The Luxury of Thinking Time
I shut my laptop at 3:00 pm on Tuesday. No phone. No emails. No notifications. Just quiet. I sat with a notebook and wrote for a bit. Nothing strategic. No to-do list. Just thoughts.
A few years ago, I would’ve felt guilty about that. Like I should be hustling harder. Getting one more thing done. Not now! That hour of stillness felt like a huge win. Real estate has a way of convincing you that if you’re not always on, you’re falling behind.
We’re Addicted to Urgency
Calls at 9pm. Emails at midnight. “Can you show this house in 30 minutes?”
Somewhere along the line, we decided chaos = success.
Here’s what I know now: being constantly reactive doesn’t mean you’re productive. It just means you’re exhausted. And if you’re always chasing, you’re not leading. You’re not building. You’re not thinking.
You’re just surviving.
You Can’t Build a Sustainable Business in Fight-or-Flight
I talk to agents all the time who are drowning in busywork. Their calendars are full, but their bank accounts aren’t growing. Their brains are fried, and their joy is gone.
And—if the only time you think is in the car between appointments or when you’re trying to fall asleep, that’s a problem.
Real growth comes from clarity. Clarity comes from space. And space doesn’t happen by accident—you have to build it into your week.
Here’s What That Looks Like for Me
I take at least an hour each week with no phone, no laptop, just a notebook. That’s when the best ideas come. I don’t accept “brain pick” meetings unless they’re strategic. I’ve shared 90% of what I know in my courses and community.
And when I rest, I actually rest. Not “scroll through IG with one eye open” rest. Like put-the-phone-down kind of rest. You don’t need to earn your rest by crushing every item on your list. You just need to decide your business doesn’t get to run your life.
The Real Flex in Real Estate? Time Freedom.
Everyone’s out here chasing volume. Chasing awards. Chasing content for Instagram.
But the agents I know who are truly winning? They’ve built businesses with systems that let them breathe.
They’ve stopped chasing every lead and started building pipelines.
They’ve stopped saying yes to everything and are focused on strategy.
They don’t panic if a deal falls through.
They don’t scramble when a client ghosts them.
They’ve created structure, not just sales.
They’ve built multiple income streams.
Let Me Say This Clearly:
More rest = more clarity
More clarity = better decisions
Better decisions = more profit
I don’t care how many homes you sold this year—if you’re constantly exhausted, you’re not building a real business. You’re just running a really chaotic job. The industry doesn’t need more burnt-out agents. It needs more CEO Agents who know how to pause, think, and build with intention.
You don’t have to respond right away.
You don’t have to work 24/7.
You don’t have to be everywhere all the time.
You just have to show up, on purpose, with a plan.
And that starts by creating a little space to think.
See you next Saturday.
—Rebecca
