Most of us would describe ourselves as kind. Kind enough, anyway. We’re kind to our patients or customers, to our friends, our boss, to management. We’re kind to a stranger who might be lost or confused. You may not realize it, but there are actually great health benefits to being kind: increased energy levels, feelings of calmness, lower blood pressure, less stress, and improved happiness. These are all proven benefits of acting kindly to others. But what about when it comes to your team at work? Should a boss prioritize kindness as part of their leadership style?
It turns out that good, strong leaders aren’t just organized, motivational, and clear communicators. Research shows they’re also kind and empathetic, setting the tone for their entire team and cultivating an atmosphere of positivity and success. This creates a sense of connection and belonging that can unite a team and strengthen the work you do.
“I’m kind,” you think. “I care about my teammates.” That’s great. However, you don’t want to confuse empathy with kindness. As an empathetic leader, you’re able to relate to your team. You can view a situation from someone else’s perspective. But it’s your reaction that shows kindness. Dr. Renee Thompson, CEO and founder of the Healthy Workforce Institute, focuses on eliminating disruptive behaviors in the workplace — behaviors like bullying, incivility, ignorance, and cruelty. Kindness and empathy go hand in hand to combat these behaviors, but Thompson helped explain the difference and importance of nurturing both. Empathy, she says, is the feeling you have naturally for another person. Kindness, however, is the action you take when you feel that empathy.
“Empathy really involves some type of connection that you have with another human being. There’s got to be some type of thought, some type of feeling, where you look at what somebody’s going through, and there’s this sort of right brain-left brain connection and you feel something for that other person,” Thompson says. “Kindness, I don’t have to think about it. I don’t have to intellectualize it. I can just be kind for the sake of being kind.”
Our brains are full of mirror neurons, which trigger specific feelings and sensations based on what’s happening around us — including empathy. For example, you pass by a coworker eating their lunch in the breakroom, and your mirror neurons trigger hunger. You see an ASPCA commercial on TV, and your mirror neurons trigger sadness. Or say you see someone get hurt, and your mirror neurons trigger empathy. Our mirror neurons fire either when we act or when we observe an action performed by someone else. The neuron “mirrors” the behavior of the other, helping explain scientifically why we naturally feel empathy and are compelled to act with kindness when we see kindness being done.
As a leader, “you have to help people understand that the way they treat each other is just as important as the service you’re providing, the care you’re providing, and the product you’re producing,” Thompson says.
Because when it comes to your bottom line, kindness can help your team work more efficiently and sustainably.
A 2019 Forbes article discussed a study on how prioritizing kindness can create a ripple effect that can change the culture of the workplace.
Here’s what happened: University of California researchers told a group of coworkers that they were part of a kindness study. Select members of the group were deemed “givers” and told to perform random acts of kindness for the rest of the participants. The researchers checked back once a week for four weeks to find out what kindness they’d shown and received, as well as how it made each person feel.
At the end of the four weeks, all participants completed a job satisfaction survey, and it was clear that the acts of kindness had had a positive impact. Those who received kindness said that they felt a heightened sense of camaraderie with their team and were happier at work. But get this: The 19 “givers” reported higher levels of job AND life satisfaction, too. Based on the results of the study, the UC researchers concluded that random acts of kindness increased the “sense of well-being, autonomy, and competence” of both the givers and receivers.
The study also notably showed that random acts of kindness can be contagious. Throughout the experiment, the participants wanted to know who performed the kindness and became increasingly creative in how they returned it. This “thinking outside the box” had obvious positive effects on creativity in the workplace, all stemming from the idea that being kind can change the entire team’s culture.
The ability to be a kind and empathetic leader helps build trust and develop loyalty among your team members. Erin Urban, an author and career growth strategist, says that if you’re able to show kindness while leading, it can be a strength.
“It takes a long time to build trust, but only seconds to destroy it,” Urban says. Thompson agrees: by being intentionally and assertively kind, she explains, you can:
That all sounds great, but how do you actually go about doing it? To help you out, the Center for Creative Leadership put together a list of four main ways managers can show empathy in the workplace:
Additionally, the Random Acts of Kindness Foundation provides leaders with seven steps they can take to establish a culture of kindness and empathy in the workplace, which will help ensure that your team wants to show up and do their best work. Workplace leaders should:
Everyone, including team leads, can change the culture of a workplace for the better with just a little kindness. We asked our experts and crowd-sourced numerous professionals on Facebook for their thoughts on what makes kindness work at work. Here’s a list of 101 ways to use kindness as a way to motivate and support your team:
Not a team leader? Here are some ideas for both big and small ways you can foster a culture of kindness among your teammates.
