5 Time Management Techniques That Will Help You Reduce Stress
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5 Time Management Techniques
That Will Help You Reduce Stress!
These days, the levels of stress and stress-related illnesses are continually rising.
In fact, 55% of Americans report feeling stressed on a daily basis. This is an undoubtedly staggering number, especially if we consider the physical and emotional toll that stress can take on people.
Recent data shows that 77% of people experience stress-related issues with their physical health, while 73% of people experience stress-related mental health issues.
While the sources of stress vary among demographic and age-range, one of the most common sources of stress among adults is work-related. With 83% of Americans reporting work-related stress, it’s no wonder that stress levels continue to rise.
No matter the source for your stress, the following time management techniques can be a big help in reducing the amount of stress you experience on a daily basis.
1. Break it Down
This is one of the simplest ways to manage your time effectively and reduce your stress. But what exactly are you supposed to break down? The answer is simple: any task, project, or responsibility that overwhelms you.
For example, if one of your main stressors is a big project at work, the source of stress might be coming from the idea of having to tackle something so complex and important. To successfully break the task down you will need to:
Get a good understanding of what you need to do. How complex is the task? What is your deadline?
Divide the task into smaller pieces. How small they need to be will depend on how overwhelmed you feel by the task and how much you can manage at a time.
Turn the small pieces into a plan of action.
Complete the task step by step.
By learning everything you can about the task you need to complete, you can effectively break the task down into manageable pieces. By turning the small steps into a whole plan, you remove some of the overwhelm that the task initially caused. This saves you valuable time and allows you to efficiently (and peacefully) complete your task, one simple step at a time.
2. Prioritize
In order to manage your time and reduce your stress, you must need to understand what is important. Whether it’s a deadline at work or a meaningful activity you do on your own time, prioritizing your desired and assigned tasks is as important as breaking them down into manageable steps.
Why? Because the more meaningful and important a task is, the more stress it will likely cause you. People don’t normally get stressed over things they don’t care about. If you want to manage your time efficiently, your step-by-step plan needs to be organized by level of priority.
To do this, consider the factors that make a task or project a priority. If it’s a personal task, how meaningful a task is to you might prove more important than anything else. The same goes for objective projects and responsibilities. If it’s a work-related task, a close deadline might take higher-priority than a task without a deadline
This technique works because tasks that hold no priority can be removed from your to-do list, allowing you to focus only on what matters. As you continue with your step-by-step plan, you build a momentum that will increase your efficiency and save you time.
3. Work in Chunks
Did you break down your tasks and arrange them by order of importance? Great! Now it’s time to determine how you’re going to tackle your plan. Specifically, how and for how long you will work on your tasks.
One of the best ways to do this is by dividing your day in time chunks. Also referred to as the Pomodoro technique, time chunking teaches you to focus on a single task for a predetermined amount of time.
While the Pomodoro technique consists in 25-minute sessions, you can modify the length of your sessions to fit your needs. The idea is to increase productivity by getting you to complete a single task without distractions. It also helps you take control of the time you have and reduce your stress levels.
To start, pick the length of time you want to dedicate to your task. Next, ensure that everything in your physical and digital space is clutter and distraction-free. This will help you increase focus. Once you turn on the timer, your sole focus should be the task at hand. When the timer goes off, take a break and move on to a different task.
4. Set Boundaries
For some, setting boundaries can seem like selfish behavior. But this is not true. In fact, without setting healthy boundaries, you expose yourself into taking on more responsibilities than you can (or want to) handle.
Boundaries are a way to set healthy limits between what matters to you, and what doesn’t. Implementing boundaries could be as simple as not staying at work past a certain time because your family time is important to you.
Boundaries give you control over your life and help you focus on what matters to you. They help you nurture and grow where it most counts for you. As a result, you end up reducing stress and having more time for the things you care about.
5. Take Breaks
This is the simplest, yet the most important part of managing your time effectively and reducing stress. It might seem counterintuitive to take a break when you have a lot on your plate, but it works.
Think of it this way: how effective can you be at completing your tasks if you’re physically and emotionally exhausted? You can’t, because everyone has their limits.
If you’re well-rested and refreshed, your stress levels will naturally reduce, allowing you to achieve higher focus and get work done more effectively. Follow the previous techniques and get work done in a timely, stress-free manner. But always remember to take a step back and rest.
Stress is a natural part of life. That much is clear. What many people don’t realize is that constant high levels of stress can take a toll, robbing you of your time, peace, and happiness. If your goal is to reduce stress, look to these techniques. Applying them can bring you the much-needed relief you’re looking for.
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