Reducing Stress

Household post (note to self – you know, James: when you leave it unopened for a week and then, when you finally get around to it, discover an important, and perhaps missed deadline, date or bill?!)

Bills – If possible, pay it straight away so you know it’s done. You’re going to have to pay it eventually – why put it off? Then file away.

Emails/text messages – I think people appreciate it when you respond straight away, as much as possible. They don’t have to be long.

Telephone calls – Try and see every phonecall as an opportunity to connect and have a positive conversation with someone.

Practise adopting this ‘only touch once’ approach today as much as you can – it may help you stay on top of your jobs more, feel calmer and more connected.

Think of preparation as one good idea to stay on top of stress of getting a task done in time, and to the best of your ability.

 A work deadline next month

An upcoming dissertation

A best man’s speech

Looking for somewhere to live

Planning a holiday

The first Active Step, perhaps, is to think of being prepared – ahead of the game – as a good thing.

The next Active Step is to fit in time to start – just a couple of minutes planning. Getting started is often the hardest part of any task, after all. 

Try to break a task down into a series of Active Steps – as small and individual as possible. This will make it easier to visualise completing the task and make it less likely you’ll procrastinate on getting going.

OK, so this isn’t always possible – some jobs overlap outside of our control. But wherever you can, try to focus on one thing at a time.

A particular task at work

Cooking a meal

Playing with the children

A hobby

So, log out of MSN, Facebook or Twitter – save it until the end of the day. Try to limit your multi-tasking. Practise staying focussed on one task at a time and feel calmer and work more efficiently as you go.

What approach will you take to take on your list?

If I wasn’t under pressure to complete one or other tasks first - personally, I’d knock off the easiest first. This helps build up momentum and makes me feel like I’m winning.

Letting all today’s jobs out of your head and onto the page helps you relax a little in the knowledge that you will not forget what needs to be done.

You can then plan your approach to tackling your jobs.

Crossing them off the list, one by one, feels good too.