Your time is precious, your energy is expensive, and if you’re spending either on things that don’t move the needle in your real estate business, it’s time to stop.
I’m here flying solo today while Chelsea puts the finishing touches on our brand-new members website, and I couldn’t be more excited to dive into one of my absolute favorite topics: The Lazy Genius Way by Kendra Adachi. The principles in this book completely transformed how I approach my marketing, and I know they will do the same for you!
If you’re constantly reinventing the wheel, drowning in your to-do list, or beating yourself up for not being “consistent enough,” this is your roadmap to working smarter.
The whole concept is simple but game-changing: become a genius about the things that matter and go lazy about the things that don’t. But what’s difficult is that you have to name what matters first.
When agents ask me to audit their profile or tell them what they could do better, I always ask the same question first: What are your actual goals? Because someone who wants to do real estate on the side while keeping their full-time job should have a completely different feed than someone who wants to build a team and start a brokerage.
If I don’t know how much time you want to spend away from your family working on real estate, or what your season of life looks like right now, it’s really hard for me to give you advice that actually works. So before we dive into these 13 principles, take a minute to think about what actually matters to you in this season.
Ready? Let’s dive right in!
The 13 Principles To Being a Lazy Genius
1. Decide Once
This might be my favorite principle, and honestly, it’s life-changing. The idea is choosing something one time and then not revisiting it again for a while.
I started applying this with meal planning during football season when we have people over after every game. Instead of reinventing the wheel every single week, I decided once: first week is always tacos, second week is always barbecue, and so on. Same menu every single year. It makes grocery planning easier and frees up my brain to focus on other things.
Chelsea and I did this with podcast recording too. Wednesdays are always recording days. We don’t have to look at our schedule and try to squeeze something in; it’s just there, and we know it’s there.
What this looks like for real estate agents:
Create a brand menu of things you consistently talk about. Maybe you always film something during your morning dog walk, or you always hop on stories during school pickup. When you decide once what parts of your life you’re going to show, you don’t feel pressure to constantly document everything.
Choose one or two lead magnets and stick with them for a year. You don’t need 47 different freebies. Pick a local guide and either a buyer or seller resource, then lean into those consistently.
Theme your days if it helps. Every Monday you send an email, every Thursday you share a home tour. You don’t have to announce this publicly, but having it penciled in means you wake up knowing exactly what to do instead of endlessly scrolling for inspiration.
2. Start Small
If you’re an Enneagram 3 like me, this one’s tough because we’re “go big or go home” kind of people. But here’s what I’ve learned: small steps are better than big systems that you spend more time maintaining than actually using.
Think about those super detailed CMA systems that take hours to perfect. While they might work if you followed every single step, most agents spend more time perfecting their CMA than actually connecting with leads. Sometimes it’s better to just call someone and say, “Hey, want to grab lunch?” Those small human connections move the needle more than perfect systems.
What this looks like for real estate agents:
Spend one minute in stories every day. That’s three or four slides showing part of your day, one with your face on camera, the rest can be B-roll clips. Use that Modern Agent content cocktail: a little personality, a little real estate, a little local community.
Post once a week instead of trying to create 28 pieces of content per month. Starting small doesn’t mean staying small; it means building the muscle first.
Practice documenting your day without posting any of it. Take eight-second video clips, snap quick photos. Do this for a month, then go back and notice what looks good, what felt natural, what you’d actually want to share.
3. Ask the Magic Question
The magic question is: What can I do now to make life easier later?
I do this with my kids’ water bottles. Right after school, they refill them and put them in the fridge. Because nine times out of ten, when we’re running late for practice, we’re scrambling to find water bottles and lids and straws. That one small thing prevents total chaos later.
What this looks like for real estate agents:
Schedule a B-roll or photo day. Chelsea and I spent an entire day shooting content together, and because we live four hours apart, we’ve been able to use that footage for months.
Prep your next season’s guide now. Get your fall or holiday content ready before you need it.
Set up content corners in your home. Have a few cute spots that match your brand vibe where you can always film. For me, it’s usually right here in my office, my pink bookshelves, or my kitchen.
Start your email list now, even if it feels like work on the front end. When you can sit across from a seller and say, “The moment your listing goes live, I’ll send it to 2,000 people,” that makes your services invaluable.
4. Live in the Season
Maybe you just had a baby, maybe you’re dealing with grief, maybe you’re still working your nine-to-five. Honor that season and set realistic expectations.
During football season, I say no to a lot of things. It’s inconvenient for people because it’s the start of the school year when everything’s ramping up, but my answer is: “I’ll be available at the end of November.” When I am available, I’m all in. But if I take on too much during football season, I’m not doing anyone any favors.
This is the beauty of being a real estate agent! You get to set the pace, set the bar, and set the standard because you’re the only one you’re answering to.
What this looks like for real estate agents:
If you’re in a season with little kids at home and you can only post from your couch while they watch Paw Patrol, that’s okay. That was literally my starting point, and it worked.
If you’re in a hustle season and ready to go all in, do that. If you’re in a season where you want to focus on family while building systems for later, do that instead.
Maybe your weekly email becomes every-other-week during busy seasons. The key is shifting expectations without checking out completely.
