Anticipate time needed

Too often we over-stress ourselves because we don't properly anticipate how long it will take to complete a project or task. In most cases, we under-estimate the time involved. To plan your day more effectively and to reduce your stress in the process, schedule adequate time during all three of the stages of a project, including preparation, productivity and closure.


To better allocate your time, keep a time log for a couple of weeks and track how long different activities take to accomplish. In order to get better at planning, you must first be aware of how your time is being spent. Be realistic about how much time your activities take and schedule your time accordingly. Non-realistic scheduling increases stress because there is not ample time to complete the full task as planned. Building in buffers for preparing and putting things away will allow the margin to decrease stress and increase productivity.

Music at Work

Studies show that it's pretty easy for us to keep music in the background when we focus on something else. Some agree with this statement while others strongly disagree.

In an article I read in the Star Ledger this past Sunday in the Job Finder section, "Tune in, Tune Out: The Emerging Etiquette of Earbuds and Music at Work" they mentioned a 2006 Harris Interactive Poll that found nearly 90% if workers age 18 to 39 say music improves their job satisfaction and productivity. About one third of employees were plugged into person music devices in 2006.

I believe that if plugging in a set of headphones and listening to music helps increase productivity, then go for it! Unfortunately, sometimes people sing out loud, have music loud enough others could here it, dance in their chair or do other actions that are distracting to others around them. So, if policy in your workplace allows music, be mindful of others around you and respectful of their needs to work in a non-distracting environment. A little bit of etiquette and common courtesy could make this a non-issue all the way around!

Basic Tips for Managing Multiple Projects

I searched the Internet last week to develop a list to present at a workshop I was preparing for a client. Unfortunately, I cannot recall the sources but I want to share the following:

Basic Tips for Managing Multiple Projects

1. Before you check your voice mail or email each morning, list what you would like to accomplish today. Be realistic about how much and what you can really accomplish in any given day. Prioritize what needs to be completed immediately and what can wait until later in the day.

2. Once you have your prioritized list, and depending on the type of work you do, either get a top priority completed (even just a major step!) or check your messages to see what's come in since you left the office. Write down all the pertinent information (e.g., request, contact info). Determine a time in your day when you will return messages. Reply with detailed messages whenever possible to derail the telephone tag which could ensure when you and your contact keep leaving messages for each other. This saves a huge amount of time and frustration! Reprioritize your list based on the messages you received.

3. Stay organized. Being organized will diminish stress levels. Keep project or client info well organized and easy to locate. Have only one project or file on your desk at a time so that you can stay focused on the task at hand. Avoid multi-tasking because this causes you to bounce around from project to project.

4. At the end of the day, list what you didn't accomplish. Have this list be the basis for your next day's to-do list. When you begin this process again tomorrow, you can prioritize what's on your list again and complete the most important activities. Get your projects under control!

A Secret for Self Control

Often, when I am presenting a workshop or keynote presentation or when I am working with individual coaching clients, a distinction comes up that immediately and more effectively helps everyone better manage their workload, stress level, and building healthier relationships. This distinction is respond vs. react.

When we react, we act impulsively; responding to a stimulus, often without thinking. However, when we respond, we pause, reflect, think about possible consequences to our actions, and choose a more favorable reply or action.

For example, Catherine's daughter spilled her milk by accident. Catherine's initial reaction was to yell and scream at her but when she paused she kept things in perspective and provided her daughter with some towels to clean up the mess without damaging words, threats, or accusations. Her daughter apologized, cleaned up the mess the best she could, and promised to be more careful the next time. In past situations, when Catherine yelled and screamed, her daughter cried, the situation escalated and Catherine said many things she later regretted. Catherine ended up sending her daughter to her room while Catherine cleaned up the spilt milk on her own.

In another situation, Bill (who was already overloaded with projects at work) was given yet another project with a tight deadline. Although he normally reacted by taking on the project and walking away angry and frustrated and then working round the clock to get things done, instead he chose to respond and ask more questions about the project and where it fit in with everything else he was already doing. His boss helped him prioritize this new project with everything else already on his plate. He gave some of the more menial tasks to someone else so that he could concentrate on the higher level skills needed to get the project moving. They negotiated the timeline and made it more reasonable.

Reacting to a situation vs. responding...you choose what works for you! Practice responding to experience this higher level of self control.