Time Blocking Goal - Better Communication with Rental Partners

Time Blocking Goal - Better Communication with Rental Partners

Real Estate Agent · Philadelphia, PA · Member since 2010 · 166 posts · 23 votes

I'm trying to come up with a technique to add some structure to the clerical and communication sides of our rental portfolio. My partner is very REACTIVE (likes to wait until issues happen then find a solution....Like "hey do we have insurance on this property?"), while I prefer to be PROACTIVE (prevent future issues and get things done before necessary) 

In the past I've suggested keeping all communication via email, cloud based file system like Google Drive, using Podio to leave comments and delegate tasks, and even mentioned something like Time Blocking in the past and he laughed all these ideas off, saying it wasn't necessary. I don't think it's a big deal to want some organization - it might prove to be very helpful.

Here's the e-mail I sent to him earlier this morning. Any thoughts on this? What works for you? Have you experienced this? I'm not sure what else to suggest we do. Thanks!

"I recommend that we block off 30 minutes a day to focus on our rental properties. The concept is similar to an early morning meeting like many businesses do. Gives an opportunity to discuss what is working, what isn't, make changes, be proactive etc.

That doesn't mean we need to talk rental properties every day, it just means that if either of us have any questions, ideas, or anything that needs to get done then we save it for the time block. For example if our time block is between 5:45-6:15pm EVERY DAY then we'll know that if a call, email or text comes in during that time its about our portfolio. If no phone call/text/email comes in during that time then there's nothing that needs to be done. We may find out that we need a 45 minute or 1 hour time block duration if we regularly exceed 30 minutes (especially if we experience vacancies, several maintenance requests, or if we accumulate more rental units)

This will hopefully allow us to organize our time, communicate better, and get more things done. It will also eliminate random email, calls and text throughout the day that are distractions when we're busy working (and might not be able to respond). Of course if any time-sensitive issues come up then those will need attention immediately. Only non-time sensitive issues should be saved for the time block period.

What's a good time block that you're willing to dedicate to our rental portfolio every day? I used 5:45-6:15 as an example because I thought it might be during your evening commute. But it can be anytime. The key is that we keep it consistent, otherwise it doesn't work."

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  • Pittsburgh, PA · Member since 2015 · 179 posts · 115 votes
    9y

    @Brandon Eleazer

    I think that's a pretty decent strategy but if your partner isn't buying into that, it's going to be a struggle.  I am very much like you, very type-A personality, and I like to be very organized and systemic in my planning and decision making.  Unfortunately, for every one person like us, there is someone who will procrastinate and firefight instead.

    The time blocking may work, however, one strategy that I've employed instead is just a weekly/twice per week face-to-face meeting or phone call.  This just lets an open issues accumulate into a one-time meeting to walk through everything.  Again, this may be tough unless your partner really buys in but it's the most effective way to do it, in my opinion.  

    It's a great strategy but it will work 0% of the time without 100% buy-in.

  • Real Estate Agent · Philadelphia, PA · Member since 2010 · 166 posts · 23 votes
    9y

    Thanks for your input @James Triano

    I'll admit this is something that I need to work on too. I don't even think I'm too over-the-top with the systems (my partner would call them "rules"). I just don't want to answer the same questions repeatedly - like "what's our tenant's phone number"; I'd rather we have a way to find out that information to avoid receiving the text asking me for it every time.  It's about reducing the amount of unnecessary communication, and finding ways to save ourselves time.

    Once or twice a week is much more realistic than every day. But like I mentioned I don't anticipate a phone call every day, we would just be keeping ourselves on-call or checking our emails for those 30 mins in case the other person needs something. I guess some people might think that's arrogant like "I'm ignoring you until I'm available. You must wait until X:00 time to talk to me", but I view it more of "You can have my undivided attention for these 30 mins everyday if you need it. I want to make sure all our questions and concerns are answered." Again, if it's time sensitive or it's non-business related then he can reach me at anytime.

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