5. Build the Right Routines
Routines aren’t destinations; they’re on-ramps.
They’re not about all the perfect steps you take; they’re about where those steps get you.
Part of my morning routine is going on some kind of walk and getting ready every day. I always do my hair and put on a little makeup because I’ve learned that when I don’t, I inevitably come up with a brilliant idea and can’t hop on stories to share it because I look terrible.
What this looks like for real estate agents:
Build a routine around how you prepare for client meetings, how you send emails, or how you create content. Maybe Thursday nights you plan your content for the following week, or Sunday mornings you batch your stories.
Your routine should reflect what matters to you in your current season. There’s no wrong answer, but knowing your routine and sticking to it frees up mental energy for everything else.
6. Set House Rules
House rules are the bare minimum standards that keep the first domino from falling and everything else tumbling over.
In my actual house, shoes always stay at the basket by the front door. We do a “10-minute tidy” where everyone pitches in to get the house feeling better. These little rules prevent chaos from taking over.
What this looks like for real estate agents:
Ask yourself: What’s the bare minimum I have to do every day to still hit my goals? Maybe it’s showing up in stories, following up with one client, or reaching out for coffee with someone new.
Commit to always doing those things, even on days when everything else goes wrong. These house rules keep your business moving forward even during crazy seasons.
7. Put Everything in Its Place
If everything has a place and you put things where they belong, you have more breathing room to actually function.
What this looks like for real estate agents:
Organize your Canva templates. Set up your brand colors and fonts in your brand kit. Create an album in your phone for on-brand photos.
Know what belongs where, and treat social media as a place to socialize, not as your website. But also know what should be on your website.
Purge what no longer works. If you have 18 lead magnets, delete 15 of them. If you have old headshots you’re embarrassed about, be done with them. Know what belongs in the past and what belongs in the future.
8. Letting People In
Real estate is a relationship business. You have to nurture relationships and be available as a friend and resource, especially since people aren’t buying houses every day.
This means sharing little personal snippets in your Instagram stories so people feel like they know you. You don’t have to show everything, just enough that they feel connected to you.
What this looks like for real estate agents:
Create “come with me” content instead of “look at me” content. Take people with you to showings, local events, even the school pickup line.
Find an accountability partner or real estate bestie. You don’t have to do this alone. Join communities where you can connect with other agents who get it.
9. Batch It
Look for tasks you repeat and figure out how to do them all at once. Like making 10 peanut butter and jelly sandwiches on Sunday instead of one every morning.
What this looks like for real estate agents:
If you’re getting ready to film one reel, why not create five reels in one day? Batch your emails and schedule them ahead of time. Set up content days where you knock out weeks of material at once.
Don’t batch everything though! The point is getting similar tasks done at once so you can focus on other aspects of your business.
10. Essentialize
Not all content matters. Cut any fluff that doesn’t align with your goals. This is addition by subtraction.
Look at every marketing task you do in a month and ask: Which ones have the most potential to move the needle? Compare spending two hours at an open house (reaching maybe 10 people) versus spending those same two hours creating content that could reach thousands.
What this looks like for real estate agents:
Don’t be afraid to get ruthless. Your time is precious, your energy is expensive. If you’re spending either on things that don’t get you more clients or closings, it’s not worth your time.
Focus on the few things with the biggest potential and literally purge the rest.
11. Go in the Right Order
Remember what matters, calm the crazy, then trust yourself. When you trust yourself, you quit worrying about what everyone else is doing and focus on what you need to do.
What this looks like for real estate agents:
Don’t obsess over analytics when you haven’t even been consistent yet. If you start looking at your numbers after one month of new content, you probably won’t see the results you want, and you might second-guess everything.
Stay laser-focused on what matters for at least three to six months. When you do that consistently, you’ll either see the needle move or get clear clarity on what to cut out next.
12. Schedule Rest
Even when you’re laser-focused on your goals, you need to schedule rest and play. Take seasonal rest (one day off every three months), weekly rest (protected time just for you), and daily rest (phone-free time).
What this looks like for real estate agents:
Set offline hours, like maybe from 5 to 7 PM, your phone stays off. Your clients will survive, and you’ll come back more focused and clear on what actually matters.
Find what gives you soul rest, whether that’s church, journaling, or just sitting without needing anything to show for it.
13. Be Kind to Yourself
We tell ourselves lies like “I messed up, so I’m not cut out for this” or “No one likes my content, so this isn’t for me.” We need to give ourselves grace here.
I’m convinced that if more of us could learn to be gracious with ourselves, we’d have the stamina to show up and do the work that gets us where we want to go.
What this looks like for real estate agents:
If you miss a post, forget about your signature series, or send emails monthly instead of weekly, it’s okay! You’re harder on yourself than anyone else is.
The goal is to pick it right back up without shame and keep pressing forward. Because you’re the only one who can do that for your business.
When you become a genius about the things that matter and go lazy about everything else, you’ll find that showing up consistently becomes so much easier.
What matters in your season might be completely different from mine, and that’s exactly how it should be. The beauty is that you get to decide once, start small, and build from there. Your business will thank you for it.
This episode was edited by Adrienne Cruz.