When it comes to spreading kindness among your patients or clients, you may want to consider “reading the room” before you spring into action. What works for one person might not be appreciated by another, so use your discretion when implementing the strategies we list below.
At the end of the day, being kind doesn’t hurt anybody. In fact, your team’s effectiveness and cohesiveness will likely improve, as will your personal health. So, go ahead: print out this list and start implementing some of the strategies we’ve shared with you. Show your team that kindness is a workplace skill that should be prioritized.
Image courtesy of iStock.com/StockRocket
From house calls to wellness clinics, nurse practitioners are making a name for themselves in the world of medicine by opening their own practices. NPs are proving now more than ever that the profession is constantly evolving and encompassing a group of providers who offer medical services on their own terms.
Take Jessica Pawlicki, RN, MSN, APRN, FNP-C, who opened her own pediatric practice, Well-Rooted Pediatrics, in Crystal Lake, Illinois.
“It has always been my dream, but knowing it [wouldn’t be] easy, it was always thrown on the back-burner,” she says. “Suddenly, I had a change of heart and knew that I was meant to have my own practice and practice how I wanted and how I felt was best for patient care and relationships. I don’t want my patients to be a number. We are family.”
It probably goes without saying that starting your own private practice won’t be an easy task. But one way to make your journey a little smoother is by learning from the experiences of other NPs who’ve already been there and done that. To help you out, we asked Pawlicki and Sapana Patel, DNP, APN-BC, consulting director of Healthcare Innovation & EntrepreNURSEship at Northeastern University’s Bouve College of Health Sciences, to share what they think are some of the most important considerations and steps to take when starting your own NP private practice.
While you can open your own practice as an NP, the exact operating rules vary by the state in which you’ll be operating. Some states still require you to open your practice with a collaborating physician, while other states allow NPs to open and practice independently without a physician. So, if you don’t know what your state’s requirements are, your first step in the process should be to figure this out.
The American Association of Nurse Practitioners (AANP) lists the three practice authority designations for each state as full, reduced, and restricted. Here’s how it breaks down:
NPs are usually able to practice independently and perform all elements of NP practice in full practice states, including evaluating and diagnosing patients, prescribing medications, and managing treatments. These are the often the easiest states for NPs to open their own practice. Here they are:
| Alaska | Arizona | Colorado | Connecticut |
| Hawaii | Idaho | Iowa | Maine |
| Maryland | Minnesota | Montana | Nebraska |
| Nevada | New Hampshire | New Mexico | North Dakota |
| Oregon | Rhode Island | South Dakota | Vermont |
| Washington | Wyoming |
NPs in reduced designation states can practice independently after a certain number of hours working under another health care provider. Here they are:
| Alabama | Arkansas | Delaware | Illinois |
| Indiana | Kansas | Kentucky | Louisiana |
| Mississippi | New Jersey | New York | Ohio |
| Pennsylvania | Utah | West Virginia | Wisconsin |
NPs in restricted designation states are restricted from certain elements of practice and are required to have oversight from another health provider for their entire career. In these states, an NP’s practice is limited to working under a physician. Here they are:
| California | Florida | Georgia | Massachusetts |
| Michigan | Missouri | North Carolina | Oklahoma |
| South Carolina | Tennessee | Texas | Virginia |
Patel is in the midst of opening her own dermatology practice and, as a result of this experience, has become a resource and inspiration for other NPs looking to do the same. Through her website, Let’s Practice, she offers nurses and NPs a free toolkit that assists them in creating innovative business models.
The toolkit, which she estimates about 150 NPs have used, is useful for any NP looking to start their entrepreneurial journey, with sections on marketing, credentialing, handling finances, leasing vs. buying space, and even links to sample business plans. And while the specifics will depend largely on what type of practice you’re looking to open, Patel has provided a loose list of general steps that any NP can expect to take when establishing their own practice.
Patel notes that it’s vitally important for you to be aware of your state’s laws to help guide what type of practice you can legally set up. You should know what types of allied health professionals you’re allowed to partner with, and whether you need a collaborating physician.
