NEW YORK – Do you know how much time you spend on your phone? Did you know your phone can tell you?
As a real estate professional, your smartphone is your most essential tool. But are you using it efficiently, or is it secretly draining your time and data?
What can you do? Boost your professional and personal productivity by conducting an app audit. Let’s review how you can better determine your mobile phone usage patterns; identify time wasters and data leaks that you can eliminate to improve your efficiency and daily workflow.
Understanding your digital consumption
Before you can improve anything, you need to benchmark where you are. Understanding how you’re spending your digital time can be an enlightening – and sometimes frightening – exercise.
Fortunately, your digital benchmark isn’t hard to obtain: Your smartphone collects a wealth of data about your usage habits, and tapping into this information can be eye-opening and transformative, helping you improve your business practices.
The digital footprint you leave on your smartphone is like a roadmap of your daily activities. It can reveal patterns you might not be aware of, such as how much time you spend on certain apps during peak business hours or how often you check your email outside of work hours. This information is invaluable for improving your workflow and promoting a healthier work-life balance.
Screen time: your digital dial
Checking your screen time isn’t about guilt-tripping yourself. It’s about gaining awareness so you can take control of your digital habits.
Are you spending hours scrolling through social media when you could be nurturing leads? Or perhaps you’re using productivity apps more than you realized, justifying an upgrade to a more robust version.
Your screen time report can be a powerful tool for self-reflection and improvement. It can help you identify black holes and reallocate your time to more productive activities like client outreach, market research, or professional development.
Here is how you can check your screen time but note that these instructions may vary based on your operating version. If so, these sites can help:
Apple iPhones
https://support.apple.com/en-us/108806
Android phones
https://www.androidauthority.com/how-to-check-screen-time-on-android-1193997/
iPhone steps:
Go to Settings
Tap Screen Time
If it is not turned on, you’ll need to tap Turn On App & Website Activity.
Scroll down and tap See All Activity.
This will show your most used apps, categories (e.g., Social, Productivity), and other data, such as the number of times you’ve picked up your phone.
Android steps:
Go to Settings
Tap Digital Wellbeing & Parental Controls
Under Your Digital Wellbeing tools, tap Show Your Data.
This will display daily and weekly usage stats, including time spent on different apps.
Pro Tip: You can set weekly goals to gradually reduce non-productive screen time, freeing up hours for activities that help you boost your bottom line. Start small – even reducing social media usage by 15 minutes a day can add up to over an hour of productive time each week.
App usage: The silent time thieves
Not all apps are created equal. Some might be essential for your business, while others could be fun to use but unnecessary time-sinks. Identifying your most-used apps can help you streamline your daily workflow and ensure you spend time on applications that genuinely benefit your real estate business.
Your screen time report also can show which apps you use most frequently. Take a critical look at this list. Are your CRM and listing apps at the top? Or are casual gaming apps eating into your productivity? This insight lets you decide which apps deserve your attention and which need to be deleted or ignored.
Consider categorizing your apps into three groups:
Essential (e.g., CRM, listing databases, document signing apps)
Useful (e.g., social media for marketing)
Non-essential or recreational
You can organize using these categorizations on your home screen, placing essential apps front and center while moving potentially distracting apps to secondary screens or folders – out of sight, out of mind!
Data consumption: The hidden cost
Being mobile is non-negotiable. However, hefty data usage can lead to throttled speeds or unexpected charges. Understanding which apps are data hogs can help you manage your plan more effectively, ensuring you always have the data you need for critical tasks.
Certain apps, like video streaming services or social media platforms with autoplay features, can consume large amounts of data without you realizing it. By identifying these high-consumption apps, you can adjust your usage habits or settings to conserve data for essential real estate tasks.
Here’s how to check your data usage (again, your specific steps may vary – see these iPhone or Android tips for more help):
iPhone steps:
Open Settings
Tap Cellular
Scroll down to see the list of apps and their respective data usage. The apps using the most data are listed at the top.
Tap System Services to see data usage by iOS system services like push notifications and software updates.
