diff --git a/pandora_client/__init__.py b/pandora_client/__init__.py
index ed3d15b..676859d 100644
--- a/pandora_client/__init__.py
+++ b/pandora_client/__init__.py
@@ -596,21 +596,13 @@ class Client(object):
             post['files'] = files['files']
             post['volume'] = name
             print 'sending list of files in %s (%s total)' % (name, len(post['files']))
+            r = self.api.async('update', post)
+            #send empty list to get updated list of requested info/files/data
+            post = {'info': {}}
             r = self.api.update(post)
-            if r['status']['code'] == 200:
-                #backend works on update request asyncronously, wait for it to finish
-                if 'taskId' in r['data']:
-                    t = self.api.taskStatus(task_id=r['data']['taskId'])
-                    print 'waiting for server ...'
-                    while t['data']['status'] == 'PENDING':
-                        time.sleep(5)
-                        t = self.api.taskStatus(task_id=r['data']['taskId'])
-                    #send empty list to get updated list of requested info/files/data
-                    post = {'info': {}}
-                    r = self.api.update(post)
 
-                if r['data']['info']:
-                    r = self.update_info(r['data']['info'], prefix)
+            if r['data']['info']:
+                r = self.update_info(r['data']['info'], prefix)
 
         if not 'data' in r:
             print r
@@ -718,13 +710,7 @@ class Client(object):
             print 'sending info for %d files' % len(info)
             post = {'info': {}, 'upload': True}
             post['info'] = self.get_info_for_ids(info, prefix)
-            r = self.api.update(post)
-            if 'taskId' in r['data']:
-                t = self.api.taskStatus(task_id=r['data']['taskId'])
-                print 'waiting for server ...'
-                while t['data']['status'] == 'PENDING':
-                    time.sleep(5)
-                    t = self.api.taskStatus(task_id=r['data']['taskId'])
+            r = self.api.async('update', post)
             #send empty list to get updated list of requested info/files/data
             post = {'info': {}}
             r = self.api.update(post)
@@ -908,6 +894,18 @@ class API(ox.API):
         netloc = urlparse(self.url).netloc
         self._resume_file = '/tmp/pandora_client.%s.%s.json' % (os.environ.get('USER'), netloc)
 
+    def async(self, action, data, interval=5):
+        t = r = getattr(self, action)(data)
+        if r['status']['code'] == 200:
+            # wait for async task to finish
+            if 'taskId' in r['data']:
+                t = self.taskStatus(task_id=r['data']['taskId'])
+                print 'waiting for server ...'
+                while t['data'].get('status') == 'PENDING':
+                    time.sleep(interval)
+                    t = self.taskStatus(task_id=r['data']['taskId'])
+        return t
+
     def uploadFrames(self, i, data):
         #upload frames
         if self.site['media'].get('importFrames') and i['frames']: