FLOW vs. Time Blocking for Real Estate Agents - The Legend of Hanuman

FLOW vs. Time Blocking for Real Estate Agents


As a real estate agent, your time is one of your most valuable assets. But with a mountain of tasks to manage every day, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed. From meetings to lead generation, follow-ups, and personal tasks like fitness and meal breaks, it can be hard to know how to fit everything in.

Which Time Management Strategy Works Best for Real Estate Agents?

Two common time management strategies are time blocking and flowing. But which one is better for you? Let’s dive into both methods and explore how you can make your day work for you rather than the other way around!

What Is Time Blocking?

Time blocking is a method where you allocate specific chunks of time to specific tasks. For example, you might block off 9-10 AM for prospecting calls, 10-11 AM for emails, and so on. This approach works well in structured environments or when you need to focus on a particular task without interruptions.

In the real estate world, time blocking is often recommended as a way to stay on top of critical tasks like:

  • Outgoing phone calls
  • Email follow-ups
  • Lunch meetings
  • Appointments

Time blocking helps create a sense of control over your day, allowing you to focus on one task at a time. But as you probably already know, real estate is anything but predictable!

The Downside of Time Blocking for Real Estate Agents

Blocking time for everything can be a challenge. Real estate often involves juggling multiple tasks—showings, client meetings, negotiations, and last-minute requests. This level of unpredictability can make it hard to stick to a rigid time-blocked schedule.

When you can’t predict what the day will throw at you, it’s easy to feel discouraged or overwhelmed if you miss a scheduled block of time. That’s where the concept of flow comes in.

What Is “Flow” in Time Management?

Flow is a more flexible, priority-based approach. Rather than adhering to a strict time-blocked schedule, you focus on the highest-priority tasks first, allowing the rest of your day to flow around them.

For example, instead of blocking off a specific time to make prospecting calls, you prioritize calls based on their importance and integrate them naturally into your day, as time allows. This can be especially helpful when urgent client matters pop up, and you need to be agile.

Flow vs. Time Blocking: Finding a Balance

While time blocking can help structure your day, flow offers the flexibility real estate agents need to handle unpredictable tasks. A hybrid approach might be the perfect balance: block off time for high-priority activities like client meetings and prospecting calls, but allow the rest of your day to flow around less urgent tasks.

Here’s an example of how you can organize your day using a blend of time blocking and flow:

Priority-Based Flow for a Real Estate Agent’s Day:

  • Gym
  • Meal Prep and Food
  • Meditation or Mental Prep
  • Handle Current Listings and Transactions
  • Hot Seller Leads & Hot Buyer Leads
  • Lead Funnels (such as iHomefinder, referrals, Homelite, Opt City)
  • Organic Lead Generation
  • FSBO Calls
  • Expired Listings
  • Geo-prospecting
  • Database Follow-ups
  • Answering Emails & Calls
  • Meetings & Errands
  • Rest and Sleep

You don’t need to block every hour of your day. Instead, focus on flowing from one high-priority task to the next, ensuring key areas like lead generation, client follow-ups, and active transactions are consistently addressed.

Why Flow Helps You Feel More Balanced and Accomplished

The magic of flow-based time management is that it helps you maintain a sense of control without the pressure of sticking to a rigid schedule. You’ll feel more balanced and productive as you shift your focus to tasks that generate revenue or move your business forward.

When you’re not tied to a clock, you can:

  • Ensure all pending transactions are on track
  • Keep listings updated and accurate
  • Move hot leads through the sales funnel
  • Set new appointments and reach your goals

At the end of the day, a real estate agent’s success hinges on feeling productive, energized, and confident that you’ve done everything possible to help your clients and grow your business. Flow helps you achieve that.

Embrace Flow for a Better Real Estate Career

It’s vital that you enjoy what you do. Real estate is a rewarding career when you manage your time in a way that works for you. Adopting a flow-based strategy allows you to stay focused on what truly matters, giving you more control over your schedule while ensuring you’re handling the most critical tasks.

So, go ahead—start experimenting with a blend of time blocking and flow. Before you know it, you’ll feel more empowered and excited about your day, knowing you’ve found the right rhythm for your success!

By adopting a flexible approach to time management, you’ll be well on your way to finding balance, increasing productivity, and enjoying every step of your real estate journey.


Resources

Schedule A Demo

Reserve a personal 15-minute demo & consultation with an account executive.

Free Trial

If you don’t have an iHomefinder account, start your 30-day free trial.

Support

Our Support Center is full of resources like our searchable Knowledge Base and training webinars to help you get the most value from your account.

Contact Us

Send us your questions, we’re here to help!


