We all
are running the rat race having plunged ourselves into this knowingly or
unknowingly. At times we get the urge to
excel more, while for some it’s a matter of sheer sustenance. No matter who
pushed us in, this generates a lot of stress. This stress is a stealthy killer.
There could be uncountable sources of stress but it all end up by us committing
ourselves to unrealistic schedules or imposed with unachievable targets that we
accept. This weighs down on our shoulder and makes our life miserable and deprives
us of the finer things in life. We are not able to sleep like babies any longer.
The
management gurus will tell us that at its core lies “Time Management”. Our
ability to manage our time is the key to lead a stress free in our day to day
life under normal circumstances. Time,
interestingly is a great leveller. Rich & poor, weak & powerful, the
oppressed & the oppressors, all have the same number of hours in a day as
they have the same number of days in a week.
The
following are some of the tips that will go a long way to help us in managing
our time and achieve “Stress Deducted at Source” status.
Organize works at the beginning of the day.
Prioritize the works based on urgency and difficulty levels.
Say No to
task that you cannot complete.
Concentrate on the task at hand and do not get distracted.
Use waiting time that we spend being restless. It would be while we travel
or stuck in the traffic. It could be waiting for a doctor’s appointment or any
other engagement.
Keep the tough one for the prime time as everyone has a part of the day when they are most
efficient. Someone is a morning person and some are night, while others are in
between. Leave the tough ones for time when you are most efficient
Reserve your personal time as we take all the trouble of work only to be able to take
care of self and family. There need to be a time for enjoyment and
retrospection.
Celebrate success. This is the most important of all. Any achievement no
matter how big or small it might be is a success to celebrate. This is a treat
that we deserve.
But we are
aware of these and conveniently seek solace in Shakespeare’s quote from The
Merchant of Venice. “If to do were as easy as to know what were good to do,
chapels had been churches and poor men’s cottages princes' palaces.”
So we also
have to have ways of getting stress out of our system and everyone have their
own methods. I have a few favourites too.
- The first one is to shrug it off the shoulder. It involves physically shaking it off by shrugging both the shoulders together.
- The second one is to scream alone and vent it out. The best place for such an act is inside the car with windows drawn up.
- The third one is to listen to soothing music.
- The fourth one is to have a bath with warm water.
- The last and best one is to give a warm hug to my child. That simply transport me to another world.
