Simple Changes for a Less Stressed You
Last year, I had to change a lot about the way I worked. A health crisis will force you to do all those things you’ve been meaning to put into practice but didn’t. Mostly, it taught me to manage stress. As an accountability coach, I am also privy to people figuring out their own systems for how they work best. I always like to know how other people run their businesses and what systems they employ to help them so I’m sharing a few today.
Here are some tips to help you establish healthy work habits:
Planning:
By far the most common work habit we hold people accountable to is planning their week. Everyone seems to do it a little differently, whether it’s the day or the way they plan. My planning includes both business and personal and includes my kids schedules so it takes me about an hour a week. When I’m done, I have my work tasks in my calendar, a good grasp on the school stuff and to-do’s for my kids, a rough meal plan, and grocery list. I also have a good idea of what I need to share with my husband and kids so they know what to expect/do for the week.
Make agendas for meetings:
This sounds like a no-brainer but having agendas for our calls/meetings is a huge time and stress saver. At AW we have administrative, marketing, and training meetings every week. We take a few minutes to update the agendas and this means nothing gets lost from week to week, we can have a timely meeting and updating gives us a chance to update numbers, jot down questions for team members and note things we have to follow up on.
Avoid multitasking:
Multitasking is one of the biggest challenges that our clients deal with. The most effective habit we’ve seen our clients employ is using a timer. Some might employ the pomodoro method, some might set a timer on their phone and others use an app like Clockify. When you time a task it’s much easier to stay focused on the task rather than switching from task to task or checking email or going on social media.
Schedule Breaks:
Our clients often fall into the “overwork” category. Taking breaks is not easy for them. We support them by holding them to commitments that help them unplug and take breaks. That can be a simple as ensuring they take a lunch break, blocking out white space, setting themselves up for a disconnected day off, weekend or vacation.
Stay hydrated:
This is easily one of the most common overall health commitments that people make in our program. I’m including it here as a healthy work commitment because so many of our clients are committed to hydration. There is no way you can drink a gallon or even 64 ounces of water if you aren’t spacing it out throughout your day. The bonus here is that keeping your hydration up also ensures you will take frequent breaks!
I have a feeling that you have some healthy work habits and some that you need to say goodbye to or replace with a better one. Let the MEsearch continue!
