Thursday, January 7, 2016

AMiable Solution #170: Make 2016 Manageable

We’re one week into the new year: what’s your outlook?  Are you optimistic about the possibilities this year holds, or are you already overwhelmed by the workload that carried over from last year?

Whatever your attitude, you can help make 2016 more manageable than 2015.

Start by taking a look at your schedule.  How often do you give yourself a break?  If you’re not building down time into your schedule, you’re probably not really giving yourself a chance to recharge from the stress, strain, and time spent while working or thinking about work.  Planning at least one activity or block or time with family or friends each week will give you something to look forward to, help improve your overall satisfaction, and force you to manage your time at work and at home a little better.

Next, take a good hard look at your schedule.  Are your plans realistic?  Is it really feasible to include so many activities--whether at work or outside of work--successfully?  If your workload includes more tasks than you can realistically accomplish, talk to your supervisor about setting priorities, shifting timelines, combining or eliminating meetings, or sharing responsibilities with someone else.  If your home life activities have you stressed, consider which ones are the most important to you and your family or the ones that you can make the most difference with and get rid of the others. 


Finally, remember that time and stress management is largely a mindset: sometimes you have to remind yourself that you can’t control everything.  To make your life more manageable, consider what you can control and focus your energy on those areas only.  You can’t control how your co-workers operate or what’s going on with the economy, but you can control how you get things done, how you spend your time and money, and how you handle different situations.  Focus on the things you have control over.

No comments:

Post a Comment