Reducing stress: practical strategies for busy conveyancers

If you’re a conveyancer, chances are you’ve been running on adrenaline for longer than you’d like to admit. The so-called “quiet season” has all but disappeared and it feels like every file seems more urgent than the last.

It’s no wonder so many in our profession are feeling stretched to the limit. In our State of Conveyancing survey last year, 71% of respondents named stress and burnout as a key problem for conveyancers. We’ve already explored the mental load of conveyancing and how technology can help alleviate it, and why mental wellness matters most for you and your team. But today, we want to go a step further and look at practical, everyday strategies you can use to reduce stress right now.

Here are eight ways to lower the pressure and give yourself some breathing room, both personally and across your business.

1. Start with micro-breaks

When you’re in the middle of balancing a complex settlement, the last thing on your mind is stepping away. But it’s truly incredible the power that short, regular breaks have in dramatically reducing stress and improving focus. Even two minutes to stretch, make a cup of tea, or soak up some sunshine can reset your brain and help prevent mistakes.

Try this: Set a timer to remind yourself to stand up every 60 to 90 minutes. Better still, build natural “reset points” into your day, such as making all your settlement confirmation calls standing up.  

2. Set clear boundaries

One of the biggest sources of stress for conveyancers is the feeling of always being “on”. While clients deserve great service, you also need space to recharge.  Some ways that you can ensure you set clear, reasonable boundaries include:

• Avoid checking emails after hours (or remove notifications from your phone).
• Use out-of-office responses to set expectations during peak times.
• Be upfront with clients about your office hours.  Most will respect your boundaries if they know them.

The important thing to remember is that boundaries aren’t about doing less or offering lesser service. Instead, they allow you to create the optimal conditions for you to do your best work during your business hours (whatever you decide those look like).

3. Focus on what you can control

Banks will still cause delays. Clients will still miss deadlines. Government agencies will still shift requirements. Stress multiplies when we spend energy on things outside our control.

Refocus on what you can influence: your processes, your communication, your mindset, and how you support your team. Let go of the rest.  Easier said than done, we know but it’s a skill that comes with practice so commit to giving it a go as much as you can.

4. Delegate with confidence

For managers, a common trap is trying to shoulder too much alone. Delegating isn’t just about lightening your workload.  Instead, good management will delegate to empower your team and build resilience into the business.

Give team members ownership of tasks with clear instructions and trust them to deliver. Yes, there may be a learning curve, but the long-term payoff is less stress and a stronger, more capable team.

5. Streamline your processes

Every double-handled task is an unnecessary stress point. Review your workflows with a critical eye and look for bits where you’re duplicating effort, re-keying data, or manually chasing things.  Could these be automated or streamlined somehow?

This is where technology can make a real difference. For example, trust account reconciliations, end of month reports and preparing for audits that once took hours can now be completed in minutes using Realtime.  

Streamlining your processes can also reduce the mental clutter that keeps your stress levels high.

6. Encourage open communication in your team

Stress thrives in silence. If they’re not encouraged to share in a safe environment, your team members will often bottle up challenges until they boil over (or worse, they have enough and resign). Create a culture where it’s normal to talk about workload pressures, difficult files, or even mental health.  Some ways you can foster this culture include:

• Holding regular check-ins that are about your people, not just their tasks.
• Lead by example, in talking about your pressures and difficult files.
• Encourage peer support (sometimes it’s easier to talk to a colleague than a manager).
• Celebrate small wins together to keep morale up.

Numerous culture surveys and studies have shown that when communication is open, problems get solved faster and the whole team feels lighter.

7. Build in flexibility

Life doesn’t stop outside the office. School pick-ups, medical appointments, and family commitments can add to the stress if people feel they can’t manage both.

Offering flexibility (whether that’s hybrid working, flexible start times, or the ability to log in from home when needed) takes huge pressure off your team. And with true cloud-based conveyancing software, there’s no reason your team can’t stay connected and across their file-load wherever they are.

8. Reconnect with your “why”

Stress narrows your vision. It’s easy to forget why you do this job in the first place, especially if you’ve been doing the hard slog for years on end. But conveyancing is meaningful work.  Guiding people through one of the biggest moments of their lives is not something to sniff at.

Take time to celebrate the positive feedback, the smooth settlements and the clients who tell you they couldn’t have done it without you. Remind your team (and yourself) regularly of the bigger picture. 

Pulling it all together for a stress-free (as possible) conveyancing office

There’s not a single magic fix to reduce stress in conveyancing.  The reality is that it is a high-stress environment.  However, the more significant, longer-term aspects of that stress build-up can certainly be minimised by building in small, practical strategies every single day.  

Start with your own habits and lead by example.  Take breaks, set boundaries and let go of what you can’t control. Then look at the business as a whole.  Start by streamlining processes, encouraging open communication, and ultimately, creating a culture of flexibility and trust. 

Stress may be part of conveyancing, but it doesn’t have to define it.

At Realtime, we’re passionate about supporting conveyancers to work smarter, not harder. Our platform is built to take the unnecessary stress out of your day and help you to work 50% faster, and be 100% happier!  If you’re ready to see how Realtime can reduce stress for you and your team, book a demo with us today.