How to Manage Your Stress and Time Even Better

© Copyright Carter McNamara,
MBA, PhD, Authenticity Consulting, LLC

One of the most frequent concerns and complaints of people today is that they
don’t have enough time to do what they — or especially their bosses — want
them to do. Consequently, there are many resources with guidelines and tips
to manage time more effectively. Time management and stress
management often are closely related and discussed together.

Sections of This Topic Include

Test – How Well Are Your Stress and Time Management Now?
Myths About Stress and Time Management
Major Causes of Workplace Stress
Biggest Time Wasters
Common Symptoms of Poor Stress and Time Management
Wise Principles of Good Stress and Time Management
Simple Techniques to Manage Stress
Simple Techniques to Manage Time
Role of “Gumption”
Additional Resources About Time Management
Additional Resources About Stress Management

Also consider
Related Library Topics

Test – How Well Are Your Stress and Time Management
Now?

Before you read more about stress management, it might be interesting to see
what your stress level is now. Take this short test.

Test Your Stress

What about how you manage your time now?

Time
Management Quiz

So what do you want to do to manage your stress and time even better? Consider
the many guidelines in this topic.

Myths About Stress and Time Management

Myth #1: All stress is bad. No, there’s good and bad stress. Good stress is
excitement, thrills, etc. The goal is to recognize personal signs of bad stress
and deal with them.

Myth #2: Planning my time just takes more time. Actually, research shows the
opposite.

Myth #3: I get more done in more time when I wisely use caffeine, sugar, alcohol
or nicotine. Wrong! Research shows that the body always has to “come down”
and when it does, you can’t always be very effective then after the boost.

Myth #4: A time management problem means that there’s not enough time to get
done what needs to get done. No, a time management problem is not using your
time to your fullest advantage, to get done what you want done.

Myth #5: The busier I am, the better I’m using my time. Look out! You may only
be doing what’s urgent, and not what’s important.

Myth #6: I feel very harried, busy, so I must have a time management problem.
Not necessarily. You should verify that you have a time management problem.
This requires knowing what you really want to get done and if it is getting
done or not.

Myth #7: I feel OK, so I must not be stressed. In reality, many adults don’t
even know when they’re really stressed out until their bodies tell them so.
They miss the early warning signs from their body, for example, headaches, still
backs, twitches, etc.

Major Causes of Workplace Stress

1. Not knowing what you want or if you’re getting it – poor planning.
2. The feeling that there’s too much to do. One can have this feeling even
   if there’s hardly anything to do at all.
3. Not enjoying your job. This can be caused by lots of things, for example,
   not knowing what you want, not eating well, etc. However, most people always
   blame their jobs.
4. Conflicting demands on the job.
5. Insufficient resources to do the job.6. Not feeling appreciated.

Biggest Time Wasters

1. Interruptions. There will always be interruptions. It’s how they’re handled
   that wastes time.
2. Hopelessness. People “give in”, “numb out” and “march
   through the day”.
3. Poor delegation skills. This involves not sharing work with others.

Common Symptoms of Poor Stress and Time Management

1. Irritability. Fellow workers notice this first.
2. Fatigue. How many adults even notice this?
3. Difficulty concentrating. You often don’t need to just to get through the
   day!
4. Forgetfulness. You can’t remember what you did all day, what you ate yesterday.
5. Loss of sleep. This affects everything else!
6. Physical disorders, for example, headaches, rashes, tics, cramps, etc.
7. At worst, withdrawal and depression.

Wise Principles of Good Stress and Time Management

1. Learn your signs for being overstressed or having a time management problem.
   Ask your friends about you. Perhaps they can tell you what they see from you
   when you’re overstressed.
2. Most people feel that they are stressed and/or have a time management problem.
   Verify that you really have a problem. What do you see, hear or feel that
   leads you to conclude that you have a time or stress problem?
3. Don’t have the illusion that doing more will make you happier. Is it quantity
   of time that you want, or quality?
4. Stress and time management problems have many causes and usually require
   more than one technique to fix. You don’t need a lot of techniques, usually
   more than one, but not a lot.
5. One of the major benefits of doing time planning is feeling that you’re
   in control.
6. Focus on results, not on busyness.
7. It’s the trying that counts – at least as much as doing the perfect technique.

Simple Techniques to Manage Stress

There are lots of things people can do to cut down on stress. Most people probably
even know what they could do. It’s not the lack of knowing what to do in order
to cut down stress; it is doing what you know you have to do. The following
techniques are geared to help you do what you know you have to do.

1. Talk to someone. You don’t have to fix the problem, just report it.
2. Notice if any of the muscles in your body are tense. Just noticing that
   will often relax the muscle.
3. Ask your boss if you’re doing OK. This simple question can make a lot of
   difference and verify wrong impressions.
4. Delegate.
5. If you take on a technique to manage stress, tell someone else. They can
   help you be accountable to them and yourself.
6. Cut down on caffeine and sweets. Take a walk instead. Tell someone that
   you’re going to do that.
7. Use basic techniques of planning, problem solving and decision making.
8. Concise guidelines are included in this guidebook. Tell someone that you’re
   going to use these techniques.
9. Monitor the number of hours that you work in a week. Tell your boss, family
   and/or friends how many hours that you are working.
10. Write weekly status reports. Include what you’ve accomplished last week
    and plan to do next week. Include any current issues or recommendations that
    you must report to your boss. Give the written status report to your boss
    on a weekly basis.
11. “Wash the dishes”. Do something you can feel good about.

Simple Techniques to Manage Time

There never seems to be enough time in the roles of management and supervision.
Therefore, the goal of time management should not be to find more time. The
goal is set a reasonable amount of time to spend on these roles and then use
that time wisely.