If you need to partner with a collaborating physician, you can try being matched through CollaboratingDocs.com, which also helps provide legal documents, state-based assistance, and covers malpractice insurance for your physician. Patel also recommends consulting with a business attorney (ideally, one who specializes in medical practices) to help you set up your initial business structure correctly.
The logistics of forming your own business will include everything from staffing your practice, to budgeting for your launch, to choosing your location. If you have a business plan in place, you’ll be in a much better position to manage all these moving parts and keep yourself organized. Plus, as Patel notes, your business plan can also help guide your expenses.
You should also protect yourself from the get-go with business insurance and malpractice insurance. Patel also suggests considering cyber insurance in the event your computer system gets hacked. For staffing your practice, she recommends knowing when you’re ready and financially able to bring staff members on and consulting an attorney and tax professional to help you set up employees legally with the right classifications.
Patel says a marketing plan is critical when opening your own practice, no matter what type of service you can offer. For instance, even if your target population is not on social media, chances are their caregivers will be.
When it comes to executing the marketing plan: “Initially, I always say free is best,” says Patel. “If you’re not utilizing your free social platforms, you’re doing yourself a disservice.”
Patel recommends buying a URL and creating a basic website as a good starting point. (Look at tools like Wix and WordPress.) Then, use free graphic design services (Inkscape and Canva are two examples) and post your announcements on your social media accounts, such as Facebook and Instagram, to get the word out about your business.
Tip: Figure out which social media platforms your target audience uses the most and focus your energy on them. (For example, if you know anecdotally that most of your patients use Instagram or Facebook, go with those.) Once you get the hang of using those channels, you may also want to consider doing some advertising on them as well. This will help you boost your brand’s presence and get you in front of the customers you’re trying to attract.
If you’ll be seeing patients and billing with reimbursement through insurance, make hiring a good biller a top priority (before you open your doors). After all, Patel says, your passion and the most lucrative part of your business strategy is to see patients, not handle bills. Plus, NPs are only reimbursed from insurance companies at an 85% rate (compared to physicians at 100%), Patel says, so the business absorbs the 15% remainder of the cost of the visit.
Last but not least, Pawlicki adds what might be the most important step to opening an NP practice: “Own it!”
Confidence is key when launching a new endeavor. You’re serving a vital role as a medical provider in the community. Your passion, resilience, and strong business plan will take you far.
Just like the tricks and tools you rely on when caring for patients, there will also be resources to help you open your own practice. Patel says you should keep searching for what you can learn and who you can lean on.
Some of the resources you’ll want to consider looking into include:
You’ll want to carefully hire a team to make sure you check all the boxes before you open. This includes finance, tax, and insurance professionals, as well as an attorney who specializes in medical practices.
If you’ll be ordering medications in your practice, you’ll need a DEA number for your state.
There are many free business plan templates online, but it may be helpful to purchase a template specific to a nurse practitioner, such as this one from the Journal for Nurse Practitioners. Patel’s “Let’s Practice” website also offers an online toolkit.
Online courses can help you get equipped with everything from how to incorporate social media into your practice to profit and costs training. Here are some from the AANP.
Fortunately, not that MRSA. This one stands for Multistate Reimbursement Alliance, and it can help you make sure you’re getting properly reimbursed in your practice.
The Nurse Practitioner’s Business Practice and Legal Guide contains state-by-state information on ethics, risk management, and practice guidelines.
For instance, the AANP has everything from professional development to practice management tools to help you run your own office.
There are many digital tools you’ll need to start and manage your practice. Patel favors Canva, for creating your own flyers, ads, and social media displays — and QuickBooks for basic accounting.
As Pawlicki explains, the process to opening your own practice may not be easy, but it’s just part of what is expected as an NP — a constant journey of growth, learning, and striving to give patients the very best care.
“The process was harder than I expected, but never once did I back down or think it wasn’t the right thing to do,” Pawlicki says. “As practitioners, we constantly face challenges, and the best thing we can do is find the answers and continue to push ourselves to learn more. Since opening, I have never looked back. This has been the most rewarding experience I could have imagined. Trust in yourself. It’s never too late.”
Ready to protect your yourself and your business? Berxi makes it easy to get the coverage you need with policies designed specifically for nurse practitioners. Plus, when you buy direct from Berxi, you can save up to 20% on your premium. Get a quote today — and get yourself peace of mind too.
Image courtesy of iStock.com/phototechno
As told to Jerriann Sullivan
Ever wonder what it’s like to run your own real estate brokerage? We asked one broker, who’s been in the business for more than 30 years, to anonymously share a week of his life with us, diary-style. From how he runs his business to making time for family, get the inner thoughts and strategies of a successful real estate broker.
