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Can mindfulness help you be a better real estate agent?


We’ve all had those moments in life where we feel overwhelmed. Perhaps we take it out on a colleague, or ourselves. Or our productivity sacrifices as a result. But by incorporating mindfulness practices in your work, you can help to make your days less stressful and be more aware of your actions and decisions. But don’t just take our word for it. Major organizations and companies like Google and Harvard Business School have even adopted mindfulness principles and host meditation groups for their students and employees.

What is mindfulness?

Simply put, mindfulness is awareness. Practicing mindfulness means paying attention to what’s happening at the present moment. While mindfulness has its origins in Buddhism, learning and practicing mindfulness has increasingly become secular without any religious ties or associations. Mindfulness is often achieved by meditation – quieting busy thoughts in the mind and focusing on the breath.

Why is mindfulness important?

Stress and anxiety can cause us to operate on autopilot, forgetting conversations you just had, dwelling on past events and worrying about events happening in the future. The scientifically-proven benefits of mindfulness are seemingly endless. Practitioners not only report feeling less stressed but a study conducted by Health Psychology showed that mindfulness decreases levels of cortisol – the hormone produced by the body when stressed. And a study conducted with a military group during a highly stressful training period showed that mindfulness increases your working memory capacity. You can read more about the benefits of mindfulness here.

How does mindfulness help me work better?

While there are plenty of bodily benefits of mindfulness, like an improved immune system and better sleep, here are a few ways that mindfulness could directly improve your real estate work:

  • Become a better listener: If you’re meeting a new client for the first time but are worrying about an open house you’re hosting tomorrow, that means less attention paid to your new client’s wants and needs. Quieting those worries helps you listen and remember the conversation happening in front of you.
  • Improve your focus: Practicing mindfulness affects the part of your brain that controls self-regulation. What this means is the ability to stay on task for longer without distraction. For example, while you’re bookkeeping, you won’t be as distracted by things like emails or texts and can focus on the task at hand, improving your productivity.
  • Accepting criticism gracefully: Hearing a picky client’s laundry list of ‘do not wants’ or problems with a property they’re viewing can frustrate even the most patient of real estate agents, perhaps even triggering a reactionary response. But mindfulness can help you embrace criticism by slowing down and giving your thoughts space. That way, you’ll respond with intention instead of triggering a flight-or-flight type response.

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