How do you manage stress and deliver operations research projects on time?

When we talk of stress, I think of this as a thought. A thought that arises of our lack of confidence or fear of failure. Best way to counter stress is - take a deep breathe, cool down uour mind and then prepare well for the event which is giving you stress. While preparing, don't hesitate to take support from those who have better idea about some aspects of the event. Meditate, maintain your cool. Learn to use failure as learnings.

In addition to planning ahead ensure your plan is achievable. Creating 'mini' plans allows you to breakdown the task into more manageable actions allowing you to feel less anxious! After achieving each 'mini' deadline reward yourself (with a chocolate or your favourite food etc..). The feeling of accomplishment would make you more happy and less stressed.

In more complex environment communication is of the main importance. You should define main interest groups, check triangulation to open win-win-win communication tactics & strategy. You might have different strategies to different stakeholders. When main interest groups are not interested in the project maybe you should navigate toward closing procedures.

I approach every single problem in the same fashion. I gather the facts of the matter, regardless of how insignificant they may seem. I identifies all the tasks/sub-tasks (first glance) and/or a Gantt Chart. I send my plan to key members of the team, also known as Subject Matter Experts, and ask them to refine the tasks/sub-tasks, the resources bill, and the timelines. I also ask them for their opinions on the overall plan, as often, the best ideas come from unknown locations. As we work the problem set, and through the MIP, I start assessing if we will meet deadlines, which additional resources we will require to achieve the objective(s), or if we are required to request to extend the timelines. This process is ongoing.

Hi Thank you for this discussion, I can answer your question based on my work experience with different types of personalities, and from this experience, I can say, you can train yourself to implement these steps: 1- Prioritize Tasks 2-Create a Project Plan 3-Set Realistic Goals 4-Time Blocking 5-Effective Communication 6-Delegate Responsibly 7-Breaks and Self-Care 8-Flexibility and Adaptability 9-Learn to Say No 10-Continuous Learning 11-Celebrate Achievements 12- Seek Support effective stress and project management is an ongoing process. Regularly assess your strategies, learn from experiences, and adjust as needed to improve your overall performance and well-being.

Prioritization allows you to work on the most important things first. Knowing your most important tasks are already completed or scheduled eliminates a lot of stress. It also allows you to communicate to stakeholders on less urgent/important task to level expectations.

Delegation in my opinion certainly helps manage stress provided we trust the people to whom we delegate. For that we need to build a team of competence and subject experts

Don't overload yourself. Ask your manager coolly to be rational in expectations. Overloading oneself is certainly a point of huge stress

When I see signs of stress in myself, I immediately switch myself off, whatever be the situation. After 15 minutes, switch on and I am back on a thought process with cool mind, clear vision and clarity ofto-do list