You’re Not Burned Out...You’re F@#king Bored

You’re waking up early, logging in, doing “the work,” but it’s all a little foggy. The deals you were excited about last quarter have stalled out. Your pipeline feels dry. And every cold call you make feels like a voicemail into the void.

So naturally, your brain whispers:

And hey, maybe you are.

But also…maybe you’re not.

Maybe you’re just bored out of your f@#king mind.

The Broker Blues

Let’s be real: brokerage isn’t always a high-speed chase. Some weeks, you're buzzing 🐝back-to-back tours, new listings, LOIs flying. You’re firing on all cylinders, locked in, loving the game.

Other weeks? You're sitting in silence, refreshing your inbox, hoping someone responds to your fourth follow-up from two weeks ago. You're scrolling listings that are still asking 4% cap rates.

It’s not burnout. It’s boredom. That slow stretch where nothing’s really happening; and the longer it lasts, the more you start to question everything:

• “Am I even good at this?”

• “Should I get a job with a salary?”

• “Maybe I should start flipping furniture or something.”

• “I should start watching Gary Vee again.”

This is boredom. Plain and simple.

You’ve lost the fire 🔥 and your broker brain’s slipping into full-blown self-doubt mode. This is when you start questioning literally everything. Your pipeline, your career, your lunch order. And right on cue, that sneaky little f*cker called imposter syndrome shows up, trying to body slam whatever optimism you’ve got left.

WHY THE HELL IS THIS HAPPENING TO ME??

Repetition Fatigue - Same Sh!t, Different Day

We all remember when we first started in this industry. Every call was a rush, every tour was a learning experience and every acronym had you secretly Googling under the table. It was all new, all exciting, and it kept you on your toes.

Then you started to figure it out. You got some deals under your belt. Your pipeline finally looked like more than just a wish list. You had some cash in your pocket, a system in place, and the chaos started to feel more controlled. Naturally, you settled into a rhythm.

It’s clean, it’s productive, and it works…for a while. But eventually, what once felt like progress starts to feel like a loop. You forget what it felt like when everything was shiny and new. The spark fades, and suddenly you’re just another character in Office Space, checking boxes and trying not to lose your mind.

You’re not doing anything wrong. But you’re also not growing. And that’s where boredom creeps in, not because brokerage got worse, but because the challenge disappeared. The work becomes predictable. And when you’re not being stretched, your brain starts looking for something, anything, to wake it back up.

No New Inputs = No New Outputs

When you’re not learning anything new or testing anything fresh, the work starts to feel mechanical. You’re basically just running plays you already know, on fields you’ve already scouted, with players you’ve already pitched.

Same deals, Same objections, Same follow-up loop with that one tenant who still hasn’t made a decision after six months (we all have more than a few of these lol).

At first, it feels efficient, like you’re in control. But slowly, it starts to feel like you’re stuck in broker Groundhog Day. You wake up, do your tasks, cross off your to-do list, but there’s no spark. You’re checking boxes, not chasing anything.

And that’s when the questions creep in.

When there’s no new challenge, your brain stops firing. The job doesn’t feel hard anymore, it just feels beige. You’re not behind. You’re not failing. But you’re also not inspired.

And in brokerage, if you’re not chasing something, you’re just standing still with a phone in your hand.

You’re Thinking Too Much—Think Less.

Analysis paralysis is real. You start over-planning, over-organizing, and over-optimizing your day. You convince yourself that mapping out your entire quarter on your yellow legal pad is “productive,” but deep down, you know you're just avoiding the uncomfortable stuff.

You’re tweaking your prospecting templates, rewriting your follow-up emails for the sixth time, building color-coded pipelines, and somehow still not actually doing anything that moves the needle.

And look, you’re not wrong to feel off. That restlessness, that mental fog, that lack of urgency…it’s real.

But it’s not burnout. It’s not that you’ve pushed too hard.

It’s that you’ve stopped pushing at all.

You’re not exhausted. You’re stagnant.

You don’t need rest. You need motion.

