13 Top Stress-Relief Tips for Property Managers

There’s no doubt that property management is a tough and stressful job. In several training sessions, I’ve had people that have worked previously as Emergency Response Nurses, Police Officers, and even Correctional Facility Officers, and all of them said that property management is more stressful than these demanding roles.

So, we ran a Facebook competition and asked our audience for some of their best tips on how they deal with the stress of the job.

We thank everyone for the ideas given and used in this article.

#1- Get a neck and shoulders massage.

Sitting at a computer for lengthy periods as well as dealing with stressful situations can get you all knotted up. A good neck and shoulders massage will loosen you up and relieve some of that pent-up stress you’ve been holding onto!

#2- Work out your ‘switch-off’ mechanism!

Learn how to close the door on your day! One property manager I know passes through some tunnels on the way home. These tunnels also represent his ‘switch on-switch off’ mechanism when he passes through either going home or on the way to work. For others, it’s walking the dog or simply taking a shower. Just work out what your switch-off mechanism will be for you.

#3- Get some intense fitness!

Smashing it at the gym or taking a run can exert some real energy but also release pent-up stress as well, and inject some much-needed ‘feel-good’ endorphins into your bloodstream that’ll give you a sense of wellness.

#4- Have a laugh!

Make sure you have a good laugh at some of the crazy things we deal with in property management and laugh along with other people in your office too! Let’s agree, there’s nothing else like it out there and you’d probably get very bored in any other position.

#5- Don’t take things so personally!

This is easier said than done but do your owners and tenants really care about you THAT MUCH? So perhaps you don’t need to stress about issues THAT MUCH either. Property Management at its very heart is built on problems and chaos. Things WILL NOT always (or often) go smoothly and the job can throw you a curveball at any time, without notice.

#6- Practice life balance.

Understanding your own well-being and having quality activities outside of your day job and focus. The better the activity, the better your balance and the more you can deal with the stress of the job. It could be horse or bike riding, fishing, or whatever. Just something really different that allows you to switch off to the stress of your workday.

#7- Learn to beat worry!

As property managers, we can have a tendency towards worry. In fact, this was a BIG issue for me. When I learned that what I was worrying about rarely (if ever) actually happened, was I able to deal with it and think more clearly in the heat of a difficult situation?

#8- Get stressful issues done first!

Yes, it’s those stressful issues that tempt you to procrastinate and hide from them, making you feel sick when you think about them. They need to be dealt with first thing in your day. When you do, you feel great! It’s that feeling of relief you’ll want to pursue in your day!

#9- Get good at doing things right the first time.

When you make an error, the issue just doesn’t go away but instead, it comes back later as a problem that’ll take 3-4 times longer to fix than if you just did it right in the first place – and it comes all packaged up with stress and conflict too! When you dedicate yourself to focusing on getting the task done right the first time, you can avoid all of this!

#10- Plan your day ahead.

When you plan ahead first thing in the morning all that you need to do for the day, you can rest assured you’re focused on everything you need to and be able to confidently ignore everything else.

#11- Get your list done before you go home.

Get your ‘to-do’ list for the next day ready the last thing before you go home. That way you’ve planned ahead everything you need for the next day. When you’ve done a final ‘brain dump’ this means all issues are there on that page waiting for you the next day and there is no need to take them home with you!

#12- Get really good at effective Time Management.

As general as ‘time management’ is; when you’re in control of your agenda, you’re in control of your stress. When you feel out of control you will experience stress build-up. Become a student of learning good time management. Some great books to read/listen to are ‘Eat that Frog’, ‘Flight Plan’, ‘Master your Time’ and ‘Time Power’ by Brian Tracy.

#13- Eat well!

When your body is healthy, so is your mind. You are what you eat. When you eat right you also fortify your immune system against all sorts of things that can knock you down. Eating primary food and less processed and ‘added sugar’ foods will increase your energy and your ability to cope. While you’re at it, put some good exercise into your life as well! You wouldn’t spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on a prize-winning racehorse only to feed it junk food and sugar. Know your worth and treat yourself accordingly.