1. Start with the simple techniques of stress management above.
2. Managing time takes practice. Practice asking yourself this question throughout
   the day: “Is this what I want or need to be doing right now?” If
   yes, then keep doing it.
3. Find some way to realistically and practically analyze your time. Logging
   your time for a week in 15-minute intervals is not that hard and does not
   take up that much time. Do it for a week and review your results.
4. Do a “todo” list for your day. Do it at the end of the previous
   day. Mark items as “A” and “B” in priority. Set aside
   two hours right away each day to do the important “A” items and
   then do the “B” items in the afternoon. Let your answering machine
   take your calls during your “A” time.
5. At the end of your day, spend five minutes cleaning up your space. Use
   this time, too, to organize your space, including your desktop. That’ll give
   you a clean start for the next day.
6. Learn the difference between “Where can I help?” and “Where
   am I really needed?” Experienced leaders learn that the last question
   is much more important than the former.
7. Learn the difference between “Do I need to do this now?” and
   “Do I need to do this at all?” Experienced leaders learn how to
   quickly answer this question when faced with a new task.
8. Delegate. Delegation shows up as a frequent suggestion in this guide because
   it is one of the most important skills for a leader to have. Effective delegation
   will free up a great deal of time for you.
9. If you are CEO in a corporation, then ask your Board for help. They are
   responsible to supervise you, as a CEO. Although the Board should not be micro-managing
   you, that is, involved in the day-to-day activities of the corporation, they
   still might have some ideas to help you with your time management. Remember,
   too, that good time management comes from good planning, and the Board is
   responsible to oversee development of major plans. Thus, the Board may be
   able to help you by doing a better themselves in their responsibilities as
   planners for the organization.
10. Use a “Do Not Disturb” sign! During the early part of the day,
    when you’re attending to your important items (your “A” list), hang
    this sign on the doorknob outside your door.
11. Sort your mail into categories including “read now”, “handle
    now” and “read later”. You’ll quickly get a knack for sorting
    through your mail. You’ll also notice that much of what you think you need
    to read later wasn’t really all that important anyway.
12. Read your mail at the same time each day. That way, you’ll likely get to
    your mail on a regular basis and won’t become distracted into any certain
    piece of mail that ends up taking too much of your time.
13. Have a place for everything and put everything in its place. That way,
    you’ll know where to find it when you need it. Another important outcome is
    that your people will see that you are somewhat organized, rather than out
    of control.
14. Best suggestion for saving time – schedule 10 minutes to do nothing. That
    time can be used to just sit and clear your mind. You’ll end up thinking more
    clearly, resulting in more time in your day. The best outcome of this practice
    is that it reminds you that you’re not a slave to a clock – and that if you
    take 10 minutes out of your day, you and your organization won’t fall apart.
15. Learn good meeting management skills. Meetings can become a terrible waste
    of time. Guidelines for good meeting management are included later in this
    section.

Role of “Gumption”

Everything good usually starts with gumption. It’s picking yourself up, deciding
that you could be happier, that you want to be happier – and then doing one
small thing to get you started and keep you going. Boredom and blaming are the
opposite of gumption. Stress and time management start with gumption. It’s the
trying that counts. Poor time and stress management often comes from doing the
same thing harder, rather than smarter.

Additional Resources About Time Management

Recommended Articles

Big Dog on Time Management
Better
Time Management Is Not the Answer
Triple Your Personal Productivity

Additional Articles

Basics of Time and
Stress Management
Time Management
Central – tools, tips and reviews to save you time
Time Management
– Psychological Self-Help
Time Management for Leaders
Planning Tips
Time
Management Activities
What’s
Your Biggest Time Drain?
Definition
of Time Management
Balance Your
Work and Play Ethics
Are You In Control of or Controlled By Technology?

Procrastination Definition
Coaching
Tip — Manage Time Urgency
A
90-Minute Plan for Personal Effectiveness
How
Self-Tracking Can Benefit Business
Time Management With Eagles, Robins, Turkeys
Don’t Just Manage Your Time, Improve Your Productivity
Priority Management: Focus on the Big Rocks
Priority Management: Keep the Main Things the Main Thing
Multitasking Yourself to Mediocrity?
The “Do Nothing” Method of Productivity
Great Reads This Week in HR
Better Time Management Is Not the Answer

Additional Resources About Stress
Management

Controlling
Heightened Stress in the Workplace
Be
Less Busy
Executive Stress: We Have Been on the Case
Stress, Anxiety, Fears,
and Psychosomatic Disorders
Your brain on stress
Preventing Unnecessary Compensable Stress Claims
Reduce Stress by Increasing the Feedback

Executives Under Stress During Stressful Times Need Executive
Stress Solutions
Maintaining Personal Values At Work
Manage Holiday Stress
21 Ways to Shrink the Email Monster
Are Your Most Talented People Losing Their Minds?
Make Stress Work for You
Stress Management in the Workplace
Be
Perfect or Be Your Best
Manage Job Stress
Manage Work Stress Before It Manages You!
10 Job Stress Tips
The Inspiration of Stress
Work Stress Getting You Down: Here’s How To Get Back Up!

Stress Tests

Stress Self-Evaluation

Stress Level Test

Also consider
Critical
Thinking
Innovation
Creative Thinking
Decision
Making
Organizing
Yourself
Personal
Development
Personal Wellness
Problem
Solving
Time
Management

Learn More in the Library’s Blogs Related to Time Management and Stress Management

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that have posts related to Time Management and Stress Management. Scan down
the blog’s page to see various posts. Also see the section “Recent Blog
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Library’s
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Library’s
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Library’s
Human Resources Blog
Library’s
Spirituality Blog

For the Category of Personal Productivity:

To round out your knowledge of this Library topic, you may
want to review some related topics, available from the link below.
Each of the related topics includes free, online resources.

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