One challenge
that many individuals face is the ability to balance all the tasks of the day
such as their goals and priorities without getting stressed. Organizations are
also empowering their employees with techniques that can be used to improve
their productivity while reducing stress. Stressed employees are bad
investments for organizations, because they project a negative attitude, take
more sick days off, lack creativity, and reduce the morale of the other
employees.
If we are
facing this challenge of stress associated with productivity, we can ask ourselves
whether we are being productive or just plain busy. We often feel stressed
because there is so much to do, and so little time. We have put so much
emphasis on the importance of being busy, because we feel devalued if we seem
less busy than someone else. It has become a competition and sense of pride to
tell others how busy and stressed we are. We have conditioned ourselves to
believe that being busy and stressed is a measure of success and productivity.
For those of us who are honestly seeking for a way to reduce stress, we can follow these three techniques.
1. Drop the Emotional Baggage – We have a tendency to carry
all our memories and scars with us wherever we go. These memories and scars
occupy space in our brains and do not allow us to focus on the task at hand.
When we are working on a specific project, our minds recall incidents,
interactions, and emotions from the past that distract us. To make it worse,
worries about the future also distract us in the present moment. For us to
perform our tasks efficiently, we must unclutter our brains from unnecessary
thoughts.
Imagine
holding a glass of water, initially it is very light; but the longer we hold on
to it, the heavier it starts to feel. The same concept applies with the
emotions that we are carrying. The longer we hold it, the heavier it gets; and
eventually when we can no longer hold it, we breakdown.
In addition,
we can replace the word “should” in are vocabulary with the word “must”. Often
saying that “I should do this or should do that” and then not doing those tasks
creates energy of regret. Instead, if we say that “I must do this or that”
creates and energy of empowerment, and results in the tasks being completed.
Once we transform
our speech and drop the emotional baggage that we have been carrying for years;
we will notice a rise in our energy level as well as better focus to complete
our tasks.
Now, imagine
how magnificent every moment would be if we could sense the environment around
us with a higher level of sensitivity. Fortunately, this is possible. We need
to raise our level of awareness and sensitivity of the sensory preceptors.
We can achieve
this by practicing on stilling the mind. When the mind is quiet, the sensory
preceptors become more receptive. For example, at the Brahma Kumaris World
Spiritual University, music is played for about two minutes every hour. This is
referred to as a “traffic stop”. During the two minutes, everyone must stop
what he or she is doing and become present in the moment. This reduces the
traffic of thoughts in the mind, raises the level of awareness, as well as
relaxes and restores the body.
By incorporating
this simple and profound technique into our daily routine the amount of stress
is reduced. Every hour or two, if we pause for a few minutes we will realize
that the mind and body have been recharged, and then we can continue working
with more clarity.
A small amount
of planning can produce magnificent results. As we start each day, we can
divide our tasks and goals into four categories.
1) Important and Urgent – List only the tasks that are
important and need to be completed as soon as possible. Set this as priority 1.
2) Important and Not Urgent – List only the tasks that are
important to you, but do not need to be completed immediately. Set this as
priority 2.
3) Not Important and Urgent – List only the activities that
may not be important to you, but may be important to someone else. The most
effective option is to delegate this task to someone else, because it is
clearly not that important to us. If it were that important, it would be
labeled as priority 1.
4) Not Important and Not Urgent – List the
tasks that are not important and do not need to be completed as soon as
possible. This is so simple to understand, but consider how much time we waste
doing tasks that are not important and not urgent. Label this a priority 4, and
then ignore these tasks.
Think about how many of the tasks
listed as “Not Important and Not Urgent” do we prioritize as “Important and
Urgent”? This is a complete waste of time and energy. Imagine how much more
productive we would be if we focused on priority 1 instead of priority 4.
Furthermore, as we complete the priority 1 tasks on schedule, we will
eventually complete priority 2 ahead of schedule. We can then delegate
priority3 to someone else, and not perform the tasks listed as priority 4.
Procrastination is another time
management issue related to productivity. Many of us procrastinate either
because the task is too difficult or the task is too boring. All it takes is a
shift in attitude to overcome procrastination. If the task is important
(priority 1), do not procrastinate and complete it as soon as possible, and if
it is boring, shifting your attitude to one of acceptance and enthusiasm will
make the task more bearable.
It is often a misconception that high
productivity leads to happiness. On the contrary, it is the other way around;
happiness leads to high productivity. If we recall the patterns in our past, we
will notice that it was when we were happy and enthusiastic that we produced
the best results.
If we simply follow the principals of
letting go of past emotions, relaxing the body and mind, planning our time
effectively, and ultimately performing each task with joy and enthusiasm; we
can enhance our level of productivity while reducing stress.
“Simplicity
boils down to two steps: Identify the essential. Eliminate the rest.” – Leo
Babauta
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