According to author and real estate speaker Brian Hilliard, one of the biggest challenges facing today's Realtors is learning how to deal with wide range of responsibilities they have.

"You've got the mortgage broker, the builder, the home appraiser…oh, and don't forget the client, all demanding pieces of your time," says Hilliard. "And while all that's going on, Realtors still have to deal with the seemingly endless supply of paperwork and "office related" activities on a daily basis.

Hilliard says he talks to Realtors all over the country who pull 50, 60 even 70-hour weeks.

"And they're still not getting the financial results they want," he says. "They're also not spending enough time with family and friends."

Hilliard has some solutions, some of which will be highlighted in his new book, How to Overachieve w/o Over Committing, to be released mid-January.

Here are some working class facts:

• 50 percent of all workers indicate they are under a great deal of stress. Source: Careerbuilder.com (4Q02 Survey)

• Only 3 percent of the population engages in some goal setting, while only 1 percent write them down. Source: About.com (Small Business Goals – Canada)

"I urge Realtors to think of themselves as a well-oiled, complex machine that's really not too different from their car. You wouldn't drive more than 3,000 miles without changing your oil and checking your fluids, and the same holds true for your body," suggests Hilliard. "The good news is, proper 'servicing' for us simply means taking a break every once in awhile from the hustle and bustle of everyday life.

"Most Realtors are diligent, hard working people, who others trust to get stuff done," continues Hilliard. "The only problem is that as you take on more and more work, and accept more responsibility – both at the job and within the community – you can sometimes find yourself overcommitted. In other words, if your life is so filled with projects, deadlines and countless meetings, there's too much going on. You're being pulled in too many different directions."

Hilliard defines the syndrome as the "Achiever's Burden."

"These are hard working, diligent people who like the feeling of accomplishing their goals," explains Hilliard. "They're prone to finish what they started, and shy away from delegating. The problem is these same characteristics lead to the person overcommitting themselves, trying to get everything done."

Hilliard says it's possible to strike the balance between being a hard worker, and not letting the job take over your life.

His top three suggestions are:

1. Manage your energy…not your time: One of the biggest mistakes people make when trying to get the most out of their day is to view it simply as an exercise in time management. Instead of segmenting our tasks into A, B and C's - the traditional approach - Hilliard recommends grouping them by the amount of energy required to complete them: high or low. Attending a meeting is low, while farming your neighborhood is high. Checking email is low while developing marketing materials is high, and so on.

2. Do your work at the energy level you have. Next time you're wiped out after showing buyers around town, tackle some of your "low energy" tasks, instead of slogging through your "A" items that require more energy than you have to give at the moment.

3. Build a business, not a job. Creating a job is when you have a series of business-related tasks for which you are responsible. In other words, you as an individual are working on every last detail of the business, and ultimately you're the one who sees it through. Conversely, building a business entails creating a system in which others enable you to reach a desired goal. Notice the difference - with a job you're doing all of the work. With a business, you're initially doing a lot of the work, but are gradually moving to the point where others can help out.

   Most Realtors look at their business as a job, and as result they:

   • Feel overwhelmed with everything that needs to get done.

   • Aren't able to get a decent night's sleep.

   • Feel overly tired.

   • Have health issues.

   • Don't spend enough time with their family (or away from work).

"Whether you're an entrepreneur, a Realtor or a corporate professional, our work lives have gotten so crazy, people are looking for something to get some sanity back in their lives," says Hilliard. "Remember, as a Realtor, you are your number one asset, and therefore can't afford to allow yourself to breakdown by all the things demanding your time."

Published: January 10, 2005

Use of this article without permission is a violation of federal copyright laws.