When you’re young, starting out or trying to get established in a business like commercial real estate, a real day of focused work on a Saturday or Sunday can move you forward in ways that are difficult to replicate during the week.
And I mean real time. Five to eight focused hours, once or twice a month. Enough time to immerse yourself in something and actually see it through.
Ours is an industry that moves fast and keeps you buried Monday through Friday. Calls, emails, tours, negotiations, deadlines. There is always something requiring your attention. Finding time to step back, think deeply and pursue an idea can take a deliberate effort.
That’s why I’ve always valued those uninterrupted hours.
You can build systems. Set up your week. Assemble canvassing lists. Study the market. Work through the ideas you keep telling yourself you’ll get to when things slow down.
You can experiment with AI tools and figure out better ways to identify decision-makers at the companies you’re targeting, understand their businesses, reach them and capture their attention. You can improve your pitches, presentations and marketing materials. Think of a useful way to help a client or your team accomplish something, then give yourself the time to flesh it out.
You can also take what you’re seeing in the market and write about it. Put your observations into words. Ask yourself why something is happening and what it might mean. Even if you never publish a sentence, that process forces you to organize your thinking. The information sinks in differently when you spend time trying to explain it.
You don’t have to be a 20-year veteran to have a worthwhile observation. A young person putting in the daily reps, asking thoughtful questions and paying attention brings a fresh perspective. That’s worth developing.
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The tools available today compared with the caveman era when I started are almost impossible to comprehend. But you still have to take the time to learn them, experiment and put them to work. Access is only the beginning.
Earlier in my career, hard work was one of the few advantages I had to offer. I also had this intrinsic motivation to become as knowledgeable as I possibly could in my area of expertise.
I’m no genius. I just figured that enough hard work, constant reps, curiosity and deep, uninterrupted thought would eventually compound into something valuable. I wanted to immerse myself in the industry and understand how all the pieces fit together.
It has. After 22 years in this business, I take real pride and satisfaction in that. I know how damn hard I’ve worked, consistently, to earn what I have.
I’ve had some good luck along the way, too. You put yourself in a better position to capitalize on it when you’ve done the work.
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And I still value that quiet time. I can give an idea, a deal, a project or a problem my complete attention. I can get into a flow state and sometimes accomplish in one day what might otherwise get squeezed into weeks or months of Monday-through-Friday chaos.
That’s also the kind of initiative I encourage in people coming into the business. Be curious. Experiment. Notice what needs attention. Bring an idea to the table and do enough work on it that someone can actually use it.
When you’re part of an established team, there is plenty to contribute while you’re learning. Research a prospect before a call. Improve a listing presentation. Organize information so the next person can find it. Think through how to get a property in front of the right audience.
Doing those things well helps the team today and builds your own judgment for tomorrow. The next client or deal often starts with work nobody assigned or asked you to do.
Of course, you can preach this all day. Getting someone to act on it consistently is the hard part.
Some people recognize themselves immediately. They know what it feels like to have that internal drive and to enjoy putting in the work without being asked. Others build it through discipline. Sometimes the love for it comes after they start seeing what they’re capable of. You follow through on an idea, it leads somewhere, and you want to do it again. Momentum creates momentum.
There’s also tremendous satisfaction in accomplishing something for another person. Helping a client solve a problem or achieve a goal, and getting compensated for doing it, is a pretty awesome way to make a career. Sometimes it feels like hitting the game-winning shot. Those moments give the preparation a purpose.
Think about the broker everyone talks about and wonders, “Why do they keep getting all the clients and all the deals?”
Consider the years of preparation behind what you’re seeing. The market knowledge. The relationships. The follow-through. The small details they took the time to understand. A lot of that work happened long before the opportunity became visible to anyone else.
Balance matters, too. After your weekend work session, go for a walk. Hit the gym. Watch the game. Spend time with your family and friends. Everyone has different responsibilities, and the time you can carve out will look different at different stages of life.
But if you’re serious about getting ahead, give your own development a regular place on the calendar. A quiet evening or an occasional weekend day can give you the room to think, create and follow through.
Start with something useful. Give it your full attention. Do it consistently.
Nothing happens by itself.
Jordan Metz is the principal of Metz Industrial Group at Bussel Realty Corp.
