KGCI: Real Estate on Air - How I'm Winning in 2025 by Prioritizing Rest

Episode Date: March 23, 2026

Summary:This episode is a counter-intuitive strategy guide for 2025, focusing on how agents can achieve more by doing less. It details the importance of prioritizing rest, setting boundaries, and building a business that supports your life, not the other way around. Listeners will learn tactical ways to schedule "off" time, manage client expectations, and avoid the burnout that plagues the industry. This is an essential listen for any agent who wants to build a sustainable, long-term, and profitable career.

Welcome to the Real Estate Survival Guide, the show that teaches realtors how to create a thriving real estate business. What is up, guys? Welcome to today's episode of the Real Estate Survival Guide. I am your host, John Shookman, and I'm so excited to have you with me for today's episode as we keep going with our series on how I'm winning in 2025 and it's episode four. So this episode is all about what's actually helping me grow my business, live a better life, and show up well for the the people who matter the most. And again, I do feel, I said this last week and we'll talk more about it today, I do believe you can absolutely crush it in real estate and make really good money in real estate while also having boundaries like we talked about a little bit last week.

So just a quick recap of the series so far. We talked about in episode one, consistency showing up every day, even when it's quiet, even when it's hard. Two weeks ago, we talked about relationships. and how building trust over time can lead to growth. And then last week was a really big one because we talked about boundaries and protecting your yes so you're not constantly drained.

And today we are going to lean into something that sometimes feels impossible for many of you, sometimes has felt impossible for me, and that is rest. And that's not just taking a break, talking about a real, intentional, guilt-free rest, especially sleep at night and how it's become one of the biggest game changers in my business. So I got to clarify this.

Like, I just want you to know I'm not the guy that's going to bed at like 8 p.m. every night. I don't know that I'm ever going to be that guy. But what I have seen and what has happened is I've been more intentional about just going to bed at a decent time. Now, that depends on the night. But there's been times recently where it's 9 o'clock, 10 o'clock, and I'm kind of ready for bed. We kind of, me and my wife like to watch the Phillies at night. So we'll get the kids to bed, finish the Phillies game, and then be like, like, hey, let's get in bed. And what I want you to understand is that this can change in your life and

should. I used to think, I think I talked about it last week. I used to basically have this badge of burnout where like late nights, oh, I wore that with honor, four hours of sleep called that dedication, right? Vacation was cool, but I'd still answer every text, call, email. And I really believe that if I wasn't tired, I wasn't doing enough. And I would say that like, I really believed, oh, I can survive on three or four or five hours of sleep. But what I've learned, the older I get, hopefully the wiser I get is that I was exhausted at times. And when I was honest with myself, I wasn't really doing my best work. I was surviving. I was showing up physically, but not really there mentally, emotionally, and I was mentally, emotionally, spiritually,

physically kind of drained and fried some days. And so I knew, right, coming into this year, that I couldn't keep living that way and expect to lead my family and my business well. So in 2025, I made a decision I'm going to protect my rest. I started with trying to go to bed earlier, trying to cut screen time on my phone, tracking my sleep patterns, not obsessively, but just paying attention and actually letting myself, you know, rest. And so here's the thing. Again, we all have the same 24-7, 365, but I just got to say this, your body needs rest,

right? And you are not functioning. Like, if I'm honest with myself, I used to do this, I would stay up until. midnight one, two, three, four in the morning and talk about like, oh, I'm a night person. I get better work done at night. And I got to be honest with you guys, I think it's a bunch of crap. I really do. You know, I feel like the last couple weeks, like I'll get up and I'm, I'm not like some of you get up at four o'clock or five o'clock, but I'll get up at seven o'clock and like I feel rested well because if you're in bed at 10 o'clock and getting up at 7

