Ways to Beat Stress

For many of us, there is never enough time. There are so many things to do and so little time in which to get them done. Stress is closing in on all of us. Stress is affecting not only the way we work, but also our bodily health. While we cannot make stress go completely away, there are some things we can do to reduce our stress levels and make us happier and more productive. Here are some tips!

Change “I have to…” to “I get to…”
· Even the most miserable of tasks seem easier and less stressful if you get to do them.
· It seems like a reward.
· By removing that feeling that you “have” to do something, you have reduced some pressure and stress.

Keep toys on your desk
· Toys can give you something physical and mental to do and at the same time, helped reduce anxiety.
· A good example would be plastic robots that change their shape depending on which way you turn them. You would be surprised to find that by twisting the robots around, it’s a good way to de-stress!

Write it down
· By putting your thoughts down on paper (or on your computer), you can transfer your emotions from your mind to something more tangible.
· After you are done with the writing, you can crumble up the paper and throw it away. It’s like throwing your troubles away.

Tackle the most stressful tasks first
· As we become more tired, our stress defences go down.
· So it is best to handle the most stressful events when your body is most alert and rested.
Exercise
· You can choose to exercise your thighs when you have been hunched over a desk for too long.
· Getting away from the desk and exercising for just a couple of minutes can reduce stress remarkably.
· If you can get away for a walk, that is even better.
· Think about your pleasant thoughts and not about your problems.

Breathe deeply
· One of the main keys to a healthy body is getting oxygen, which you cannot do if you are slumped over and stressed out.
· Take a few minutes away from your work, close your eyes and breathe deeply and slowly.
· With each outgoing breath, you may find yourself becoming calmer and less worried and stress.

Make yourself at home
· Personalize your workspace.
· Surround yourself with photographs of home, posters from favorite movies or plants and flowers.
· Familiar objects help you to relax.

Drink Orange Juice
· Scientists have discovered that vitamin C can reduce the production of stress hormones.
· Other foods rich in vitamin C include broccoli, tomatoes, strawberries, grapefruit etc.

Sing a song
· Singing relaxes the body and helps you breathe more deeply.
· But if you don’t sing well, save this activity for the shower or you might create more stress for the people around you!

Watch a funny video
· Laughter, like singing, gets more oxygen into your lungs.
· So watch something that really makes you laugh out loud. A great comedy will do the trick here.

Reduce multi-tasking
· The more balls you have in the air, the more stress you will feel.
· Reduce the number of tasks you are juggling and lower your tension and stress.

No matter what kind of work you do, you will experience some form of stress. Do not let it overwhelm you. You can learn to control it.


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Extract from The Straits Times (RECRUIT), Oct 30 2008 Thursday

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You're at a party with a bunch of friends and see a gorgeous girl.
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That's Public Relations.

You're at a party and see a gorgeous girl.
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Get to the Root of the Problem

Were there times when you desperately needed to make a decision but found yourself running around in circles instead? It is likely that you failed to come to a conclusion because you were cornered by your own perspective.

Here is the sharing on some of the difficulties a decision maker encounters when it comes to making tough decisions.

Lack of Clear Objectives

• Making a decision requires a clear objective.
• Until you figure out what is your true objective, perhaps you might want to revisit your decision question.
• Align your decision to your main objective.

Lack of Clear Constraints

• The focus is usually on the boundary of the constraint and not what can be done within.
• For example, when you hear words like “budget constraints”, you normally think that nothing much can be done about it.
• A good decision maker embraces constraints and works within them to create the right outcome.
• Of course, too many obstacles make it difficult to arrive at a solution.
• So it is important to identify only the key constraints in the decision process.

Lack of Clear Perspective

• The lack of fresh perspectives is one of the key hurdles that hampers decision-making.
• It is more difficult for a person to look at the situation from another angle if he has a vested interest in a decision.
• He may prefer one or two options over the other, regardless of merit.
• His rationale is formed by his experiences, expertise or assumptions, which may not be appropriate for the situation at hand.
• The inability to reframe his thoughts will lead him back to his problem.
• A good decision maker must be able to shift his focus, look at his constraints and assumptions objectively and understand the limits of his thinking.

Difficulty with Emotions

• Almost all decision-making models view emotions as a hindrance to good decisions.
• However, your intuition has been honed by years of decision-making success.
• Instead of ignoring the key element of our humanity, we should learn to use it to greater effect.

Difficulty in Selecting the right option

• Experienced decision-makers face difficulties in selecting the right option because of the possibility of a bad outcome.
• This fear paralyses the decision-maker as the outcome is being delayed waiting for the “right time” or “more information”.
• Sometimes the longer you wait, the greater the chance that circumstances have shifted out of your favor and the higher the chance of a bad outcome.
• If a decision has to be made, make it fast.

Choose the option that meets all your constraints, complements your decision objective and the amount of resources you have and holds the least or most manageable risk.


*** Extract from The Straits Times (RECRUIT), Tuesday, August 26, 2008

Busy as a Bee?

In today’s fast-moving business environment, how many times have you heard: “Sorry, I’m too busy!” It is a sad fact but how busy are we really? Indeed, many people put in long hours. They are certainly dedicated but how efficient are they? More often than not, people do not prioritise their activities and get overloaded with mundane details.

Here are some quick tips that will help prioritise work and which will lead to more efficiency, less stress and more accountability. In order to focus on the essential, organize your activities in four simple categories.

Urgent and important
Action is necessary because activities in this category will prove to be essential not only for the good of the business in general but will help keep deadlines.

It also improves the knock-on effect experienced by colleagues and subordinates who have a role to play in the bigger picture.

The actions under this heading are usually characterized by important deadlines and if the latter are not met, unfortunate consequences will be the result.

One example is providing an input which is vital for a major decision to be taken. This is especially true for projects where inter-dependency of team members is essential.

Not Urgent but Important

These activities are more strategic in nature, requiring more thought and possibly the involvement of subject experts.

Due process will have to take place to gain the commitment of key stakeholders.
Quality time needs to be devoted to these activities as ultimately, they will migrate to the first category.
An example is the re-engineering of a product portfolio to ensure market share growth and meeting the expectations of ever more demanding clients.

Urgent but not important

You may wish to consider delegating these activities to a competent administrator.
Make sure you choose someone who has demonstrated a punctilious attention to detail.
You will be delegating to peoples’ strengths and the probability of expediting these activities with precision will be increased.

An example of this is responding to an overdue query on a minor issue.

Not urgent and not important

These activities should be scrutinized because they will constitute the bulk of unnecessary interference that will lead to a waste of time and will make people “just busy”.

An example is shifting through all the emails that are copied “for information only”, that results in so many emails copied to so many people that create confusion as to who has to do what.

Streamlining communications so that only those who are accountable get a copy should be the rule.

In order to increase productivity, it is well worthwhile asking yourself in which category does your activity fall. Simply prioritizing activities will cut through the chaff and help you focus on what you really have to do, rather than keeping yourself busy with unnecessary clutter.

Over a period of time, things will look simpler, more focus will emerge, details will not be overlooked and teamwork will be of the essence. These will lead to increased productivity, less frustration and stress and a higher sense of achievement and pride.

*** Extract from The Straits Times (RECRUIT), Thursday, September 04, 2008