Keeping your focus can be a Herculean task sometimes, but we’ve got three tips to help you lead a clear-minded, centered business.

Imagine, if you will, a most common of scenarios in the real estate life: you’re browsing the MLS for Loop condo properties for a client; then you remember another client, from out of town, asked you to look for greystones in Bronzeville, so you halt your condo search; then, another client calls, asking if you’ve heard back yet from the seller of that cute bungalow in Elmwood Park; and then your spouse calls, asking if you could pick up some milk on the way home; and then…what were you working on, initially?

It’s no mystery that real estate agents have many things on their plates, but the less discussed outcome of that reality is how hard it can be to maintain focus on the specific task at hand. And indeed, it’s fair to wonder how focus is even possible, given all the moving parts you need to keep track of. So with that in mind, here are three tips you can follow to lead a more focused professional life:

1. Maintain a Clean Workspace – It may seem like we’re joking with this point, but we’re absolutely serious! Having a clean workspace, one where you know the location of all your most important documents, will make your life a much simpler place, and simplicity and straightforwardness lead directly to focus. Just think – you’re on the MLS for one client; another calls asking for the particulars of an offer – and what do you know! you have the document handy in its proper place; you answer their question, and return to the MLS. Life can be beautiful, can’t it?

2. Give Yourself a Break – Breaks are criminally underrated in today’s workplace; though we all like to be the hero and work for so many hours in the day, in the end, we all need a mental break of some kind. Take a walk. Grab some takeout. Watch cat videos on YouTube! Anything to clear your mind and momentarily divert your attention from your work will refresh your perspective, and allow you to focus more intently on the tasks at hand.

3. Tackle the Small Things – And about those tasks: tackle the small tasks first and get them out of the way. Though the larger, more overwhelming tasks may seem more pressing, if you ignore small tasks, they will only accumulate, and before you know it, you’ll be up to your eyeballs in things to do. From sending emails, to faxing documents, to uploading photos, take care of those quick, easy tasks as they come.