Time Blocking Goal - Better Communication with Rental Partners
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."