Distraction is the name of the game in the modern workplace. Part of the reason legions of workers reported higher productivity while telecommuting during the pandemic is that they were away from the office. Being at home allowed them to concentrate, and work was not interrupted by colleagues needing attention or documents. They can also expect meetings to take place mostly within the time-frame indicated when they are scheduled.
Workers are just not ready to go back to the high-pressure atmosphere of the workplace after experiencing all the benefits of working at home. No one wants to work 18-hour days every week and end up being so sleep-deprived that they end up in an accident or with a DWI citation. An experienced DWI or DUI lawyer can help you get out of such a charge, but most people who experience such pressure in their careers feel burnt out at that point and leave the field.
Part of the reason is that they are so focused on their KPIs and meeting demands that they do not realize that stress management is just another skill that successful people master. Several strategies can help you to take an active role in managing your stress levels. If you aim to reach the highest levels of a high-powered career, your ability to manage stress effectively will be one of the skills that can get you to that point.
Take a step back from your current stressed mind frame and begin planning how you will tackle the stress of the workplace today. In many ways, it will be a considerable improvement to your life as well. Once you learn how to manage stress in the workplace, you can be more productive and leave those stressors behind when you return home.
Take Charge
Stress affects us deeply when we feel we are in situations that we cannot control. If you pay attention, you may find that your stress about being in the office comes from how people interrupt you with tasks when you already have several tasks in progress. Or you may not feel comfortable saying no to requests for help or meetings that your supervisors want you to sit in on.
This usually comes from a place of low confidence. Perhaps you are too intimidated in the workplace by the need to seem productive that you cannot turn down work even when your plate is full. But you may have noticed that you get told to improve your productivity, and the number of tasks you juggle seems to go unappreciated.
This is because your superiors need you to complete tasks, not have more tasks than you can achieve being held in place because you struggle to get to them. You must remember that you have the position you are in because you were the one who could fill the needs of the post. Thus, make a schedule and find a polite way to avoid taking on tasks that come your way when you’re busy.
Taking charge of the situation and having an action plan to handle these situations will help you be more productive. They can also make you stand out as someone who knows how to manage their resources and time.
Schedule Deep Breathing
Your self-care needs to be in your calendar, or you can easily forget them. It’s a seemingly simple thing that when you’re in the midst of a hectic day, you may forget or dismiss the need for it. But if it’s on your calendar, even for a few minutes, you will be forced to confront that it is there because it is necessary.
Learn the deep breathing technique via YouTube videos and download a stress management app onto your phone. These apps can help you to identify triggers, take adequate five-minute mental breaks, and help you track and understand your mind.
Negotiate a New Schedule
You know if your management is the type of people to prioritize whatever helps their employees be more productive. Thus, they may have the option to choose when to work in the office and at home. If this is available, then take advantage of it. As long as your productivity is high, you will be seen as a good employee who understands how they work well.
If your management does not have this system, consider collecting data that shows how well you did during telecommuting and approach them with a plan. A clear and achievable plan with parameters for productivity they can understand is likely to convince your management to give you a chance to try out a system. With this, you can work some days in the office and other days from home.
Not only can you avoid interruptions, but you can also control the demands on your time made by others. People will know to approach you when you’re in the office because you are most readily available and receptive to requests, phone calls, and sudden meetings. The rest of the time, when you’re at home, you can set your phone to notify you only when your superiors try to reach you. You can do your work with no interruptions to derail your focus.
Approach your days with energy and focus by eating well and doing exercises. Coming into work feeling tired before the work starts is a big contributor to your stress.
Find out how you make yourself more miserable and take steps to get ahead of your bad or low mood. If you cannot find any enthusiasm for your career, you might need to reconsider whether it is the right one for you. Someone who loves what they do will do whatever it takes to hold on to that passion.
