5 Ways to Reduce Stress as an Electrician

Working in general is stressful sometimes, but when you’re an electrician and under pressure, things can get to you sometimes.

You could just walk off and leave the site and turn your phone off.

Probably not a good idea, you won’t have a good reputation when you eventually turn backup on site.

That will be even more stressful.

In this podcast I am going to give you 5 easy ways to keep your stress levels down so you can concentrate on the job in hand.

This is Tool Box Talks For Electricians — The podcast loading electricians with the skills they need to reduce stress, gain back time and earn more money.

I will be transferring to you 5 ways that I have discovered over the years, to reduce stress while working as an electrician.

After listening to this episode you will be able to lower your stress levels starting today to carry on doing what your good at — being an amazing electrician.

It may be customers in a domestic house or other trades on site.

Everyone wants the work done, but doesn’t want the electricity to go off!

This puts pressure on US!

How long is it going to be off? I hate that question.

Epically when you turn up and it’s already off, so you haven’t got a clue what’s happened so far.

This can be stressful on us but pretty good for an electrician’s bank balance.

I will tell you a story later about that one.

Getting Up Early

Electricians are punctual or we try to be all the time.

So when things don’t go to plan it becomes stressful and puts you under a lot more pressure when you turn up to the job.

What do you think a customer would prefer?

Getting there early or turning up late?

The early bird catches the worm, I don’t know if you have heard of that one.

If you have to be on site for 8am, with an hour’s drive — leave the house at 6:30am.

Then get your ass out of bed at 5:30am. This will give you an hour for a cuppa.

The mornings when you get up early and have time to spare go so much better and are a lot less stressful.

The Environment You Work In

When it’s cold and you can feel your fingers or it’s red hot with sweet dripping in your eyes!

It’s a nightmare, sometimes enough to want to make you quit and go get a job in the supermarket stacking shelves.

So in the cold! Wrap up warm and even take some extra layers in the van.

Spare set of gloves is a must when working outside, you can put your hands in your pockets and when they get wet it’s tough to work.

Then when you’re clipping cables you hit your fingers.

At those times you wish it was hot.

But if it’s too hot and you’re pulling a 25mm 4 core swa across a cable tray on a lifter it’s just as bad.

Keep yourself hydrated with a few bottles of water.

When self employed it’s always a rush — time is money.

Imagine you fainted and because it’s just too hot — you’re not going to get a lot done sitting at home.

So slow down in rubbish weather conditions.

Electricians always get to go places where no one ever goes, those places are also never cleaned!

For a nice simple job in a factory replacing lights, those lights have an inch of dust attached to them.

I’m sure you don’t mind getting dirty now and then, but take a spare set of clothes to go home in.

It’s the plumbers who get covered in dirt, not electricians.

The Hours You HAVE to work!

Electricity is something that not many people can live without.

So when we start a job — its got to be completed the same day.

However many problems we run into.

Especially in industrial or commercial environments.

It’s when it’s a night shift and there’s one specific part you desperately need to finish the job and you’re calling everyone you know late at night to find it.

Our vans are full of kit, some kit we have that hasn’t been used in years.

When it’s not there anymore, we go looking for it.

The best way I have found to overcome this happening is to plan in advance.

Having a good relationship with your wholesales is a good idea.

This way you can plan for every eventuality that is going to happen in that job and fill your van with materials, whatever happens.

When having a good relationship with the wholesales you can just take the materials you didn’t use back.

It’s on account so it wouldn’t cost you anything.

Then go a step further if the works at night. Give the customer a detailed description of what you plan to do.

Then when problems come up that you didn’t expect, you can easily explain why it’s taking longer and the extra costs.

Don’t Just Be An Electrician

What does everyone know you as? Ben the electrician or sparky.

That’s the label that most people in your life call you.

Don’t you just hate it?

You need to separate yourself from being an electrician sometimes.

Be someone else and do something different.

• Fishing
• Golf
• Football

For me it’s motorbikes. I ride motocross on the weekends and it’s a way to take my mind off of running a stressful electrical business during the week.

Be The Best Electrician Ever

You may be good at your job, but are you good with the customers?

I love to talk, hence the podcast. I can talk forever to everyone and anyone.

It happens on site too, and leaving a good impression on a manager or other trades can be very rewarding.

I was sub-contracting for virgin media at the time.

The first day on side was getting all the risk assessments and scope of work in order.

This is where I got to know each project manager.

One late night I got a call from the company I sub contracted for, I wasn’t contracted for call outs.

However, virgin media had specifically requested me to attend a job in London.

“Get lost, not at this time of night” — was my first response.

They had been told to send me and only me! The boss even said to me that I could charge whatever I wanted.

If that’s not a good reason to reduce you stress levels, I don’t know what else is.

Off to London I went, reset the MCB that had tripped and was out within 20 mins.

Being an electrician might be stressful at times, but it has its perks.