It hides behind friendly smiles, and banal requests. But you should be wary.
It slowly chips away at you, sneaking off with little things here and there. So slowly, so small, you never even notice.
Everything seems normal until suddenly, you’re sitting there at the end of the day, absolutely dreading having to deal with everything tomorrow.
Forget Sunday scaries… you find yourself dealing with Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday scares, too.
Or you find yourself at the end of another quarter, looking at goals you set three months ago…
Wondering where you went wrong.
Beware…
The energy vampire.
What’s an energy vampire?
An energy vampire is a person or thing that slowly zaps away your energy and enthusiasm.
- It can be that lead you think you’re nurturing, but never really pans out no matter how much time and effort you put into it.
- It can be that task that you put so much of your time into, but never really gets your business anywhere.
Energy vampires come in a lot of different forms, but in real estate they all share some key characteristics:
- They take up more time and energy than you had initially anticipated
- They make your job as an agent less enjoyable, in a way that you’re not able to shake off at the end of the day
- You find yourself with less energy and drive after dealing with them
- They leave you feeling burnt out
What should a Realtor do when they’re around an energy vampire?
It’s not a great situation to find yourself in, but thankfully there are some things you can do:
Set clear boundaries
use time blocking to set a hard cap on time spent on certain tasks, and use automations to avoid fixating on one piece of your business while neglecting other pieces.
Reset
step away, disconnect, and do something unrelated that you enjoy. Come back to the task, or reply to the person later.
Go back to basics
revisit your goals, and ask yourself if the energy vampire is necessary to achieving them. Double down on the things that will bring you closer to your goals.
Re-evaluate
has your task become an energy vampire because you’re not approaching it right? Is it something that can be done differently, or delegated? Sometimes an energy vampire is highlighting a learning opportunity for you.
Cut your losses and walk away
sometimes, you can’t win against an energy vampire. In those cases, don’t keep sinking more time and energy into the situation. Walk away, and focus on other pieces of your business instead.
Have you ever found yourself dealing with an energy vampire? How did you deal with that situation?
