How do you stay sane when the pressure is on?

The week ahead of a conference is one crazy time for us here at Real Plus. So it seemed appropriate to discuss how to stay sane during the craziest, busiest times in this week’s blog. Imagine for a moment those times when the clock is ticking and people are counting on you, which wire should you cut?! The red or the blue!?

Whilst most of us don’t have to deal with the life or death dilemma of diffusing a bomb, everyday situations can sometimes feel like this. The landlord is breathing down your neck, you have three ingoings to complete before tomorrow, the computer you’ve been writing your report on just crashed, you’re running late for your open for inspection – our property management dilemmas can often be just as stressful relatively.

Learning how to remain calm in times of stress will not only have immediate composed effects, it can also over time, help you lead a happier healthier life. Here are our steps to take to keep your cool when the heat is on:

• Identify the Stress – Is your heart racing because some crazy driver just cut you off? Or is it really because of the major tribunal happening tomorrow. Think for a moment, what is really bothering you?
• Choose your response – Even if you can’t change the source of your stress, you can choose how you respond to it.  The appropriate response should depend on what’s causing it, most things can be resolved. Ask yourself some questions, will this matter in a week, a month, a year? How much control do I have of the situation?
• Take Action – Face your stress source head on as soon as you’re ready. Getting stressed or sitting around worrying or procrastinating isn’t going to resolve anything. Sometimes the hardest part is just getting stuck into it, once you’re into it you’ll be far less stressed and wonder what you were so worried about. 
• Make a Plan – Sometimes resolving a situation will take several steps, or you may have several things to get done. Write out a plan with attainable goals and time for completing each task. Then, just take one step at a time and just put one foot in front of the other.  (Think about how you can plan better for next time)
• Shake it Off – If a situation is beyond your control, or if it is not that important, then no use worrying about something you can’t change. Try deep breathing, distracting yourself with something else that makes you happy, visualise relaxing things, physically remove yourself from the location of the stress.
• Become Realistic – If you continue to be stressed, perhaps you aren’t setting yourself realistic goals or timeframes for completion, or expectations with your clients. Sometimes it can be hard to accept that we can’t do everything. Reduce the expectations on yourself either from yourself or those around you and learn from your experiences.
  
  Hope you stay cool as a cucumber next time the bomb is ticking! 

Need to increase your productivity? A lesson in distractions.

By Fiona Blayney

Heading back into the office this week after being offsite for the past two months (we had our second child), I started to think 'how the hell am I going to make this work?' Many mums out there will understand that fear (but that's a whole other article).

What I want to share today is more about one of my resolutions... To increase my focus by removing my distractions.

The first part of this was to quickly establish what my primary distraction is, what was the number one thing that took me off track each day. Step 2 was to set about reducing or removing it from my work life. I knew if I could do this I would increase my productivity in the time I'm in the office, be able to leave at a reasonable hour and be 'present' for that short window of time we have with our kids between arriving home and putting them to bed.

You may or may not be surprised by what I found out about myself this week. I am the distraction!

By this I mean, perhaps I get too excited about our business but I love interacting with our 8 team members, I'm keen to be across the 'activity' in the office so I can support them, I tend to interrupt others when I have a not so pressing question, and know I can be a mosquito .... attracted to the bright shiny lights of business otherwise known as the fun stuff, the ideas.

Really I have always known this shocking reality, but as your external responsibilities grow you have a new found driver to stay focused, not over commit and communicate effectively.

So far I'm on track, I have maintained my level of awareness, empowered my team to continue to act like I'm not here, make decisions like I'm on holidays and identify their own distraction....

It's perhaps not uncanny that they too found the same distraction.... Themselves

Happy Easter from the Real+ Team

With most of you hard working property managers enjoying a hard earned extra few days off this Easter long weekend, we’ve decided to place your regular weekly property management blog on hold, and instead, we have a more personal approach for you this week.  

This week, we’d like to remind you about balance. It’s easy to get caught up in the chaos that is Easter, what with chocolate egg hunts, kids running around and preparing family feasts. Make sure you are making the most of the break by taking time out to relax, rest and revitalise.

Take advantage of having no appointments and splurge on a sleep in, enjoy a cuppa and breakfast in bed, go for a walk or bike ride through the park (to balance out the chocolate), and most importantly, slow down! Focus on being present in the moment and enjoying the time off with your family and friends close by, so that come Tuesday morning, you are energised and excited to be returning to work!

Enjoy your break and Happy Easter from the Real+ team.