fire #3 Mar-May 2017

CAPTAIN
NIKKI CLARK
LJ HOOKER LEEMING
A day in the life
As far as top performing Property
Managers go, you really can’t get
much better than Captain Nikki
Clark of LJ Hooker Leeming. Within
her first year with the company,
she had qualified for membership
into LJ Hooker’s Captain’s Club and
a few years later became the first
West Australian Property Manager
to become a member of the Multi-
Million Dollar Club. In 2016 took out
the ultimate prize and was awarded
International Property Manager of the
Year at Night of The Stars. Here is what
an average work day looks like for a
champion property manager.
BEFORE 9AM
4:30am: I like to start my day
positively, so I get up early (after a
few snoozes on my alarm) and make
my way to the gym to get my “happy”
endorphins for the day.
6:30-7:00am: I like to get into the
office early and get my day started as
I am the most productive when no
one is in the office to distract me. I use
this time to deal with all the emails I
have received over night and get my
day sorted, I love time management so
planning my day by time frame is an
absolute must.
AFTER 9AM
As I have done the majority of my
inside work before 9am, I leave right
on 9am to head out to my inspections.
11:00-11:30: I usually arrive back
in the office, depending on the
number of inspections I have on that
day. I can then catch up on the phone
calls and emails that have come
through in the morning.
11:30-12:30: I have time for a quick
bite to eat before either heading
to a final inspection or afternoon
appointments for signing up leases or
lease resigns, before coming back and
finishing up on all calls and emails.
3:30-4:00pm: As I start work early,
I normally finish in the afternoon.
My drive home can take anywhere
from 40 minutes to an hour and 40
minutes, so I tend to use that time
to think through ideas, my portfolio
and goals. By the time I arrive home,
I’m usually racing in the door to write
everything down so I can put them to
use the next day.
AFTER 5PM
Me time! Before my partner arrives
home, I have a little chat with Bully,
my partner’s dog who loves the
attention and some background
trashy TV or music. I always put on
something I don’t have to think about
too much or concentrate on which
usually shuts me off from thinking
about work.
6:00-6:30pm: I start dinner as my
partner arrives home at around this
time depending on his day. We use the
time preparing dinner and cooking to
chat about our day and what we have
coming up.
After dinner, we clean up straight
away, shower and then have some
chill time on the lounge which usually
consists of us both falling asleep.
On work life balance:
I can honestly say that it took me a
few years to know what a work/life
balance was. In my early days, I was
consumed by work, thinking about it
24/7 and it was so hard to switch off. I
have taught myself, over time, to shut
off when I get home from work and if
I happen to think of something when
I’m at home, in the shower at the gym,
food shopping where ever I will write
it down, send myself and email or pop
it into notes on my phone – this is the
best way to get it out of your system so
that you can get on with whatever you
are doing.
I first started with LJ Hooker
Leeming in 2009 and have not looked
back; working with a brand that is so
passionate and driven just makes me
want to succeed.
I love goal setting; I make sure that
every year I have a goal to reach I have
done this since I first started. Being a
property manager is a demanding job
and you need to make sure you take
time out to enjoy life, the simple things.
When I go on holidays I have learnt
to let go, and not be so protective of
my portfolio as I need to enjoy my
holidays, if I have a day off here or
there or over the Christmas and Easter
holidays I always check my work
emails and deal with the things I can.
The beauty of technology these days
is you can do your work from almost
anywhere, which also eases the stress
when I return to work.
My work mantra:
Practice great time management and
do the hardest task first!
A successful property manager
needs to know how to have good
time management and be organised,
otherwise they sink. If I’m helping
with training, I always teach them the
way I have always done my job – time
frames and scheduling has helped me
so much to stay afloat and succeed.
Doing the hardest task first each day
only sets you up for a better day – you
won’t spend your day just thinking
about making ‘that” call or thinking
about “that” meeting, once it’s done,
your day can only get better, right?
My tip:
If you’re having a bad day, bad phone
call or email, take five. Walk out of the
office, get some fresh air have a chat
to someone outside work, when you
walk back into the office you can tackle
the situation with a fresh mind.
Make Dreams Happen TM 3