A Houston Landlord’s Guide to Increasing Focus

It doesn’t matter what line of work you’re in, focus is an integral component of success. If you aren’t focused, you’ll squash productivity and squander the opportunities that are presented to you. And as a Houston landlord, it’s an especially integral ingredient in your overall recipe for optimizing ROI.

Macro vs. Micro Focus

Focus is hard to come by – both in macro and micro terms.

Macro focus is your ability to set long-term objectives and pursue them without getting sidetracked. So a macro focus might be consistently purchasing rental property over the next five years so that you can generate $10,000 in monthly cash flow.

Micro focus is your ability to concentrate on the tasks that are in front of you at any given moment. This includes your daily to-do list, as well as situations that arise without rhyme or reason, but that require your attention.

In this blog post, we’re primarily discussing micro focus. In other words, we’re taking  a look at how Houston landlords can enhance focus on a daily basis and ultimately optimize productivity (which naturally feeds into macro focus).

Why is it So Hard to Focus?

Have you ever wondered why it’s so hard to focus on the things you need to be doing as a landlord? Here’s a look at some factors that make it so difficult:

• Distractions. The constant buzzing, ringing, and dinging of your devices is killing your focus. Your brain can’t handle this many disruptions.
• Fatigue. A lack of sleep leaves you mentally and physically exhausted. This makes focus impossible.
• Stress. If you’re worried or anxious about something, it’s nearly impossible to focus on anything but the cause of that stress.
• Multitasking. Contrary to popular belief, the human brain can’t focus on two tasks at once – at least not with any semblance of accuracy. All your brain is doing is shifting back and forth, which requires excessive amounts of energy.
• Boredom. If you’re bored with the task at hand, you’ll have to fight to stay tuned in. Your brain will automatically drift to daydreaming and/or thoughts of frustration.
• Physical factors. Sometimes a lack of focus is tied to a physical condition like ADD/ADHD, chronic pain, or some sort of mental health issue.

If focus were impacted by just one of these factors at a time, it would be pretty easy to overcome the friction. However, you’ll find that you’re often plagued by multiple factors at once. This is what makes it so challenging to concentrate.

Landlords: 6 Tips for Focusing

As difficult as focus is to come by, there are ways to fight through the aforementioned factors and become more productive in your daily routines. Here are some tips with landlords in mind:

1. Eliminate Unnecessary Distractions

The simplest step (at least in theory) is to eliminate any unnecessary distractions that knowingly cause you to lose focus. Your list will be unique to you, but common examples include:

• Text message notifications
• Email
• Social media
• Smartphone push notifications
• Loud noises
• Visual distractions (like working in front of a window overlooking a busy park)

The more you can cut out things that actively interrupt your concentration, the easier it becomes to focus on what truly matters.

2. Plan Ahead

By planning ahead, you remove one of the biggest obstacles to productivity: Wasting time figuring out what you should do, rather than actually doing it.

End every day by making a quick to-do list for the next day. Then when you wake up in the morning, grab a cup of coffee and review the list. Cross off anything that’s not urgent and set your priorities. While stuff will inevitably pop up throughout the day, this serves as your rough game plan. Whenever in doubt, refer to the to-do list.

3. Practice the Pomodoro Technique

One of the biggest threats to your focus is your brain’s limited capacity for staying committed to one task for long periods of time. You can work with your brain, rather than fighting against it, by using the Pomodoro Technique. It works like this:

• Set a timer for 25 minutes and start working
• When the buzzer goes off, take a (timed) five-minute break
• Set the timer for 25 minutes again and continue working
• Take another five-minute break
• Repeat four rounds of this and then take a longer break

If you can master the Pomodoro Technique, you’ll find your productivity skyrocketing on an hourly and daily basis.

4. Use the 5-Minute Rule to Clear Your To-Do List

It’s easy for a to-do list to get so crowded with small tasks that you can’t focus on the big ones that matter most. The easiest way to clear your list is to use the 5-Minute Rule.

The 5-Minute Rule asks you to go through your list of tasks one at a time. When you run across a task that can be performed in five minutes or less, do it right away. Then move on to the next one, and the next, etc. In just half an hour, you can clear five to seven items off your list. This frees up your mental capacity and lowers stress.

5. Create Processes

There should be processes for everything. From how you collect rent to how you manage repairs, processes streamline decision making and allow you to focus on the responsibilities that require your full attention.

Creating a process requires a lot of time on the front end. But if it’s something that you’ll use for months or years, it’ll always save you time in the long run.

6. Hire a Houston Property Management Service

Want to clear your to-do list, eliminate stress, and promote better focus? Hire a property management service. They’ll handle everything from tenant screening and rent collection to repair requests and accounting on your behalf. It’s an instant weight off your shoulders!

Let Green Residential Help

For professional property management services in Houston, Texas, look no further than Green Residential. Our team has more than 40 years of experience in the industry and would be happy to do the heavy lifting for you, so that you can focus on the tasks that are most important. Contact us today to learn more!