Stress Management, Time Management, Get Organized, holisticonline.com

Get Organized/Time Management

One of the most common cause of stress is being disorganized at work or at home. Here are some tips to get organized:

	Keep a diary.
	Write lists of tasks to accomplish, prioritize them and schedule when you will complete them.

Writing down objectives, duties and activities helps to make them more tangible and do-able. Having a schedule also helps you provide the facts when your boss asks you to perform unreasonable tasks. They may have no idea that you are overwhelmed with work and the additional responsibilities cannot be accomplished unless something else goes. Again, prioritizing tasks helps you to minimize the stressful situations.

Make A List and Prioritize

So many projects, so little time. To beat stress, you have to learn to prioritize. At the start of each day, pick the single most important task to complete, then finish it. If you're a person who makes to-do lists, never write one with more than five items. That way, you're more likely to get all the things done, and you'll feel a greater sense of accomplishment and control. Then you can go ahead and make a second five-item list. While you're at it, make a list of things that you can delegate to co-workers and family members.

Learn To Say No When Appropriate

Sometimes you have to learn to draw the line. Stressed-out people often can't assert themselves. Instead of saying 'I don't want to do this' or 'I need some help,' they do it all themselves. Then they have even more to do."

Give your boss a choice.

Say 'I'd really like to take this on, but I can't do that without giving up something else. Which of these things would you like me to do?' Most bosses can take the hint. The same strategy works at home, with your spouse, children, relatives and friends. If you have trouble saying no, start small. Tell your hubby to make his own sandwich. Or tell your daughter to find another ride home from volleyball practice.

Pad your schedule

Realize that nearly everything will take longer than you anticipate. By allotting yourself enough time to accomplish a task, you cut back on anxiety. In general, if meeting deadlines is a problem, always give yourself 20 percent more time than you think you need to do the task.

Other Tips on Time Management

	Look at the way you do things. Are you a perfectionist? If so, try to decide which tasks truly require meticulous attention to detail and which can be done casually.
	Make a realistic list of what you need to accomplish in a given day, with the most important things at the top. Tackle them one at a time, and don't start a second until you have finished the first.
	Plan your day to include work breaks which physically or mentally take you away from the office. Try not to bring office work home.
	When you have several things to accomplish, set priorities and postpone less important tasks. Learn to delegate matters that cannot be put off. Deal with concerns on a day-at-a-time basis.
	Control the timing of stressful events. Try not to make major decisions when you are overtired or anxious.

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