Stress gets to us all – and nowhere do we feel its effects more than when sitting behind our desks, sharing space and time with our colleagues and groaning under the weight of looming deadlines. Use these smart tips to stress less and enjoy your work life a bit more.
1. Sit up straight
Something as simple as slouching can influence your performance at work. Recent research shows that an upright sitting posture can encourage a positive attitude and behaviour.
2. Spring-clean your desk
Stress can be triggered by a cluttered work space – looking at stacks of objects in a messy office makes you feel trapped. Not to mention the black mark against your performance when you can’t find that latest report your boss wants urgently because it’s buried under last month’s takeaway menus. Gradually getting rid of clutter can encourage tidiness and greater organisation.
3. Play it smart
Be more realistic about what you want to achieve at work by setting yourself attainable checkpoints instead of large, ambitious goals. Breaking your tasks up into manageable chunks makes you feel a sense of accomplishment when you get them done. This will help you think differently about stress so that what lies ahead doesn’t seem impossible. Set goals that are flexible, allowing you to explore and discover more creative ways to reaching those goals.
4. Limit interruptions
When your smart phone is buzzing next to your keyboard and your electronic messenger keeps beeping, it can be detrimental for a healthy and stress-free work environment. This can lessen your productivity and will require you to focus longer on tasks that usually or should have taken a few minutes. Put your phone on silent in a drawer for a portion of time and turn off any messaging apps on your desktop so that you can focus on the task at hand.
5. Reap the benefits of stress
In some cases, stress can work in your favour. To harness these, try to adopt a positive attitude towards anxiety. Look at it as a catalyst for productivity and success rather than something that is draining.