To reset the statistics, scroll to the bottom and tap Reset Statistics.
Android steps:
Go to Settings
Tap Network & Internet or a similar section, depending on your device model.
Tap Data Usage to see how much data each app has consumed over a specified period.
For more detailed app-specific data usage, you might need to tap on individual apps within this section.
Pro Tip: Consider using available Wi-Fi when showing homes or at open houses to conserve mobile data for essential tasks. Moreover, public spaces and businesses offer free Wi-Fi, which can be a great way to save your mobile data when you need it. Remember, even many “unlimited” mobile device data plans will reduce your speed if you consume too much data in a month.
Background app refresh: The invisible data drain
Apps running in the background can consume data and battery life without realizing it, potentially leaving you without crucial resources when you need them most. Managing your settings can significantly improve a phone’s performance and a data plan’s longevity.
Background app refresh allows apps to update their content even when you’re not actively using them. While this can be convenient, it can also cause a significant strain on your phone’s resources – and performance. Real estate professionals benefit when prioritizing which apps need real-time updates and which can wait until they are opened.
Here’s how to manage background app refresh (with additional iPhone tips here and Android tips here):
For iPhone:
Go to Settings > General > Background App Refresh
Here, you can turn off Background App Refresh entirely by selecting Off, or you can choose Wi-Fi or Wi-Fi & Mobile Data to allow background activity based on your preference.
You can also customize Background App Refresh for specific apps using the toggle switches next to each app.
For Android (i.e. Samsung Galaxy):
Open Settings > Connections > Data Usage > Mobile Data Usage
Choose an app from the list below the usage graph.
Turn off the switch for “Allow background data usage”
Pro Tip: Only allow background refresh for essential real estate apps that need real-time updates, such as your email, CRM, or instant messaging apps used for client communication. For apps like social media or news, consider turning off background refresh to conserve data and battery life.
Overcoming common data and screen time hurdles
Many users need help navigating these settings. Understanding these common issues can help you troubleshoot more effectively:
Difficulty finding settings: iPhones and Androids often hide settings deep inside their menus. If you’re having trouble finding a specific setting, use the search function in your settings app. On iPhones, pull down from the top of the Settings screen to reveal the search bar. On Androids, tap the magnifying glass icon at the top of the Settings screen.
Permission issues: This is especially problematic in family-sharing scenarios on iPhones. Ensure you’re logged in with the correct Apple ID and have the necessary permissions in your Family Sharing settings.
Data inaccuracies: Both operating systems occasionally report bugs or inaccurate data. If you suspect your usage data is incorrect, try resetting your statistics (on iPhone) or clearing your app data (on Android) for the relevant apps.
Moreover, some apps may not be tracked accurately due to their design or interaction with the operating system.
Help is available!
If you’re struggling with any of these settings, most agents have a secret weapon: Tech Helpline. Over 750,000 agents in North America have free access to Tech Helpline, the No. 1 tech support service for real estate agents and brokers.
Tech Helpline is a member benefit, typically provided by your MLS or Realtor Association. It’s an invaluable resource that can save you time and frustration when dealing with technology issues. Here’s what makes Tech Helpline stand out:
US-based support: You’ll be talking to tech experts who understand the unique needs of the American real estate market.
Real estate focus: The support team with hundreds of hours of collective tech expertise is familiar with the specific apps and technologies that agents and brokers use.
Bilingual support: Assistance is available in English and Spanish, ensuring clear communication.
Multiple contact options: Whether you prefer using their app (available on both Google and Apple app stores), online chat, email, or a good old-fashioned phone call, help is accessible.
Unlimited support: There is no cap on how often you can reach out for assistance or raise different issues on a single call, allowing you to get help when you need it.
In real estate, time saved is money earned. By optimizing your smartphone usage, you’re not just saving battery life and data – you’re freeing up valuable time to focus on what matters: building relationships, closing deals, and building your business. If you need help, the Tech Helpline is just a call, click, or tap away.
Source: TechHelpline
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