Overworked? Take a Break

There are simple things you can do to avoid letting pressure at work pull you down

The world has recently been through an economic depression. And ours is a developing country with a fluctuating rate of inflation. Overall, the situation is often unpredictable for those who are already employed. Retrenchment, voluntary retirement, stiff competition, and lack of alternative options make the work environment intimidating and exhausting.

If you let these professional anxieties get to you, both health and psychological wellbeing might be affected.

So when the pressure builds up do take the following simple steps to keep the productivity high.

• Prioritise:  When too many assignments pile up, prioritise. First set a target for the day. Then make a to-do list to which you can stick. Make the list realistic so that once you achieve your deadline it gives you a feeling of satisfaction and motivation enough to launch the next set of tasks. This works like magic. It helps to clear your mind and the workload finally seems manageable.
• Silence your phones and close the email: These are two major distractions everyone in today’s world is faced with. Switch off all phones to keep family and telemarketing calls at bay. Refrain from checking your email every five minutes. Update your email every two or three hours. You will see how this enhances your efficiency and increases productivity. You get a lot more work done.
• Delegate: Delegate, delegate, delegate! You don’t have to do everything by yourself. Categorise the tasks at hand. Only take on those which absolutely demand your personal undivided attention. Then make a list of things that someone else can do and pass these on. Third on the list should be those items which can wait or which can be cancelled altogether.
• Avoid time consuming and worthless meetings: Attend only those meetings that will contribute to the growth and expansion of your organisation. Keep the long brainstorming ones for some future project.
• Long hours: Do not work long hours every day. There’s no point. You will only be exhausting yourself faster.
• Take care of yourself: Stay strong and stay healthy. Neglecting your needs under pressure is the worst thing you can do. It may seem like you are saving time but in actuality you may be preparing for a major breakdown in the near future which will only create more workload. Sleep on time and make sure the essential nutrition is being supplied to your body.
• Exercise:  We are not talking two hours in the gym. A half hour jog in the wee hours of the morning will unclog your brain and refresh your system for the day. Do it and you will notice the difference!
• Take a break: No matter how bad it gets, breaks are the only way to get the job done. And no we are not talking about more facebooking or instant messaging. Instead, do the laundry or some cooking, or whatever actual activity you like indulging in. Traditionally, these have been excellent outlets for built up frustrations and stress.
• Switch off: Not to be rude, but this is no time to put on your agony aunt cap. Stop making other people’s problems yours. Politely ask your friends or siblings to wait till you are in a better position to think and help them. There is little to gain from conversations when the other person is stressed and distracted.