Maybe you’re wondering if you even need to read this article!
Yes, you should read this article because we all procrastinate on some level, especially when we feel stressed or overwhelmed with our workload. It’s normal to put things off to avoid any unwanted feelings that result from doing a piece of work.
It’s important to understand that when you procrastinate, it doesn’t mean that you’re being lazy or underachieving. It means that there are tasks on your to-do list that you don’t wish to face.
In the party wall industry, it’s not unusual to have a neighbourly dispute, a neighbour who is refusing access, a disagreement with another surveyor about an award, or something else tricky to deal with. Perhaps, you’re even facing a combination of these challenges.
However, there are strategies to support you in feeling more productive each day. When you finally deal with the things you’ve been putting off, you’ll feel more accomplished.
Here at SurvPal HQ, these are our top tips for getting stuff done, even the things you’ve been putting off, for whatever your reasons.
1. Remember why you’re a Party Wall Surveyor
When your to-do list appears to be endless, remember there was a reason you chose this work in the first place – getting out on site, the money, the methodical process, the social aspect, one of many other reasons. This will help keep you motivated.
2. Block scheduling
In your calendar schedule set times for checking and responding to emails, undertaking Schedules of Condition, phoning owners and other surveyors back, team meetings, party wall documentation preparation, social media and marketing work etc. And importantly, schedule “catch up times” to tackle the things you haven’t had time for.
3. Take a break
Although counter-intuitive, giving yourself some thinking and recharging time away from your desk and the challenge helps you see a new perspective to tackling it. When you procrastinate, it’s usually a sign of needing a break. Take the break, then go back to your desk and do the thing!
4. Don’t multi-task
You can’t do 2 things at once, not properly, which leads you to feeling discouraged and unproductive because you don’t finish anything, and you still have that problem to deal with that you’ve been avoiding. Do one thing at a time, cross it off your list and feel accomplished and ready for the next thing. Top tip – do the thing you’ve been avoiding first to put a bounce in your step and make the rest of the day feel great!
5. Reward yourself in between each task
After your email checking block has finished, get a coffee. After you’ve made that phone call that you’ve been putting off, read the article you’ve been wanting to read or have a snack. This helps you achieve more of your goals every day because your working day feels more enjoyable.
Finally, for the best anti-procrastination tip ever, register for SurvPal. This will make your day feel much less stressful because:
- All your party wall documents are generated at a click of a button.
- All those fiddly clauses you need to add to prepare notices or awards are automatically inserted and formatted into the documents so you save lots of time.
- You can track the progress of every owner so you have confidence where all jobs are in the process at a glance.
- You can receive email reminders so you have reassurance that you won’t miss any statutory deadlines due.
- And there are many more benefits!
CONTACT US HERE: LinkedIn, FB, email, YT
Written by the SurvPal Team.
SurvPal party wall software has been developed by surveyors for surveyors to simplify your party wall admin and save you hours of time (testimony of multi-100 of users!)
Register for your FREE and unlimited 3-month trial here:
https://secure.survpal.co.uk/register