6:30 a.m. My schedule is pretty routine Monday through Saturday, up until the afternoon. I like to start my day with coffee at home in front of the “Today” show, then I switch to MSNBC before I leave.
7:30 a.m. Around this time, I’ll head over to the gym. I have a great trainer I’ve been working out with for more than 20 years, so you’ll find me there almost every morning. Most days of the week are focused on cardio workouts, but we make sure to get in two weightlifting sessions per week, too.
8:30 a.m. Once I’m done with the gym, I head to the drive-thru for my morning egg white delight. Then I’m on my way to the office.
9:30 a.m. I do my best work before 2 p.m., so I try to get right to the office and get down to business. I spend most of this time working on market value reports, sending updates to recalcitrant sellers, and making calls to agents to promote my team’s listings.
12 p.m. I grab lunch with my team. I have about 10 agents, a project manager, finance manager, and marketing manager who work for me, plus an assistant who helps to cover almost all the stuff I don’t enjoy doing. We order salads from a local place and use this time to exchange war stories and get advice from one another. These (almost daily) lunches typically happen organically, and whoever’s in the office and available will attend. That said, I do try to encourage our team to have them without me as much as possible.
Today, one of my agents wants advice on a dual-agency deal she has. She’s representing both the home seller AND the buyer who wants it, and this creates a lot of chatter. Everyone has advice because if one side of this deal feels under-represented, it could hurt our reputation. It’s a spirited discussion with a lot of “cooks in the kitchen.” Dual-agency is very complicated and tricky and needs to be handled ethically. I try to guide the conversation so that no one feels attacked, and we all feel like we’re learning from each other. To be honest, I’m learning from a lot of my agents, as well. Everyone has the brand’s best interest in mind, so these conversations get me super psyched that we can all learn from each other.
2 p.m. I leave for my first meeting. I like to make appointments with clients in the afternoon and early evening. As much as possible, I really, really try to control my day and get back to people before the evenings. My strategy is to pull them into my day rather than just be at their beck and call at all hours of the day and night.
2:30 p.m. I arrive at a former client’s home. He wants to sell and his wife does not. Home sales can be so emotional that, most of the time, I feel like I’m making social calls. They might sell their house this spring or in 10 years, but regardless, my goal is that they come away from the visit knowing that I’m here to help.
We chat a little and I can already feel the tension in the air. His wife really loves the house, so we walk through it and I take notes on the shape it’s in. Then, we go over their expenses, including all the utilities and landscaping charges. My focus is on what’s best for these people. How can I help them get to their goal and be on the same page about it?
Then, we sit down and get down to business. I give them my list of what I think needs to be done before the house goes on the market, the cost of my punchlist, and the time it would take to complete. And we talk numbers. I show comps of what other houses like theirs sold for. We also go over the price of what they’d be looking for in the city, and what that lifestyle might be like — and are they ready?
I’m telling you, sometimes being in this business is like being a therapist. But it really needs to be all about the seller. Once you start focusing on your own goals, you lose integrity.
We leave the meeting with a timeline for getting their house on the market in a few months at the maximum price possible. They have a list of what they need to fix and clean, and they feel excited about the listing price. If they don’t get it, they’ll wait another year and try again.
4 p.m. I’m off to my next meeting. I always allow at least an hour and a half for each meeting with some cushion built in to account for driving time.
This is another home seller, and it’s my second time meeting with them. They’re still deciding on who they want to list with, so I asked an agent in my office to meet us, too — for backup. I try to share a lot of my listings with the agents in my office. However, there are often times when the sellers only want me because my name is the brand, and that can be a challenge. Tonight, I’m bringing along a team member who knows this particular area better than I do so we can present together and, if all goes well, she could own this listing.
The first time I met with this couple, I took copious notes on their home and their goals. Tonight, we’ll present our market analysis and my agent will talk about her experience in this part of town.
5:30 p.m. We leave the meeting feeling great, but you never know how things are going to shake out. Now, I head home and continue working on my computer from there. There are always emails to return.
7 p.m. I start making dinner with my wife. Our kids moved out a few years ago, and we’re enjoying the quiet together time. We talk a lot of business, as my wife is equally invested in my brokerage and has great insight. But we love cooking together and talking about our days, the kids, and the weekend ahead. It’s nice.
