So many people are stressed these days – I mean really stressed to the point of making themselves sick. Why are we all so frazzled? Much of it has to do with worry and it turns out worrying is a useless exercise. Studies have shown 85% of the things we worry about never happen. Often I’ve found myself vexing over hurting someone’s feelings when that person didn’t even care about something I said.
The same can be true for business. We needlessly worry about quotas, timelines, receivables collection, etc., when that worry could have been used to just fix the issue. While I haven’t eliminated all stress and worry in my life, I’ve made significant progress.
1) Just Breathe. I’d like to say I’ve gotten to the point where I can walk away from my desk during crazy times and go meditate for 10 minutes. I’m just not there yet! However, I find it helpful to shut my laptop, close my eyes and take deep breaths. One breathing technique I learned in yoga is ujjayi breathing in which you breathe in and out through your nose and make an ocean sound on the exhale. Just that sound is supposed to calm your central nervous system and I find it works effectively for me. Just 5 minutes of breathing technique calms me down significantly.
2) Ditch Back-to-Back Meetings. I find more than two meetings or calls in a row to be particularly stressful. There are usually assignments or actions that come out of a meeting that need to be handled that day or at least scheduled. Having to jump on a new call before wrapping my brain around the last one drives me crazy. So I try to put 30 minute blocks between calls.
3) Chunk the To Do List. Ok you may think I’m crazy with this one, but I’ve found it works. I’ve stopped using Tasks and To Do Lists. Instead I schedule time blocks on my calendar to complete tasks. It really makes me think about the best times to do certain projects. For example I’m writing this post on a train to NYC on which I knew the WiFi would be sketchy. I saved all my writing projects that didn’t require internet for this 2.5 hour train trip! If for some reason an urgent request comes up and I can’t complete the task during the time I assigned, I make sure to move the assignment to a new time block in my calendar. You do have to be disciplined about doing this.
4) Delegate and Forget It. This has been a real game changer for me. It’s not only reduced my stress levels, but has given me at least two extra hours each day. It took me years to be able to delegate tasks without worry, but we have such a great team here at the agency, I really don’t anymore. And I ask myself before starting every task now, “Am I the best person on the team to do this?” and “Is this the best use of MY time?” I was writing a white paper last week for a client and had it 85% complete. It would have taken me hours to polish it to completion, as I’m great at research and general concepts, but not on getting a content piece to really flow and fit together. I sent it to a colleague and she polished it to perfection in a matter of hours. I used that time instead to work on a proposal.
I hope these tips get you on the path to lower stress and a happier existence. What works for you when you feel overwhelmed?