Handling Stress

“We must have a pie. Stress cannot exist in the presence of a pie.” ― David Mamet

Maintaining a positive attitude all of the time, doing all the right things, trying to be the "do it all" person can leave you bewildered and wondering where all of your time went. Life and all we try to accomplish in such a short time can have frustrating effects. So how does one do a better job of managing your own time?

An article in Best Life Magazine, titled "Under Pressure" (before publication ended in 2009), the author talked about stress and the effect it has on your life. That article along with a side article by Kate Dailey called "Time Crunch: How to whittle down a too-much-to-do list", the following presents five quick ideas that you can apply in your life to help you.

Ask yourself the following questions to help prioritize your list in life.

DOES IT FIT INTO THE BIG PICTURE?
"The priorities that people set and what they actually do are often inconsistent," says Mark Ellwood, a productivity consultant in Toronto. "I hear men say 'My family comes first' all the time, but then they're working 70 hours a week." Ellwood uses this exercise with his clients to help ferret out what they really want: If you had a day at work with no e-mail to return, no phone calls to make, and no deadlines to meet, what would you do with your time? Some men would use it to plan the big project they want to launch. Some would brush up their skills by taking a seminar. Most would work on high-priority projects so they could go home early and hang out with their kids. These are the worthwhile objectives your schedule should accommodate most.

IS IT IMPORTANT OR JUST URGENT?
Tasks that need to be done right away, like fixing an overflowing toilet or compiling sales figures at the request of the boos, are urgent. Tasks that means a lot to you but don't necessarily have a time factor attached are important. "Rarely do the two go together," says Ellwood. "The urgent often wins out." The challenge is to make meaningful changes so that you spend substantial time on long-term goals rather than putting out fires all day.

AM I THE ONLY PERSON WHO CAN DO THIS?

There are times when only your skill, wit, charm, or intellect will suffice. Those times are rare, and they're almost never meetings. "It's a good developmental tool to have subordinates represent you at meetings," says Barry Miller, Ph.D., an adjunct professor of management at Pace University, and the manager of alumni career programs and services. "They get to interface with higher-ups and learn on the job, and you free up your schedule."

DO I HAVE TO BE THERE IN PERSON?

Don't waste your time with a meeting when a well-placed phone call can do the trick. "Face time is important when you're building new relationships," says Miller, "but once you've established that relationship, the pressure is off." What's more important is giving people a sense that you're tuned in to their needs and you're thinking of them.

WILL IT COST ME IF I DON'T GO?

Also known as "Who will I piss off?" Your psychiatrist doesn't care if you're a no-show for your 4:30 session (He'll bill you $150 either way), but the cost of not attending the 5:00 cocktail party full of potential clients could be much, much higher. It follows, then, that skipping out of your son's birthday party after you promised him for months that you'd be there will cost you a fortune in emotional capital, not to mention some psych bills of his own down the line.

You can have a great life, you can see yourself through the stress life throws at us, you can be!

Stay inspired my friends!