8 p.m. – 10 p.m. I’ll admit that I usually try to squeeze in a few more emails after dinner, but I have a firm 10 o’clock stop. Whether I’m working from home or at a real estate event, I’m done at 10 p.m.
7:30 a.m. Once I get through my morning coffee and news, I’m back at the gym.
9:30 a.m. I get to the office and meet with my special projects business manager. We meet once a month to go over some accounting and how the agents are doing year-to-date. There are some furniture purchases I need to approve for home-staging projects. Today, we discuss whether or not I should attend a special three-week real estate course. She’s going to evaluate whether that’s a good use of my time and money.
11 a.m. I sit down with my listing manager to sort out the weeks ahead. She’s a crucial part of my team because she’s in charge of arranging the listing dates, getting the floor plans, arranging photography, and keeping me going on my “thank you” notes.
11:30 a.m. An agent pops by my office to go over some concerns. She’s behind on her goal and could use some advice. My agents are all 1099, so while they work on my team and get bonuses, they’re considered independent contractors. All goal-setting is informal, so this is more of a “how can I help you?”-type of meeting. I never want to lose one of my people to another brokerage, so I make a point of helping out my team wherever I can. Today, I sit down with the agent and help her brainstorm ways to get her more business.
12:30 p.m. I skip the team lunch to have a more private lunch with my finance manager so we can talk about business. We discuss projections for the year and whether we should buy a huge piece of equipment for the office.
1:30 p.m. I attend a local agent’s open house. I like to show support for the other agents in my community.
2 p.m. My sellers have an offer, so I get in the car and call them to talk it through. Midway through the conversation, I decide to drive right over to their place to discuss our response.
3:30 p.m. I head over to a new client meeting with a couple hoping to retire in Florida. Their goal for the conversation is to talk timing and housing analysis; my goal is to build the relationship, but I bring along some comps of recent sales anyway.
When I get there, they ask me for my impression of the market and what I think the future holds. I have to look at the condition of the house, and we discuss the expenses it’ll take to keep it up. We talk about their job situation and how long they really want to work.
That’s the difference between being a really good Realtor and someone who just sells houses. You really are caring for these people. I guess that’s why I never want to get out of selling houses — I truly care about the people I’m working with and want to help them.
5 p.m. It’s back to the office for me. I want to make sure I run into some people before the end of the day and answer emails.
8 p.m. I’m finally home and eating dinner. This is when I crash. I try not to check email tonight; I just want to watch “Top Chef” with my wife.
6:30 a.m. I kick off my morning routine of coffee, news, gym, and breakfast, and then head straight to the office.
9:30 a.m. I’m doing emails at the office and waiting to hear from my client who’s selling her house today. It’s a closing day, so I’m on call.
While I wait, I call three sellers and thank them for their business. I also start working on my list of “thank you” notes to people I’ve done business with or met recently. I like handwritten notes, so this requires me to be at my desk and not in my car.
10 a.m. Oh no. The walk-through goes poorly. My sellers didn’t clean the house properly, even though my business manager had gone over everything with them. So, I quickly cancel all my meetings for the rest of the day and head straight to my sellers’ home.
10:30 a.m. I roll up my sleeves, slide on some rubber gloves, and start finishing up the prep work that should’ve already been handled. This includes cleaning a toilet and picking up dog poop from the front lawn.
11:30 a.m. My sellers are still feeling stressed, so I order us lunch and spend the rest of the afternoon at the house helping them pack up the last of their boxes so the closing goes well.
5 p.m. The buyers come back to do a final walk-through. It goes well, which means I get to head straight home knowing the house is in good shape and the new owners can move in after they close tomorrow.
8 p.m. I’m cooking and talking with my wife. I skipped a networking event just to enjoy a low-key night at home with her. Plus, I know she’s going to howl with laughter when she hears my dog poop story.
9:30 a.m. After I complete my morning routine, I head back to the office to get my emails out of the way.
11 a.m. My assistant and I prepare packets of marketing materials for my afternoon meetings.
12 p.m. I stop by a few broker open houses to go through the detailed notes I prepare on each client: who they are, what their house is like, market projections, etc.
1 p.m. I get lunch with a recent client, just to catch up.
2 p.m. I head out to my first meeting of the afternoon. On my way to the second meeting, I call a client from the car (hands-free, of course) to go over the details for her closing tomorrow. I’ve found that communicating with clients ahead of time can prevent them from worrying and calling me at all hours of the night.
