51
thePeorian.com
Peorian Health
1.
Clean off your desk. Use the skills
we have discussed to lower your
stress levels and create a posi-
tive working environment.
2.
Make a master list of pending
projects. This list should be both
short and long term and on a
notepad. It is too easy to lose
post-it notes or little slips of
paper. A notepad captures your
attention and you can refer to it
during the day. Whenever you
finish a task, cross it off your
list. This helps with organization
and gives you the psychological
advantage of feeling accom-
plished and successful. Some
people have found it useful to use
software programs that note daily
tasks and automatically move
unfinished tasks to the next day.
3.
Take breaks every 20 minutes.
Research shows that we do our
best work in 20-minute segments.
Take a short break and close
your eyes, take a short walk,
or do some deep breathing. It
doesn’t matter what you do with
your short time-out, as long as it
changes the tempo of your work
stressors.
4.
Avoid interruptions if you have a
project that must be completed.
Let your voice mail pick up your
calls, close your office door or
hide out in a conference room
where you can’t be found.
5.
Go home on time. Learn to set
boundaries and balance work,
home, and personal time. Some-
times working overtime gives the
impression that you are willing to
have extra work dumped on you.
6.
Work less by using some of the
techniques we have discussed.
Create time for yourself, your
family and friends.
7.
Ask questions to clarify your
responsibilities and job expecta-
tions. It is easy to get stressed
out if you don’t know how to
tackle a particular task.
8.
Make your job more fun. Studies
show that people who enjoy their
jobs are more energized, more
alert, and less stressed. The key
is to make your work more of
a game. Invent tricks to make
it more interesting. Transform
stress into an opportunity to learn
or find solutions.
9.
Delegate! Decide what you
absolutely must do yourself and
which tasks can be delegated to
others. Delegating responsibili-
ties saves time and can produce
better work performance. Many
times delegating responsibilities
shows others that you trust their
abilities.
10.
Get more involved by discover-
ing your own talents. If you are
not comfortable with a project,
suggest something that might
be more workable or productive.
Find ways to use your expertise
and feel more productive and in
control of your destiny.
Remember, you can make changes in
your life if you change your percep-
tion and take steps to lower your
stressors.
Joy Miller, Ph. D, is an internationally
known licensed psychotherapist,
trainer and author. She is the founder
and president of Joy Miller & Associ-
ates.
Contact her at (309) 693-8200 or
Here are this week’s 10 down to earth tips for taking the stress out of work.
