Handling Stress While Working

You're trying to finish the day’s work, the school just called to let you know your child is sick, and your mother wants to come for dinner tonight. The refrigerator needs to be restocked and your spouse is away on business.  You're overwhelmed and don't know whether to do something or just scream! 

Everybody gets bogged down sometimes and caught with too many things going on and not enough time. When that happens, it's time to take a breath and dig in. Some things might have to go by the wayside, but if you try to do everything all at once, it's guaranteed that you'll end up frustrated, tired and with things left half done. Here are steps you can take to work through a way-too-busy day:

Make a list - If you have to, make a quick list of everything you think needs to be taken care of or completed today. Do you think you need to clean the bathroom today? Write it down. What about finishing that last article to meet your deadline, write that down too.

Sort it out - What absolutely must be done and how soon? What can be rescheduled, or delegated to someone else? What can you simply forget about for now?  Place the items that you have to finish today, by yourself or with help, in order of importance. Next take a couple minutes to prioritize what's left, keeping in mind that you may have to reschedule it for another day.

Figure out if you can get the top priority items done today - If you cannot fit all your priority items into the rest of the day, you will need to pare down the list and do more rescheduling and delegating.

Get going - Once you've got a plan - get moving. Don’t panic, and don't worry about all the other stuff that is not going to get done. When you are overwhelmed with things to do, focus is important.

Work out ways to avoid future overwhelming days - Don't try to pack so much in each day that you endlessly feel like you're running on a hamster wheel. You will burn out very quickly this way. When scheduling your days, add in some wiggle room, even if it's 15 minutes here and there. This will help avoid future crisis. And by all means, learn to say no to adding more to your day than you are capable of handling in a productive, healthy manner.

Posted:Monday, October 08, 2007