Whilst handling many projects at once is good for the brain’s stimuli, it might be a problem for your stress levels, if you don’t know how to handle it.
See Stress as a Positive
Stress is bad for the body and by setting your brain to think about all your great projects as stress it’s giving your work load a negative perspective. After all it’s a great thing to have many opportunities on the go, so the first tip on how to deal with stress is to see it as pressure. According the E-Rejuventation Centre’s Director Sarah McCrum, pressure should be seen as a ‘challenge to conquer a new skill’. For example, if you feeling pressure because of various deadlines, see it as an opportunity to be more succinct in order to reduce workload on each deadline. If you see pressure as an opportunity to rise to challenge, you automatically begin to feel less ‘stressed’.
Start the Day Right
Starting the day with a great breakfast and a workout, helps increase dopamine levels in the brain, which automatically releases tension and allows you to think better. Dopamine also makes you feel positive, which helps focus your thoughts on productive things rather than dwell on ‘what-if’.
Multi-Focus not Multi Task
Whilst its good to have many projects on the go, focusing on one task at a time is best for our concentration. Its about multi-focusing not multi-tasking. For instance, you may focus on 10 projects, ideas, or tasks in one day, but not all at once.
Set Time Intervals
Each person concentration levels can differ even from task to task, so set different time zones for each task. For instance set 30 min to draft a new proposal, 45min to do accounts, 10min to reply to emails, 15min to draft a quote. That way you know that for the next ‘x’ amount of minutes you only have one deadline, nothing else matters. This helps reduce pressure and stress, because you are only thinking in this moment, instead of all the ‘white noise’ inside your head that does cause stress.
Take Regular Breaks
After every significant interval of time take a 10min break, get up from your desk, take a walk, talk to colleagues, stretch, or distract your mind. If you are really feeling pressure, take a deep breath and release slowly. According to Neurologist Jill Bolte-Taylor, each emotion we have only last 90sec. So, let it pass you, keep taking deep slow breathes until you feel relaxed again.
Decide What is a Problem and What is a Symptom
Most of the problems we think we have are hypothetical ‘what-ifs’, so decide what actually is a problem, focus on solution and forget about the ‘white-noise’. By focusing on the solution, you are distracting your brain from stressing on the problem. For instance, you are have a lot of work, low cash flow, and need to market your business. The work load, pressure, and low cash flow can all be symptoms of the bigger problem, which is that you need more business. Therefore focus on finishing the deadlines, then set time out each day to market your business. Find business opportunities that will afford you another team member, this way you fix the cash flow problem, have more time for client work, and be able to take on board someone for marketing. This is terribly simplified, but people drive themselves crazy trying to fix symptoms or dwelling on them instead of making a bee-line for the problem. The minute you focus on solution you are already minimising the problem.
Listen To Music
Music is very powerful, it can make us energised or depressed, so choose upbeat music or classical relaxing music whilst your work.
Celebrate
Every business milestone should be celebrated, this helps keep your mood upbeat. Plus it helps you realise how well you are doing instead of all the things you still have to do.
Be Social
Join a coworking space, isolation with your own thoughts can be debilitating and stressful. Talk to people and bounce ideas, it helps give perspective. Sometimes all it take is for someone to say its not a big deal, it will be fine.
Time to Unwind
Do yoga, relaxation exercises, or go for a walk after work. Your body needs to calm down for you to get a good night’s rest. Being rested makes all the difference to stress levels, so don’t sacrafice or you will feel tired, foggy, and unable to think clear solutions.
