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by: Michael Licenblat
Learn how to relieve stress by taking control of your time. The key to being in control of your stress at work is not so much about how you deal with the stress situation, but more about how you arrange your time use to get everything done - and stay in control of your emotions.
Do you have too much to do, too many ideas, and an abundance of calls and emails to return? Do you feel overwhelmed and just don't know where to start? Do you sometimes doubt you abilities and hence put off making client calls? Do you tackle the easy tasks first and try to avoid the big, complicated jobs?
If so, then you are a covert procrastinator...and it is probably taking
huge chunks of time, energy and productivity away from you each day!
People procrastinate for one key reason - they fall into the trap of
making emotional decisions instead of logical decisions.
An emotional decision to do task 'A' over task 'B' is based on what will
make you feel good in the moment. It is a bit like grabbing a chocolate
bar because, even though you know it is unhealthy and stacks on the
weight, you know it will taste good and make you feel happy for the
moment.
A logical decision is based on 'what needs to be done' with very little
regard for what will make you feel good or happy.
The stress of avoiding doing something that you need do creates tension
and distraction.
You will not be able to relieve stress if you are running from your
responsibilities.
Avoiding calling clients, hiding from big projects, resisting setting
clear financial goals and sticking to them, etc., are emotional
decisions because these tasks don't necessarily feel good to do - in
fact they are often confronting, intense and stressful. If, however, you
are always making your decisions based on you emotions and 'how you
feel' or whether you 'feel like doing it', you will never get the work
done or drive your business effectively.
Procrastination is simply the emotional excuse to avoid doing something
that doesn't feel good or fun.
It is time to stop letting your emotions rule your life and start
practising making logical decisions if you want to take control of the
pressure and stress in your life.
All children have choice without responsibility. The maturation of a
child is when they are given choice with responsibility. To become
resilient to pressure, you need to be able to get past your emotions and
do what needs to be done - irrespective of how it 'feels'.
Procrastination is childish, irresponsible, and stupid.
Here are 5 tips on how to stop procrastinating:
1. ACT FAST
Get out of your head and emotions and into your body and start DOING.
Most people are action impotent because they are busy feeling overloaded
and overwhelmed that they don't actually do anything.
Chunk down and act frequently. Stop talking about the problem to other
people and stop thinking about the problem in your head - and start
doing.
2. DROP THE STORY
You are so used to giving your excuses that you probably don't even hear
them anymore. The more reasons you tell yourself that 'it all feels too
hard', 'I don't have enough time', 'I just don't know where to start' -
that more this will become true for you. Your body responds to your
mind's potential. If you make something feel that it is too difficult -
then your body will not push itself to do it.
There was a story of a man who delivered meat to butchers early in the
morning. Each day as he got into the back of his freezer truck to take
the meat out, there was always a fear in the back of his mind that his
truck door would slam shut and he would be stuck inside and freeze to
death. It was a thought that bothered him everyday.
Early one winter's morning, on his first delivery of the day, he had
parked in a side street next to the butcher's store. As he began to
unload the truck he heard a heavy storm wind hit the side of his truck.
Before he had a chance to react, the safety latch on his door broke and
slammed shut and he became trapped inside he truck.
Some time later he was found, but unfortunately he had already died. He
had frozen to death - his blood had frozen in his veins....but the
freezer in the truck was turned off. Through the fear in his mind he had
'thought himself to death'.
In the very first session, one of my coaching clients discovered that
the reason she was experiencing so much conflict and tension at work was
because she was blaming other people for her problems and using excuses
(stories) to avoid taking action. A powerful insight. [1]
What story are you running in your head?
3. ACT 'AS IF'
Can you think back to the first time that you rode a bike on two wheels
all by yourself? Every since that time you have been able to get onto a
two wheel bike and ride it without any help. You didn't think about
whether you could do it or not - you just did it. You knew you could do
it so you did it. There was no doubt because you acted 'as if' it was
definitely possible.
Research has found that feeling overloaded and stressed out can bring on
self doubt [2]
If you approached your work as if everything was definitely possible and
removed the doubt, you would achieve a lot more. Again, your body simply
responds to your mind's potential. Drop the doubt and act 'as if'
everything is possible.
4. FOCUS ON PRODUCTIVE ACTIVITY
What is the most productive use of your time? Is it answering emails,
forwarding on jokes, calling new clients, doing billable jobs, sitting
in meetings, etc. Are you making emotional decisions on what you want to
do first, second, and third based on what 'feels good' or what is easy
to 'knock off' quickly. If you are in the field of billable hours, how
much time are you wasting in replying to emails, taking interruption
phone calls, or dealing with issues that are non income producing.
Stop procrastinating by doing the easy, non core/income producing tasks.
Focus on the important stuff first - the work that is critical to get
done first and fit everything in around that.
5. CLEAN UP - SET UP - GET UP
Are you working amongst a pile of papers, folders, and stacks of
miscellaneous things in your office? You probably feel overwhelmed just
sitting in your office looking at all that stuff! Get in early, stay
back late, come in on a weekend - just do what you need to do to clean
up the mess. Your mind can't focus well in a cluttered space.
'But I know where everything is in my pile' I hear you protest. Rubbish!
This is just an excuse not to take control of your time and space. Don't
get comfortable with clutter. Create clarity by cleaning up. Get rid of
the visual overwhelm.
Next, get set up - write your lists and agendas to get through...but do
it from a clean space. Then, you can get going and get busy doing your
work. Most people do this in reverse and wonder why they are feeling
stressed out and overloaded - they get busy, then try to make a
list/agenda, and then find themselves in a mess which never seems to go
away.
Be smart - clean up, set up then get going.
REFERENCES:
[1]
www.bouncebackfast.com/coaching_life_skills.html
[2]
http://www.shreveporttimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article
AID=/20060510/LIVING0404/605100348/1004
About The Author Michael Licenblat B.Sc.(Psych) is a Resilience
Expert who helps people in business bounce back fast from pressure,
stress and burnout in their work and life. He is the author of 'Turn
Stress into Energy & Enthusiasm'. To download his special report on the
'Seven ways to prevent yourself becoming Stressed-Out, Over-Worked, and
Run-Down', visit:
http://www.StressManagementSuccess.com
Other Articles On Procrastination;
What Exactly Is "Getting Things Done?" How To Start Small & End Big?!
Articles On Time Management;
How To Prioritise Your Time The Art Of Effective Time Management
Simple Time Management Skills Get More- Do More- Have More
 Conquering Procrastination: How to Stop Stalling and Start Achieving has the solutions to defeating procrastination and making time a positive force in your life. |