Stress is dangerous and rampant. According to the American Psychological Association (APA), chronic stress is linked with six of the leading causes of death: heart disease and cancer, lung ailments, suicide, accidents, cirrhosis, liver disease, and lung diseases. More than 75% of all doctor office visits are for stress-related complaints and ailments.
Some people are lucky and don’t experience extreme stress. Some people are overwhelmed by it. You will experience stress, no matter what the situation is–a flat tire or a bounced cheque, or a sick family member–everyone will. Add work to the mix and you’ll have a whole new set. No matter what you do to reduce stress at work, it will impact your behavior outside the office. Stress can make you unhappy and unhealthy. It’s not something anyone wants, so try to get rid of it as soon as possible.
Stress takeover
It doesn’t matter how much you love your job. It can be exhausting. You’re expected to perform a set number of tasks each day at a high level of quality throughout your employment with an employer. You likely have professional goals and obligations that you must meet. If you are career-driven, you want to continue your professional growth. It all sounds very idealistic, right? Most employees have trouble finding the time to do their actual work because they are constantly dealing with urgent requests, adapting and changing business goals, and even organizational changes. It can be stressful, however, it doesn’t have be.
Stress management
Stress can sometimes be a roadblock to happiness and productivity. If you allow stress to get you down, it can cause you to lose your productivity and happiness. You won’t. You can manage stress with a little guidance and discipline.
There are many resources that can help you cope, including books, programs, webinars and more. If you put in the effort to organize yourself and adapt a few basic principles to your work style, you will find your teeth and fists will be clenching.
To do? You can.
Today is the day to start a to-do list. To ensure that you are accountable for all tasks and honest about your workload, creating a simple, actionable to-do list is the first thing you should do each day. The following criteria will help you create your list in less than 10 minutes.
You can group tasks into categories. Some prefer to list projects and break down tasks based on the due date. Others list all tasks according to due dates. No matter how you list them out, make sure that you get them all.
Prioritize conflicting tasks. Which item is more important? How will it impact your work (or the work of someone else)? Ask your manager or coworker for help in deciding which priority is most important. Your to-do list may affect theirs.
Estimate your time. You can be serious about what you can do in a given time period. If you find that your estimates are inaccurate, you can track them and adjust them as you go. You’ll be able to track your work and see how long it took you. This data will help you plan for future tasks.
Complete tasks. Cross it off when you have completed a task on your list. It will make you feel good to see your list shrink.
Re-prioritize. There are always new tasks and deadlines that change. When you have a few minutes to spare, review your list and make new priorities.
These methods can be used with any of the many phone or desktop applications available, or simply by writing them down. You will only know what works best for you so try out several options and then commit to a routine that will keep your organized. You’ll be one step closer towards stress-free living.
Communicate effectively
The world of work is saturated with instant communication. It’s not unreasonable to imagine that you could recalibrate.