4 Steps to Simplify Everyday Routine and Stop Stressing

#COVID19 #WorkLifeBalance #ScheduleManagement #ResolveStress

COVID-19 has brought a lot of changes into the way we operate our daily routines - personal as well professional. Not that overflowing of one into another is a new thing, but we can't deny the fact that the lines between personal and professional commitments have blurred even further due to pandemic.

These blurred lines between commitments and turnarounds have added more stress to the already overstacked situation. There is so much to do, the unsaid demands on multiple fronts have increased, yet the period to do them is just the same as before. Well, understandable! We all are riding in the same boat.

Is there a fix to reduce this overloading stress, without compromising on tasks in hand, or the happiness that comes from family time? Well, maybe!

What I have observed before is when situations get tough or stressful like this, a lot of unwanting thoughts keep on running at the back of our heads. So eventually what happens is, we get burned up by thinking too much about stress than due to stress in itself. We end up sleeping dejected and waking up in the same loop the next day, and the one after, so on & so forth. What we need here is to grab the beast's head by the horns and win over it. Ofcourse, the beast is this "in-loop" situation where we need to fulfil commitments at all fronts, and at the same time stay sane.

Here are a couple of tips that helped me take charge of circumstances and win over it every day, little by little.

DAILY INPUT? 1 hour :: DAILY OUTPUT? 2-3 hours saved & happiness - no bound

1. Declare the Day for You: First 1-2hours of the morning can make or break your day. Start with writing down commitments-of-the-day. Basically, compartmentalize top 4 essentials tasks. Eg; Home | Self | Work are 3 departments, add tasks in them (whatever comes to your mind). Home: Breakfast duty; Electricity bill online; 45min tea time with family (crack a joke, will you) | Self: Listen to Music; See Ted talk; Dip Foot in Warm water after finishing office (you gotta take care of yourself) | Work: Mail Report to XYZ; Write & send 2 articles; Close all email communications (because that's important).
2. Put priority & Time it up: Time management becomes crucial to winning your day. Just writing the tasks and prioritizing them is so yesterday. You need to time it as well. Eg; Breakfast duty - finish it up by 8:30 am; Ted talk - do by 10:30 am; Write 1 article - by 1 pm (review by 2 pm, send across by 3 pm); Take a 15 min break (if you know Pomodoro technique, you know what I am saying).
3. Start Early, Start as Planned: In between checking emails, looking into escalations and the planned priorities, we usually end up following the wrong chain. Everything is equally important but depending on core responsibilities and the essentials of the day, somethings go on top, while others go down in the checklist. In short, when it comes to work, start 30 min earlier than the set-time and initiate with planned tasks, not reading emails in those 30 minutes (unless that's the core competency or your KPI)
4. Check the boxes and Sleep like a Baby (or with your baby, whatever suits): This is a no-brainer. Simply update your checklist and announce your day as finished. A hard stop, if you will.

Ad-hoc? 1-2 adhocs/day can be easily adjusted with the planned schedule.

Beware of overfills. If you're free after finishing off your tasks in or before time, that's the bonus which goes back to family & self-care (fill it with music and laughter).

Try this for atleast 7-10 days to see a significant cutback in passive stress (you know the one that runs at the back of the head and makes you sulk like a sore).

Questions? Comment below and will be happy to hear or iron out doubts for you! Hope this helps.