Managing Stress and Work

If you are not one, you most likely know overworked professionals who are trying to do too much and manage stress and work.  If this is you, my advice is to keep going but only after you stop to assess your goals and recommit to what’s important and what you can reasonably achieve within realistic time frames.  You may need to scale back.  But yes, by all means – keep going!  Sometimes we just need to stop and take a break in whatever form rejuvenates us.  Some people actually feel revitalized from working on things that take a different kind of energy – perhaps creative, analytical, or logical energy, something different from what’s required in their work.  When you’re feeling overwhelmed you can recharge in whatever way that rejuvenates you given your preferences and resources. 

There are some of us who pressure ourselves to maintain unrealistic workloads and commitments occasionally feeling overwhelmed but fully committed to staying on track and managing an unrealistic amount of commitments.  If this resonates with you, try finding relief by simply scaling back. 

Try setting three goals for the week and then break them down into three daily goals to help you manage the commitments, staying on track but with a lesser amount of stress. 

For those of us that cannot seem to scale back—make relaxation or more enjoyable activities one or more of your goals.  This may sound crazy but it can help those who cannot seem to stop.  For example, if you want to accomplish three major things in one week such as launching a new product line or completing a project for your charity, consider taking one night off to read for pleasure for a couple of hours or spend a couple of extra hours at the gym (this assumes you are maintaining balance with your family and friends).  So if you’re an overworked professional who is trying to do too much and manage your stress and work, reflect and make the changes necessary to enjoy what you’re doing if possible and enjoy the time you’ve been given but keep going, just find your balance.