2:30 p.m. I do a walk-through of a house that one of our clients is trying to sell. She’s trusted us for years; we’ve already sold one home for her, so I’m happy she chose us again. I offer her some tips on how to prepare the house for sale and put her in touch with my business manager for staging materials we can loan her.
4 p.m. I spend nearly two hours in rush-hour traffic because my next client lives across town from my last. I make a conscious effort to never waste time, so when I’m driving, I make phone calls in the car where I can have privacy and stay focused on one person.
6 p.m. I walk through another house. This time, it’s with a new client who was referred to us by a family whom we recently helped buy their first home. This is the client’s first time selling a house, which means they have a lot of questions, so I spend a bit more time with them to address their concerns and walk them through the process.
8 p.m. As I drive home, I call my son, who’s in his first job post-college and is experiencing a small work crisis. It doesn’t seem like a big deal to me at all, but he wants to talk it through, and I love any time I get with him. It’s so nice to watch him launch his own career, and I really enjoy getting to help him sort out the tricky stuff. When I first started as an agent, it was perfect because I could work my schedule around seeing his school and sporting events. And now it’s grown to my own business, but I still have so much flexibility and a team of supportive agents and managers. I don’t think I’ll ever leave this job!
8:30 p.m. I eat dinner in front of my work computer and catch up on emails. It’s been my experience that the money always follows if you do the right thing for people. You can’t be counting your money because, most times, there’s no rhyme or reason why certain deals don’t go through. Some deals are easy, some are challenging. It all works out in the end if you stay client-focused.
6:30 a.m. I wake up feeling exhausted and like I might be getting a cold, so I skip the gym for the day and sleep in.
9:30 a.m. I start the day from my home office.
12:30 p.m. I’m feeling much better, so I head into the office to grab my notes for my afternoon meetings.
3 p.m. Even though I’d love to start the weekend early, I head out of the office for my normal afternoon routine: meeting with clients at their homes to discuss selling their next piece of real estate. Do I handle buyers? Sometimes. But I like to focus on the sellers. That way, I can give the buyers to my agents who are growing their own businesses in the hopes they’ll get the sale 10 or so years from now.
5 p.m. I drop by my last meeting for the day: a returning client who’d like to sell their home and downsize to a condo closer to the city. They know what they want, so we focus on how I can help them get the house. I give them names of movers and painters. I also let them know I have a great name of a Realtor in the city to give them. Referrals can be 25 percent to 30 percent of business, so this is a great way to make some money if you remember to close the loop.
6:30 a.m. I keep the same routine as the rest of the week because I consider Saturday just as important as Monday.
9:30 a.m. I’m at the office to pick up my notes for the day. Most real estate agents work all weekend, but for me, Saturday is the day I make count so I can take Sunday off.
I help my assistant prep for an open house she’s running point on before I head out. We need brochures, “Open House” signs, refreshments, and sign-in sheets. I get her car packed, and she’s off.
11 a.m. I arrive at another open house we’re hosting and find everything has been completed — signs are out, cookies have been baked, and marketing materials are in various spots for prospective buyers to grab easily. I’m the point person on this one, so I spend the next two hours answering as many questions as possible.
1 p.m. I meet my wife out for a nice lunch. Even though I’ve worked on Saturdays for as long as we can remember, we try to make the best of it and meet up during the day. Sometimes she comes to my open houses, too.
2 p.m. I swing by the office and meet a couple who wants to see some homes. I have the next few hours free, so I print out some open house listings and we hit the road. When I’m with new buyers, I always say to them: “I’m going to tell you as much info about where we are, where the schools are located, and where the parks and town centers are so you can decide where you want to focus next.”
We drive around for the next three hours and stop by about four open houses.
5 p.m. Our first-time buyers have a good idea of what they like and what they hate. We stop back at the office and sit for a bit to discuss what we learned by visiting so many homes in one day.
6 p.m. I type up my notes for the day and head home.
10 a.m. Working all day Monday through Saturday means I’m able to take Sunday off. We head out for a day trip to a local coastal town we love, grab seafood, and stroll some shops. It’s our time, but that said, I’m always online, and I make sure my team knows I’m available if someone needs to show something.
8 p.m. Having relaxed all day and avoided (non-urgent) emails, I feel refreshed and ready to tackle my long week ahead.
Image courtesy of iStock.com/kitzcorner
