To be successful, a real estate manager must proactively make decisions on where to spend their time and effort.Most decisions boil down to two options:Solve short-term problems. This includes resolving disputes, deal-doctoring, and the overabundance of other things needed to keep an office running smoothly.Invest in opportunities to build the future. This includes activities to find, retain, and make better agents.It’s unreasonable to assume you can spend all your time investing in future-building activities.Of course, problems need to be solved. But effective managers put tight boundaries on their problem-solving activities.How? Here are some ideas to keep problem-solving from stealing your effectiveness.Question. Before jumping in to help, ask yourself: What would happen if I didn’t get involved?Delay. Can your involvement be delayed for a day or two? What’s delayed often goes undone, and that can be a good thing.Repair. What clamors for your attention is often a symptom of a broken system or process. If you’re going to spend time fixing, always ask: What needs to change so this doesn’t happen again?There will always be a tension between problem-solving and investing.Effective managers learn to ignore the siren’s call to problem-solve and spend most of their time investing.