you're going to feel better right I've started I feel like the past couple months in my business I'm and even my life waking up with more energy I feel more clear-headed and organized I feel like I can be more present with my wife and our kids and again I feel like when I'm rested I'm a more efficient person and so I can work less but produce more. And so, you know, I realized something during all of this over the past, I don't know, I'd probably say the changes have been like the past five, four, maybe three months, especially since the start of the year, right? I realized something that no one had told me in real estate school or showing houses in that rest isn't a weakness. It's actually strategy, right? Rest makes me a better realtor and human, right? It does. So let's talk

about this because I know some of you are thinking, okay, John, that's great. Sleep does not help me get more clients. But here's what I want you to understand. When I'm rested, I respond better under pressure. I'm more calm, which I think those of you that really know me know that I can kind of be on edge of times. I listen more closely during client conversations. I'm more creative when I show up physically with people and how I show up on social media

because that's a huge part of my business. And again, I make better decisions for my clients, myself, my business, and, you know, my family, my wife and our kids. And here's the other part. I feel like, and I've lived this, right, when I feel rested, I don't resent my work. I don't hate what I'm doing. And I actually love what I do and I don't feel burned out doing it. When I'm rested, I'm not dragging my feet throughout the day.

I'm getting things done with purpose, right? So this also has changed how I feel like I show up at home. home, right? Before I'd get home from a long day and I was fried or tired. I was short with my kids, zoned out during dinner, checked emails during bedtime. Right. So even when I was physically present, I wasn't really there. Now that I prioritize rest, I feel like I show up better at home. You know, first of all, like, I feel like there used to be days where I wasn't up till 9 o'clock, 10 o'clock, because I was, quote, working late and getting stuff done, end quote, right? Well, I just think it's a myth, right? I actually think, you know, I like the peace and calm of the mornings. And I'm not going to

say, like, I'm a morning person. I still think that first five minutes, whether it's six o'clock, seven, o'clock, eight o'clock, whatever it is, it is hard to get up in the morning. But I feel more patient and more present, just getting a better night's sleep. The other part of this, too, is like our kids, you know, a few days a week or at preschool. Well, guess what? I feel like I've been able to see them spend a little time with them in the mornings rather than them go to school. I'm sleeping, waking up at 9 or 930 or 10 o'clock and not seeing them until they come home at about lunchtime. And here's the thing. When I prioritize rest, the cool part is like, you know, I tell you, I've told you guys before how I schedule my text because, you know, there's so many things going on and, you know, I schedule them so I don't have to deal with

it in the mornings. One of the cool parts is if I'm, you know, scheduling my text before I go to bed at 10 or whatever it is, and then getting up at seven, it's calm, it's quiet, it's peaceful. And I can be more present, right? I'm not constantly feeling like I have to catch up on work after hours, right? And I think it's important because I don't think, and I would say I strongly believe that if you want to lead your family well, if you want to lead and serve your kids well, you can't do this if you're burned out. You can't.

and if you're completely rested and you feel good, your kids will not get the leftovers, they'll get the best of you. And if your parent, you know that that's the win that really matters. Your kids, again, I just go back to like the people that are working 24-7 like I shared about, you know, last week. That is not winning. It's not, right? Rest is winning.

Rest is productive. And that might completely flip your perspective. But rest is productive. Think about the athletes, right? Do they train nonstop? No, they have off days, recovery days, sleep protocols. It's been very interesting studying this. Like, I can't tell you the amount of star athletes I've read about.

When they talk about, like, their routine, they talk about how they're getting like a solid eight, nine, ten hours of sleep. Now they might be up and hustling with the 14 that they're awake. But they have. have off days, recovery days, and sleep protocols. Why? Because that's where growth happens, right? If you're working out, you're going to the gym seven days a week, you don't give those muscles a time to recover, right? And I just believe business is the same way, guys. I believe business is no different. You are not at your best when you're constantly tired. You are not at your best

when you are burned out, running around, eating McDonald's 24-7, and flying from one thing to another. you're at your best when you're taking care of your body. You're at your best when you're clear, focused, and rested. And again, I know some of you are listening to this like, oh, this guy's crazy. I was the guy that slept five to six hours a night and told myself I was fine. And so I just believe this is powerful and can help you. I also know that some of you just think, oh, I have to be working 20 hours a day. I promise you, look at my success.

