Great Time Management - Stress
Six Tips for Reducing Stress
One source of stress is trying to hold everything you need to do in your memory. It can feel like a hamster is running circles in your head. Here are six ways to calm the hamster.
Six Tips to Reduce Stress
- Sort your To Do List into Prioritized Categories
Open loops create stress. Feeling overwhelmed trying to remember everything you need to do? Check out Tools & Charts for Great Time Management find three practical ways to prioritize. Then download your brain onto one of these worksheets to help you prioritize the things you need to do. - Tackle Your Highest Priorities First
Select one to three tasks that are really important to you and do them first. This will help you focus. (See articles on Prioritizing) - Recharge Every 90-120 Minutes
Focus is a great thing, but research proves that people are more effective if they build in time to recharge regularly. You could walk a few minutes outside and let nature help you reboot. You could get a drink of water, stretch, do some eye exercises, eat an apple, listen to music you love, take time for a conversation—whatever refreshes you. You’ll be more productive if you allow time to recharge regularly. - Eliminate Unnecessary Tasks
Are there some tasks on your list that might not be necessary? Dr. Brent Peterson and Gaylan Nielson determined in a three-year study that 40-60 percent of work is “fake.” Is there anything you do that you can stop doing? A CEO I respect tells people to eliminate 15% of their To Do List regularly. What can you eliminate? Have funcrossing it off! - Set Time Limits on Tasks
Have you ever found out someone was going to drop by unexpectedly? Isn’t it amazing how quickly you can straighten your house? Or how much you can accomplish the day before vacation? You know the old adage, “Work expands to fill the time available.” Set a time goal for each task. That will make you work smarter if you have a specific amount of time allocated. Use a timer to keep yourself on track. - Simplify by Accepting “Good Enough”
A few things really are worth doing as close to perfectly as possible. Not many. For those of us who grew up with, “Anything worth doing is worth doing well,” it’s not easy to be satisfied with anything less than our best. A therapist told me I needed a “Good Enough” category. It helps to identify which things just need to be done. Perfection is not required. Knowing that can help you get started rather than waiting for ideal conditions. Which will bring you the greatest peace—getting it done or keeping it on your list until conditions are ideal?
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Article by Marie Golden