Be the boss of time
Oh to have a mechanical clone! I dream of the day I can just power up my RachBot and hand her half my workload. Sadly we’re not quite there yet.
You get stressed when you feel out of control, so taking charge of your time can help. Keep an ongoing list of all the tasks you have to do, colour-coded to indicate how much of a priority each one is. Plan your day so that you tackle the toughest jobs when you’re feeling the most alert. And be realistic about how much you can take on. If you say, “Yes” to absolutely everything you’ll end up getting in a tizz and doing a crap job.
Train yourself to focus
The optimum state for working is what psychologists call “flow”. Flitting between tasks and letting yourself get distracted stops you achieving flow and makes you feel agitated. So set some rules for yourself. Give each task at least 10 minutes of your full attention. Take mini breaks every 25-to-45-minutes. Instead of reading every email as it comes in, save them up and check them after a couple of hours.
Stop faffing
Whatever you do, don’t fall into the procrastination pit of doom. The more you put something off, the more you dread it and the worse you feel. My current preferred method for tricking myself into doing things is called the Pomodoro technique but there are plenty of other tools and apps that might work for you – read our guide.
Speak up
When you just want to vent, chatting to your mates – especially if they make you laugh – provides instant relief. But sometimes you need to direct your vocal cords towards the source of your stress. Share a studio with someone plays shit music at full blast? Be assertive and ask them politely to use headphones.
If you work for an organisation, talk to your line manager or HR person about any problems you have before they develop. That’s what they’re there for!
Take time out
In the creative world, networking and socialising, clients and friends, life drama and inspiration all seem to blur into one. It’s easy to find you’re working constantly.
All the same, most people need a balance. Do something fun and challenging that engages you physically, creatively or altruistically. Take up fencing, knit a jumper, volunteer at a farm, write an epic poem about the Notorious BIG – it doesn’t matter what it is, so long as it doesn’t feel like work.
Clear your head
Here’s a little experiment. Pick a random point in the day – just before you go to bed or while you’re sitting on the bus, say – and listen to whatever thoughts are running through your head. Unless you’re exceptionally chilled out, you’ll probably find a strange cacaphony of aspirations, banalities and existential angst.
Learning to be still in the present moment, rather than constantly letting your thoughts take you off in multiple directions can help you de-stress and think more clearly. Try the relaxation techniques on Mind’s website, download a meditation app to your phone or check out the resources section on the Be Mindful website.
Look for positives
Now, call me a dirty hippy (you won’t be the first) but sometimes in work, as in life, you should take a step back and be grateful for what you’ve got. Many of the little things we daily grind our teeth over don’t really matter when you look at the bigger picture. Always remember what you’ve achieved and ask yourself: how will whatever is stressing you out now appear in 10, 20, 50 years time?
Maybe you won’t even remember it. At the very least, the fact you’re on IdeasTap, reading this, means you’ve probably found a creative outlet you love.
And that in itself is something special.
Useful resources
Mind's guide to stress
Psychologist Kelly McGonigal’s TED talk on how to make stress your friend
The Mental Health Foundation's Be Mindful campaign website
Lifehacker – tricks for getting things done
More Coping with:
...anxiety
...insomnia
...shyness
What are your tips for dealing with stress? Leave a comment below!
For more articles and resources, visit The Business.
Image by Dan Nelson, on a Creative Commons license.
