Survey Taking Tips

Or How to not lose your mind taking these dang surveys!

One of the downfalls of working on so many different survey sites is the steady flow to your inbox. Here are my Top 5 tips on how to handle the deluge:

1. Use a "throway" email address. I kind of wish I had taken my own advice, here. But if I could do it all over again, I would create a unique email with the word survey in the title and have it be only for surveys/trial programs, etc. If I ever decide I want to be off the list, I can just delete that account. The downside of this is that you either have to clutter your inbox anyway if you use your desktop email program, or you have to use a web-based email and make sure that you constantly check it. I'm bad at web-mail. I am addicted to clicking the "Send/Receive" button twenty thousand times a day!

2. Set up "Rules" in your email program. I set up a folder in Outlook for each Survey site and set a rule so that whenever a new "offer" comes from the site, I don't have to wade through all the surveys in my inbox unless I want to. I can also tell at a glance how many new emails I have from each site. Survey Spot has 125 UNREAD emails in my inbox. It's my way of telling Survey Spot that they are a low priority on my list.

3. Be an American! You will qualify for many more panels and surveys if you are a typical American consumer. They are looking for people who spend money, are always looking to change insurance companies, and who pay attention to advertising. I don't drink or smoke, so that cuts me out of a good amount of surveys right there. Of course I could lie, but it's not worth the ethical hit. I also know that getting "free quotes" on anything like mortgages, credit cards or insurance, can actually affect your credit rating, so I tend to avoid "offers" like that. If you don't care, you'll qualify a lot more.

4. Watch TV while doing the surveys. I'm not talking about shows you actually want to watch, but shows that you are kinda-sorta interested in. I won't do surveys during the New York Rangers hockey game or The Amazing race, but if I'm watching something that I can follow just by listening and occasionally looking up. I can't do my writing while I am watching TV, and my workout programs usually involve watching a DVD, this is the only way I can feel somewhat productive while doing these (sometimes tedious) surveys.

5. Budget your time. Sure you can just do a bunch of surveys while your watching "Maybe Watch TV" but I have found it much better to set a specific amount of time and stick to it. Personally, I'll spend one hour a day on the surveys, and not let myself go above that total during the regular working hours. I'll do some additional surveys while watching TV at night, but I consider that extra. You have to balance the potential gain with the time spent. My work on eBay or freelance writing has a higher potential payday, so I need to dedicate more of my time to that. Everyone will prioritize differently, but I think blocking out your day in Outlook is your best bet. Then the trick is sticking to it.

Good luck!