Recent Articles

Graphic of title and real estate for sale sign

While interest rates do play a role in shaping seller behavior,…

Graphic conveying winning

“If you can believe it, you can achieve it.” This mantra isn’t…

Phone graphic

In real estate, your database is the foundation of your success.…

Building your brand graphic

When you hear the word “brand,” what comes to mind? Perhaps iconic…

self-confidence graphic

What’s the one thing that can transform your real estate career…

self-leadership graphic

We spend a lot of time learning about tools, strategies, and…

Embracing rejection graphic

Let’s dive into something that’s as much a part of our industry…

Graphic of overthinking

Success in real estate hinges on effective decision-making and…

marketplace expert graphic

In today’s real estate landscape, leveraging an online presence…

time management graphic

As a real estate agent, your time is one of your most valuable…

max mobile graphic

We’re excited to launch a major update to our mobile app: meet…

accountability graphic

In the competitive world of real estate, your success relies…

Tip of the week featured graphic


Referrals are one of the most powerful tools in your real estate…

Max feature updates graphic

Enhance Your Real Estate Website With Our Enhanced Branding
At…

Tip of the week graphic

Real Estate Networking: Building Your Contact Database
Consistent…

Dollar productive activities title graphic

What Are You Paid To Do?
Real estate agents only get paid to…

Max feature updates graphic

At iHomefinder, we’re always enhancing our products with the…

Wix iHomefinder logos

Wix is a popular choice for building business websites thanks…

real estate success

As a real estate agent, your business depends on converting leads…

business checklist

The fall and winter months are a time where productivity can…

Community content graphic

In the bustling world of real estate, it’s no longer enough to…

neighborhood graphic

As real estate agents and brokers, it is important to stay ahead…

graphic of social media posts

Are you ready to make a splash on social media and start landing…

Image depicting an agent's success

In the age of the internet, there is no shortage of competition…

social media followers

The benefits of your IDX website should be exploited through…

Maximizing Your Potential webinar graphic

Named as one of the top 25 real estate coaches in the country…

Illinois street sign



iHomefinder is the exclusive technology provider for IDX…

Website with IDX widgets

The IDX website pages provided with iHomefinder accounts include…

real estate lead profile

We’re excited to announce a new feature in Agent CRM plans that…

Agents using CRMs

If you’re an agent, there are many reasons to have your own real…

calendar of tasks

Since effective time management is the secret to boosting your…

Save money

Does your real estate website need refreshing? Have you thought…

properties for rent and for sale

Real estate investing lists among the oldest and most rewarding…

efficient real estate agent

All iHomefinder accounts provide a lead management system where…

property listings

Premium Search provides a map search experience that’s fun, friendly…

referral rewards

Did you know you can earn cash by referring clients to us, no…

CLAW MLS map

As a member of The MLS/CLAW (Combined L.A./Westside MLS), you…

custom email example

With account plans that include our Agent CRM, you can send individual…

iHomefinder email feature guide

In this article, we’ll take a look at the various options available…

California scenery

With listings from Southern, Central, and Northern California,…

version 10

We’re excited to announce iHomefinder Version 10 is available…

people attending an open house

In-person open house events may not be happening much right now,…

followup for offline leads

When you meet a person or receive their contact information from…

webinar about real estate SEO

What goes into an effective SEO strategy for your real estate…

seo performance chart

Every agent and broker would like their real estate SEO to put…

Building a Squarespace website

With a Squarespace website, it’s easy to build and manage your…

building a Wix website

Wix is a popular website platform that allows you to quickly…

agent on brokerage website

Brokers with agent teams love our Broker plans for their brokerage…

home sale transaction

Home service contracts, also referred to as home warranties in…

property search form targeting

Because agents often have niche markets they focus on, our accounts…

marketing content

You may have heard you should be using videos in your online…

Lead Source Tracking

Most successful businesses rely on website traffic from a variety…

front porch scene

Not everyone is lucky enough to have a front porch or side porch…

real estate lead forwarding system

With an iHomefinder account powering your real estate website,…

Tasks within the Agent CRM

In our recent article on increasing your business productivity,…

productive workers

Do you feel like you’re losing ground in the battle against the…

Resolving error message

If you’re using Optima Express, our IDX plugin for WordPress,…

homebuyer calculating a mortgage

The rate for a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage dropped to a new all-time…

