Here's how you can enhance strategic thinking and decision making in your career amidst stress.

I organize my day into distinct zones: Red Zone: This is my focused time for creative work, free from any external disturbances. Green Zone: During this time, I handle routine tasks and multitasking. I communicate my availability clearly, so others know when they can reach me and when I'm not available. Blue Zone: I dedicate this time to mindful rest, completely disconnecting from my mobile devices. This conscious pause helps me recharge and maintain mental clarity.

Taking the time to prioritize your tasks even when you are feeling stressed about your situation will be helpful in the long run. Once you know where you should be focusing your time, you'll have a clearer approach to reducing your overwhelm and managing your stress levels.

Micro dose breaks. Leverage boredom. Transition intentionally. Remember if you try to change the mind with mind it will prove to be difficult. Use physiological tools to create the cognitive shift you want. In this case it is divergent thinking.

Scheduling breaks throughout your day will not only help create mindfulness opportunities, but you'll likely see your productivity increase as well. Focus these breaks on mindfulness, especially when you are having a hard time leaving your work behind. During this time, you can work on regulating your nervous system, breathing exercises, and journaling about your thoughts can be helpful as well.

Introduce "mindfulness micro-practices" during your breaks. Try a quick gratitude exercise or a 2-minute body scan. These mini mindfulness sessions not only improve mental clarity but also help you return to work with a more strategic and refreshed perspective.

Je ne peux que recommander ces pauses que ce soit des exercices de respiration, des étirements, des marches rapides ou … des amma-assis ????

A "personal advisory board" of trusted mentors and peers is my polestar. I schedule regular check-ins with this group to gain ongoing support and strategic insights. This helps me make robust decision!

Regular reflection is key for better strategic thinking and decision making, especially when stress hits. Take time to ponder over past actions and outcomes. This helps in learning from experiences and making wiser choices in the future.

I take "balcony moments" where I step back and observe my decisions and actions from an external perspective. During these moments, I reflect on the rationale and outcomes of my key decisions.

An approach I share with my clients is acceptance and commitment training. This develops psychological flexibility in general and cognitive flexibility in particular. With these skills, and yes, these are skills that you can develop, you can more easily step back as see the bigger picture. In this way, you can find more creative and meaningful solutions to your challenges.