You do not have to work that long. You don't. and some of you might feel guilty even taking a break or slowing down, but you are not a machine, you're a person, and people need rest. They do. You know, I shared about it a little bit last week, about boundaries and things like that, but one of the best things we've done in our life and in the business is we have off days, right? And again, an off day might look a little different for me as a realtor than it might, you know, someone listening to this that has a nine to five Monday through Friday, right? I don't really have, oh, quote, off days. But, you know, when I recorded last

week's episode, I was recording it on a Tuesday and I was telling you how I had nothing that day, right? So I checked email, sent a few texts, but I had nothing pressing. And so you deserve a break. You deserve to rest. And that means physically like sleeping. It also means like taking a break from your business. One of the best things we've done in my business is me and my wife have a date night once a week. It's a non-negotiable. And we actually normally, I don't know, I might take some of you guys off. We actually usually have two. We usually have a babysitter. once a week in the evenings and then one of the three days our kids are at school between Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, we have a breakfast that we go to. And so I just don't want to hear

it that, no, you have to hustle. There's no time for date night. There's no time for time with your kids. That is not living and that is going to lead to burnout. And so I'll remind you, as I said a couple minutes ago, rest is productive. And it's probably one of the best things you can do is rest and take a break, right? You're not a machine. You need rest. So here's your challenges we wrap up. I want you to build rest into your calendar. I don't care when you're going to bed right now. I don't care. I want you to hear this. Go to bed 30 minutes earlier than you're going to bed now, right? Try to be off your screen for that last 30 minutes or hour of your day. Oh, by the way. And stop. feeling bad for resting. This weekend, tomorrow, Sunday, take a nap. Don't apologize for it, right?

By the way, those of you that are in business, right? And maybe you're, you know, like mine, your spouse is home. Your spouse should be able to go take a nap too. Go take a nap together. Oh my goodness. Like, that's been really cool to just, hey, kids are at school. We can rest or kids are on quiet time and we can nap for a little bit. And we shouldn't feel guilty and have to apologize for it. We shouldn't, right? I also want you guys to, choose a time a couple hours a day, right, where you don't check your email and don't check your text messages just to prove that you can, right? Normally, I try to be off my phone completely when I'm on date nights with my wife and it's normally like 3 to 6 p.m. on whatever night that is, right?

No one dies, by the way, guys, no one dies between 3 to 6 p.m. when I'm away with my wife. It's fine. We're good. Nobody dies. Nobody dies when they don't hear from me for three hours, right? So take that time, three hours, don't check your email, don't check your text to prove that you're able to do it and then pay attention because I believe that you're going to lead better. I believe that you're going to serve your clients better. I believe that you're going to think in a more clear way. And when you're resting and taking a break from work and actually sleeping, I think you will feel better because I've seen it. This business is tough, but it does not have to steal your joy. You can be a top producing agent and be rested.

You can grow your business without grinding yourself into the ground. And you can protect your peace and still serve your people, your clients with excellence, and your family as well. And that's another way I'm winning in 2025. And I want that for you too. So thanks for hanging with me today. I appreciate it. And I hope you can think about resting in your business, going to sleep earlier and taking these breaks from work, from your phone, from your email, from your text, right? We will close out the series next week.

And in that episode, we're going to wrap up by talk about something we don't do enough as entrepreneurs and that's celebrating our wins because so many of us are good at chasing goals, but terrible at enjoying that journey. So thanks for listening. I'll see you then for the final episode as we talk about celebrating your wins here in 2025. I'll see you guys then. Thanks for listening to the Real Estate Survival Guide.

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