Ways to Improve Your Investing in Just 5 Minutes a Day

Since Tarek and I have been in the real estate investing business, we’ve learned a lot about choosing the right deals, going with the best contractors, what to DIY and what to leave to the pros, and much more. Over the past few years, as we’ve really learned the business and have gotten more and more successful at flipping houses, I’ve been paying attention to our habits and the things we do every day that improve our investing potential.

Along the way, we’ve picked up more than a few really fast and easy things that we do every day to make ourselves better investors, and I thought I’d share a few of them with you so you can see how they might affect your own investing business.

Get Five Minutes of Exercise

Okay, so your doctor will tell you that you need at least 30 minutes of exercise five times a week to maintain good body weight and a healthy cardiovascular system. That’s definitely true, but I’m not talking about going to the gym. I’m talking about doing five minutes of stretching or calisthenics, going for a five-minute walk, or even dancing around the living room for—you guessed it—five minutes.

Start your day off with a few minutes of fun exercise, and you’ll have your head in the game much faster than if you were just relying on coffee to open your eyes. And, if you feel yourself getting stressed or stuck on a problem at any point in the day, taking a quick break to go get your heart rate up or do a few yoga poses can help with that, too. The answer to your problem might be right in front of you, but you just need to clear your head with a little bit of exercise to see it.

Read About the Industry for Five Minutes

You’ve been investing in real estate for a little while now, so you already know enough about house flipping to be successful with your business. You don’t have to spend hours studying every day to continue to flip houses effectively, but you might be surprised at how well you can stay up to date and learn new investing strategies if you spend just five minutes a day reading about the real estate investing industry.

Give Yourself Five Minutes to Vent

Are you frustrated with a flip? Did a buyer really make you mad, but you couldn’t let them know exactly how you felt because you wanted to maintain a professional attitude? These things happen, and it’s okay to get upset about them. If you keep that frustration pent up, though, it’s going to wear on you. Give yourself five minutes to vent about what’s making you mad or frustrating you. When your five minutes are up, get back to work or go on with whatever else you were doing. You might be surprised at how much better you feel.

Take Five Minutes to Think About What Went Right

Finally, at the end of the day, as you settle into bed, take just five minutes to think about everything that went right throughout the day. Did you have a negotiating success? Did you find a great lead on a new flip property? Take some time to let those things sink in and remember them so that you can repeat them in the future.

I do these four things just about every day, and they do amazing things for my attitude and how well I’m able to focus on investing in new real estate deals. And the best part is, not all of them require a full five minutes. Sometimes I need just 30 seconds to vent. Sometimes I can read a good real estate article in three minutes. The key is not to worry about whether or not you’re spending exactly five minutes but to be sure to do these things consistently to continue to grow as an investor. Good luck!

For more information about real estate investing, visit Real Estate Elevated's BiggerPockets blog.