Because the second you start moving, even in the wrong direction, something clicks. Your energy shifts. Your brain stops doom scrolling your life choices and starts hunting again.

You don’t need a plan. You need a motion.

What to Do About It

You don’t need a sabbatical.

You don’t need to journal your way through it.

You don’t need to binge listen to Gary Vee and other hustle podcasts, or start worshipping at the feet of X business bros.

You don’t need to quit and become a yoga instructor (unless you really want to).

You just need to shake up the system.

See the Property

Pick a building in your market you’ve never stepped foot in. Just one. Go walk it. Get curious again. You’d be surprised what your brain connects once you’re physically in a space you haven’t seen before.

Maybe it’s some random industrial building with HVAC already in half the warehouse, and BOOM! 💥 you remember that tenant who specifically asked for HVAC in their production area. Meanwhile, the listing broker didn’t bother to mention it in the flyer because writing “existing HVAC in a portion of the warehouse” requires a Pulitzer these days.

Sometimes the info you need isn’t online. Sometimes the spark you need is just…inside a building you’ve never toured.

See the People

Get the hell out of your office and drop in on someone.

Seriously…just go. You never know what kind of opportunity, insight, or weird “oh sh*t, that could be a deal” moment you’ll stumble into just by showing up in person.

Maybe an old client you haven’t heard from in a while, outside of your quarterly “All good?” email. Maybe a prospect you’ve been chasing for a year who’s only ever heard your voice on voicemails. Hell, it could even be a broker buddy you haven’t seen in a minute.

Brokerage lives in motion. And sometimes, the best move is just to move.

Create Something

It doesn’t have to be polished. Doesn’t have to be deep. Just hit record, post a meme, write a quick “behind-the-scenes” story from your week. Even if it totally flops, you’ll feel better for doing it.

This was a huge shift for me when I started the CapRateCraig account. I didn’t realize it at the time, but what I was missing in my day-to-day wasn’t more deals or more success, it was a creative outlet. Something outside the inbox. Something that wasn’t just tied to commission checks, something that was for me.

Getting out of your comfort zone and trying new stuff, especially publicly, feels awkward at first. You start hearing the inner critic:

And look…some people will talk sh!t. That’s just part of the game. But here’s the truth:

It always feels like everyone’s watching and judging...It’s actually just a loud 5%.

Most people are too busy living their own lives to care that you posted a meme or a reel that didn’t land. And the people who do get it? They’ll respect the fact that you’re putting yourself out there.

Because here’s the real cheat code:

Once you realize that doing something creative brings you joy and momentum, you stop caring what anyone else thinks. That’s a superpower most people never find. Authenticity cuts through. Perfection doesn’t connect, real does.

So go create something. Not for the algorithm. Not for approval. For you.

If you’re feeling inspired to dip your toes into the niche world of CRE memes but don’t know where to start, check out the MemeLord Technologies Meme Editor. It’s got everything you need to start firing off memes on the fly — trending templates, built-in ideas, and tools that make the whole process stupid simple. Whether you’re making memes for your brokerage or just trying to make your group chat laugh, it’s the easiest way to get started.

The Real Fix? Movement.

It just means your brain is begging for a motion.

It’s easy to forget that momentum creates energy. That action leads to opportunity. That doing something, even if it’s clumsy, messy, or half-baked, is always better than sitting still and spiraling in your own head.

You don’t need to reinvent your entire life.

You just need to find your f#@king motion.

Chase something. Doesn’t have to be the perfect deal. Doesn’t even have to be in your lane. Just move.

And if all else fails?

Make a meme about it and send it to another broker who knows exactly what you mean.

That’s all for now! I appreciate everyone who’s been part of this community across all the different social media platforms. My goal with this newsletter is to dive deeper into various aspects of the CRE industry, with a focus on the brokerage side. I aim to bring the same levity and reality to these insights as I’ve done with the memes.

If you have any input, feedback, or questions, feel free to reach out. The DMs, emails, and real-life connections have been some of the coolest experiences along this journey.

-CapRateCraig