Like many tradespeople, Illawarra-based Mr Stewart's record keeping and billing system was largely done on pen and paper.

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"I'd receive a call from a client, take their details down on pen and paper," Mr Stewart said.

"I'd have to keep a running tab in my head of where I was up to each day, and pricing and quotes. It was basically just a big messy pile of paperwork."

While the system worked, it was draining Mr Stewart's time and energy and limiting his ability to grow the business.

"I was spending so much time at the end of the day going through my paperwork and writing up invoices, converting jobs into my bookkeeping software - it was a lot of duplication," he said.

"I was spending a lot of time on paperwork that could have been used either on work or just having time to myself."

Mr Stewart is not alone in his experience and overwork is a significant issue for people in the trades industries.

Long hours, physically demanding work and a pressure to deliver lead to tradespeople having some of the worst mental health statistics of any workforce.

According to the National Electrical Contractors Association, every second day a construction worker will take their own life and suicide is six times more likely to be the cause of death for a construction worker than a workplace accident.

For Mr Stewart, his solution was to automate the processes that were taking up so much time.

Turning to local technology provider Autom8 Me, Mr Stewart began running his business through Service m8, an app built for tradespeople.

The service digitally records the details of each job, sending invoices to clients and integrating with accounting software.

Autom8 Me founder Sandy Visser said with many tradespeople adopting an 'if it ain't broke don't fix it attitude' the adoption of digital tools in the construction and trades sector lagged behind other industries, but that there are great benefits to be found in the business and personally.

"On a Saturday or Sunday, they're doing paperwork, and that has a major effect on mental health, because they've lost who they are," said Ms Visser.

For Mr Stewart, the technology has enabled him to start thinking about taking on an employee and grow his business.

"Part of the reason why I haven't put anyone on yet is because I would have ended up having more paperwork," he said.

On a more personal level, the technology is allowing Mr Stewart to avoid the mental health traps that afflict others in his industry.

"When you run a small business, you put a lot of your time back into the business and as the business grows, you take on more paperwork, which means less time with your family. So reducing the paperwork definitely means that I get to spend more time with my family, which is a massive bonus."

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