Time Management for the Stressed Person

When you feel stressed, parts of your brain switch off. Guess which parts? The parts that do the long term planning and help you to take the overview - vital for prioritisation and long term strategy.

You become very focussed on the detail so you often don't see the big problems just ahead. In order to prevent this from happening here are some strategies that you can use. They should not only help you to save time, but also keep you healthier by reducing your levels of stress

Visual Overview

Create a clear visual overview of the year ahead. Most software diary systems now allow you to see the week, month and year ahead at the click of your mouse. You need to make sure that the amount of time you are going to spend on your work and other activities is clearly represented so that you can easily see how much time you have available. Compare this with the diary where only the meetings are visible and the rest is done as a 'to do' list. It would be easy to over-estimate the amount of time you had available with the latter system!

Look at your overview frequently

This makes it easier for your brain to move to the overview perspective. Once you can do that, planning is much easier.

When you are feeling really stressed - look at your plan

Part of feeling stressed is about focusing on the detail. Looking at the overall plan, and then adjusting it on a frequent basis (daily if necessary) will help to keep you in control.

Do a mind map of your goals and objectives

Again this helps you to see the overview. Visual representations are much easier to remember. They are also easier to use in order to prioritise your tasks than lists are.

Review your mind map regularly

This may be weekly or monthly, but when you are stressed you need to do it more often than usual, not less.

Take aerobic exercise

When you are stressed, cortisol builds up in your body and makes you feel stressed. The more stressed you are, the more cortisol your body makes and the more stressed you feel. Aerobic exercise flushes it out of your system. All you need is 15 minutes. This will help you to think more clearly and plan your time more effectively.

Learn how to respond to requests

When someone asks you to do something, respond by saying 'Let me check my schedule' Then, when you look at your schedule, let the person know when you have a slot available. Never just agree without checking your schedule.

Smile

Smiling makes you feel better and helps you to think in a more positive way. This in turn helps you to see more possible solutions to your problems. Frowning reduces the options you are able to see.

Put it into you schedule immediately

As soon as you agree to do something, put it into your schedule straight away. Make sure you allow enough time.

Improve your estimation skills

Whenever you complete a task, alter the amount of time you allowed in your schedule to reflect what really happened. Next time you have a similar task, check back to see how long it really took and use that amount in your schedule.

<< back to more free stuff