Everything is a priority! You have owners ringing off the hook, asking for updates because they’re desperate to start building. You have Schedules of Condition to undertake and that means more time out of the office to catch up on emails, return phone calls and prepare party wall documents. You really must prepare that award and get it in the post tonight before another day passes.
In your state of overwhelm, everything is equally important. How can you regain control? How can you effectively prioritise? Where should you start?
Read on to find out how and where!
1. Time to prioritise your day
Walk away from the chaos for a few minutes. Make yourself a coffee. You may not feel you have the time, but the break will help you think clearly. See this break as “productive” time and take steps 2-5.
2. Decide on the No.1 most critical task
You know that everything’s important and that’s why they are on your to-do list! However, which task is non-negotiable for you to achieve in the next 8 hours? Which task is most critical to your party wall business if it doesn’t get done today? What would the outcome be if you don’t do it today? Do this first!
3. Decide on 3-5 important tasks
Now you have a “critical” task to tackle today, everything else can be moved to your “Important” to-do list. Decide which of these tasks are important but not urgent-urgent. Which can wait until tomorrow? Which are the tasks the are ongoing that you have a buffer of time before the deadline? You should be left with 3-5 tasks on your important to-do list for today.
4. Delegate tasks
Can any of the most time-sensitive “important” tasks be delegated to be done today to allow you to achieve an extra task? Maybe it’s returning a phone call to another surveyor on your behalf or drafting an email to an owner for you to check and send later. If yes, delegate to relevant person so these tasks can be ticked off asap. If not, don’t worry; stick to your critical and important lists.
5. Remove or park tasks
Any task that’s not critical or important to do today can be moved to tomorrow, when you can go through this process again to prioritise. In a few days you’ll notice a pattern in any tasks that keep getting moved to the bottom of the list. If this is the case, can these tasks be removed entirely? Or keep them on the list and keep parking them until the day they become critical or important!
Prioritising (and delegating if possible) is the only way you’ll feel accomplished, more efficient and less stressed in your days when every single task feels urgent.
Do you have any of your own tips for feeling in control with your party wall jobs? If so, we’d be interested in hearing them – comment below or email/dm us.
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Written by the SurvPal Team.
SurvPal is your solution to all your party wall admin so you can enjoy more time, greater efficiency, less stress and a healthier work-life balance. It was first developed in 2013 and has evolved ever since to become the most comprehensive and robust party wall software available.
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