editing a listing

Promoting your own listings on your site is certainly one of…

business growth graph

Just like gutters and downspouts, your lead database needs maintenance…

real estate seo webinar summary

Your organic website traffic is one of the most important channels…

real estate leads searching

There’s a very important feature in every iHomefinder account…

real estate contract

Buying a house sight unseen seems like a radical idea with real…

developers designing a real estate website

After you have settled on a design for a real estate website,…

people buying a house

Mortgage rates just dropped in the week ending August 6th to…

featured listings

All iHomefinder accounts include an option to display Featured…

St Lawrence County New York

We’re pleased to announce iHomefinder IDX products are now available…

home buying activity

After shutdowns earlier this year, existing home sales have…

new feature announcement

We’re excited to announce some brand new features are available…

WordPress IDX map search

Consumers love using a map search when looking for properties…

real estate email example

Marketing Automation is included with our Agent CRM plans to…

graphic of an outdoor patio

If you’re like most people, you’re spending more time at…

Lead Capture Features

All iHomefinder account plans include our complete collection…

real estate market trend graphs

Different signs from May and June continue to support the claim…

graphic of checkmarks and people

Our recent webinar about iHomefinder account features explains…

graphic of a house with a spotlight

Now is the time to optimize your real estate website for online…

working from home productively

Working from home productively can be challenging when everyone…

graphic of a video playing on a smartphone

We’re enhancing our products in response to the new challenges…

mobile app notifications

Agents love using our Optima Leads mobile app to manage their…

Graphic of a house for sale

With virtual tours now recommended by the National Association…

real estate open house

The idea of using Facebook Live for a real estate open house…

Maximizing Your Potential webinar graphic

Our April 14th webinar featured guest speaker and award-winning…

marketing funnel graphic

With social distancing constraints, virtual tours and video tours…

graphic of a man and woman looking at real estate

Buyers who have been on the sidelines waiting to make a move…

family gathered around a laptop

Like every area of business, real estate is feeling the impact…

virtual tour graphic

Since most property showings and open houses have come to a halt…

a person holding a phone with a video on the screen

With more and more people presently practicing social distancing,…

spring yard scene

When weather cooperates, this time of year is always good for…

graphic with charts, email, and people

Lots of agents wrestle with establishing a consistent workflow…

top tips for agent accounts

Get the most value from your iHomefinder agent account! Our February…

graphic of homes with price tags

Does our last recession tell the story for what will happen to…

graphic of a man with a lightbulb above

Keeping track of appointments, call backs, emails, and other…

graphic of people looking at data

Our latest agent solution with a real estate CRM launched in…

graphic of computer with real estate listings

One of the most important steps in launching a WordPress website…

graphic of a smartphone controlling a smart home

Have you heard the term “Internet of Things” and wondered what…

graphic of a computer and a marketing funnel

Clients frequently ask us what percentage of new visitors they…

marketing funnel graphic

Do you really need your own real estate agent website if you’re…

graphic of two people buying a home

Fannie Mae’s 2019 Home Purchase Sentiment Index (HPSI) increased…

map of canada

Postal code is a popular property search option but it can be…

graphic of a woman holding a megaphone

By partnering with iHomefinder through our Partner Program, web…

graphic of a man looking at a graph

On December 2, we announced an exciting new service for agents…

real estate webpage template

In our article Real Estate Website Design With WordPress, we…

graphic of little houses

Pocket listings are off-market listings which may never reach…

graphic of people holding up their phones

It’s time to put the power of a business app for real estate…

Real Estate CRM

What Is A CRM?
CRM stands for customer relationship management…

real estate appraisal guide

Appraisals are an important part of real estate transactions,…

MarketBoost

If you’re like most agents, you don’t have a lot of time to research…

Millennial deciding to buy a house

Millennials now number about 83M or over a quarter of the nation’s…

Agent showing home

If you’re relying on your real estate newsletter and maybe some…

control panel redesign

The Control Panel provided with iHomefinder IDX accounts is the…

image of community

Most real estate professionals are familiar with the concept…

Marketing Automation

Immediate follow-up with every new lead is critical for your…

idx website

This article provides everything you need to know about iHomefinder…

IDX website nurturing leads

So you’ve launched your IDX website with all kinds of property…

WordPress Tips for iHomefinder IDX

If you’re new to iHomefinder IDX and/or WordPress, this webinar…

plan your real estate website success

Most agents and brokers count on their real estate website to…

Outperform your peers

Timing is key in business, especially in real estate. Home buyers…

Optima Leads | App for Agents

Your mobile assistant is here! Optima Leads, our app for iOS…

December 2019 US Real Estate Market Update

Note: December 2018 data below are the most recent released by…

November 2018 Real Estate Market Update

Note: November 2018 data below are the most recent released by…

WordPress | IDX | SEO

There used to be a time when having lots of generic pages of…

picture of houses in an urban area

Note: October 2018 data below are the most recent released by…

Responsiveness and Revenue

Timing is everything in real estate. Consumers expect prompt,…

Home

Note: September 2018 data below are the most recent released…

Social Apps

You may already know MarketBoost automates website and email…

Zapier Integrations

We’re very excited to announce new Zapier integrations! You can…

5 Ways to Become a More Efficient Real Estate Agent

The real estate industry is very complex and always evolving.…

Provide a Compelling Search Experience with Premium Search


Premium Search provides an property search experience that…

Lead Generation Ideas for Real Estate Agents and Brokers | iHomefinder

Updated June 2018



Technology-driven solutions are the…

3 Facebook Strategies

Updated for 2018

Social media can help your agent team generate…

What is a CRM and Why You Should be Using One as a Real Estate Agent | iHomefinder

Customer relationship management (CRM) offers busy agents the…

iHomefinder's ONE CRM What Sets Us Apart from the Rest | iHomefinder

There is a lot of variation within the real estate industry,…

iHomefinder Online Review Infographic Guest Post Header Image 20170607

Online reviews help us decide where/what to eat, what to watch,…

nurturing leads with market data

How do you manage lead nurturing activities with all the direct…

SEO Tips Part 3

This is the third and final post in this series of posts covering…

SEO Tips Part 2

This is the second of three posts discussing how your iHomefinder…

SEO Tips Part 1

All iHomefinder accounts provide an indexable IDX solution, allowing…


Share this content:

I am a passionate blogger with extensive experience in web design. As a seasoned YouTube SEO expert, I have helped numerous creators optimize their content for maximum visibility.

Leave a Comment