I have to set the budget numbers for next month. Have to start getting the final numbers in for this month. There are three workshops which need to be completed for this month. I need to create content for next week. There are those classes which I need to teach. Have to set the agenda for the special meeting. OMG!!! Can I get the World to just stop for awhile, please? I am so stressed out!!
Is the above scenario something which you deal with? It is for me, except for one little factor; it does not stress me out.
Yes, I do know you are sitting there going: “Are you kidding me? You should be a basket case.”
Granted, I should be and to be completely transparent I used to be until I took time to look at it from a 30,000 ft. point of view. Following are five points I saw from that dizzying height:
- Control: The difference between pressure and stress is, control. You can only control what you can control. Nothing else. If you are in control you may feel a little pressure, but there will be no stress. Those things which you cannot control, don’t even worry about them as they will happen regardless of what you do.
- Compartmentalize: Have a time management system put in place to make sure you are using your time the correct way. This includes things such as answering emails. I have time schedule for this and it has freed a great amount of time, the biggest component of stress, time. By managing your time, you become more productive and doing more in less time. A time management tool allows your goals to be in front of you at all time.
- Delegate: Oh no, the dreaded ‘d’ word where we have such a hard time to do it because after all: “No one can do it as well as I can.” Really? How do you know? Are you afraid they will actually do it better than you? Take a good look at yourself and admit it’s the last question which holds you back. A good 30% or more of the above scenario, I do not do. I have delegated it to someone else. This relieves my stress level because I am working on things that I can control and like and I can leave the rest to someone else. In other words, by delegating I become more productive and proficient and therefore as a result, profitable.
- Inspired: Let’s be brutally honest, there are things that you really dislike doing and you find they drain every ounce of motivation and inspiration out of your body. Please see number three for the solution. However, if it is something that only you can do, then make sure you do some of the things you really enjoy doing just before and right after. Space out these tasks. By doing so, you say inspired and motivated throughout the day. If you are in a motivated and inspired state all day long, stress has to place to take hold.
- Perspective: This one comes from a person in my own business when one day early on before I took this 30,000 ft. view said to me: “What are they going to do, take away your birthday?” Since then I have added: “Will anyone die?” Therefore, if something does not get done, or you are late with numbers, or you have to reschedule something is someone going to die and will you lose your birthday?
There was my 30,000 point of view. When I finally landed back to Earth it was really easy to take a look at all that I had to do. All I did was take a very deep breath and exhaled the stress. Now it is no longer work and it all starts with, control.