Embrace Stress: A Timely Suggestion

One of the biggest, most transparent time-wasters is stress. When we experience stress, it can handicap our performance and distract us. We typically experience a low energy level. Stress intrudes on our time efficiency and reduces our level of productivity. To some extent stress is inevitable and beyond our control, but how we handle it is well within our control. A five-year study published by the Families and Work Institute showed that growing demands at work are creating problems at home for time-starved employees. They end up feeling too stressed to work efficiently. Growing pressures on employees often negatively affect home lives and in turn, work lives. The study goes on to say that a high percentage of employees always feel they don't have enough time for their families or other important people in their lives because of their jobs, and 61% sometimes feel that way. A recent survey by KPMG found that 57% of the 1,216 respondents were ambivalent about their current jobs, whereas only 25% were very satisfied. No question that this level of indifference creates stress and an attitude of frustration. For many, stress is a cause of deteriorating health, decreased productivity, and poor time management. The way I see it is some people show up to work dealing with sleep rage and/or road rage, and then go home frustrated by job rage—and then more road rage. What a day! Consider this; what tires most in life is not what we are doing, but the thought of what we haven't done yet.

So, what is stress? Stress is our response to various events or situations: stress is a reaction. The cause, or stressor, is neutral. Stress is often viewed as the enemy, a debilitating virus that cripples our productivity and unknowingly robs us of our precious time-equity. Stress has negative connotations. Libraries and bookstores are full of stress management strategies. However, stress can be positive, too. Stress may be the high level of anxiety we feel during a change in our lives, or it may be the keen sense of concentration we experience when faced with an exciting new challenge out of our comfort zone.

Stress is a great motivator. We can be motivated toward something (positive stress) or motivated away from something (negative stress). Positive stress keeps us focused, motivated, energized, and challenged. It can have tremendous impact on the efficient use of our allotted time-equity. Positive stress can enhance our performance at work and at home. When faced with a stressor, we need to remember that we can control our response. We have the "response-ability" to transform the reaction into a response that is positive. We also have the responseability to lower our stress tolerance. In his book, Don't Sweat the Small Stuff ... and It's All Small Stuff, Dr. Richard Carlson says that, "Our stress level will be exactly that of our tolerance to stress." In other words, people who say, "I can handle lots of stress" will always be under a great deal of it. It's no surprise then that people continue to take on new things until they max out their stress level. Carlson suggests the solution is to reduce our tolerance to stress. He goes on to say, "When you're feeling out of control and resentful of all you have to do, a good strategy is to relax, take a few deep breaths, and take a break." He suggests reorganizing your day and not worrying that you won't get it all done. "When your mind is clear and peaceful and your stress level is reduced, you'll be more effective and you'll have more fun." I agree. I suggest you lower your stress tolerance by exercising one of the 3 Ds: do it, delegate it, or dump it. Learn how to say no. Stop taking on more than you are physically or mentally able to handle. If you find yourself overwhelmed (and who hasn't?), break down your projects into smaller, manageable parts, then assign yourself SMART goals with deadlines. Most tasks can be broken down into smaller parts, thus eliminating the need to commit to a huge uninterrupted chunk of time. As you may have heard: "How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time." So make your time management motto this: Inch by inch, anything's a cinch.

Another way to help you put more control and less stress back into your life is to follow these four sequential steps:

1. Identify the source. What is causing the stress, what are the stressors? Examine your environments, both work and play, and isolate potential stressors. Explore all areas of your life.
2. Recognize the symptoms. What symptoms are you experiencing because of the stress: losing weight, gaining weight, drinking or smoking more, general poor health? Everybody reacts differently to stress. Know your body and how it reacts.
3. Create solutions. What can you change, what can you do differently? You are in full control of initiating change. Other than death, taxes, and who your parents and siblings are, you can change almost anything. You have full control over your destiny—no one else does. If you don't like your job, change it. Don't like the city you live in? Change it. Don't like your level of education? Change it.
4. Set SMART goals. What is your action plan for change? Set a course of action that will eventually bring about change. It won't happen overnight. Distractions can be a major deterrent to getting things done. Identify what is distracting, and find ways to eliminate it. No question that stress continues to be a virus that robs us of valuable face-time with potential customers. My overall suggestion is to identify your stressor and get rid of it. Sure, easier said than done—but get off your butt and JUST DID IT!