely to make mistakes as you start and stop work on a task. Second, there’s a time cost associated with “getting back into” a task. Repeating this interruption/engagement cycle is expensive from a time management standpoint.
One way to mitigate interruptions and practice working with total focus is the simple act of “clustering” calls. To do so, plan on returning all of your calls in batches, two or three times a day, say at 10AM and 2PM. Regardless of when you schedule the time, the key is sticking to your schedule.
(You can also use a clustering strategy for managing email load, too.)
