Whether you are looking to improve performance, reduce stress or remove chaos from your life, begin with your calendar. De-cluttering your calendar helps you find time for the important things in your life — not just the urgent.
For most people, stress, poor performance and lack of productivity often come from the simple fact that one is out of control and over-committed. This can be the result of not being able to find ways to balance work, family and social aspects of your life; the goal is to stay organized while maintaining personal comfort.
The benefits of reducing stress
According to a Wellness Council Report from 2003, managing your stress can: Improve how your immune system functions
Prevent illnesses like the common cold, or physical complaints such as back aches
Increase your energy level, allowing you to spend more quality time with friends and family
Improve the quality of your sleep, allowing you to wake up well-rested and ready to go
Improve your digestion
Allow you to be on your game—more focused, more positive
If those aren‘t enough reasons to consider reducing the stress in your life, how about simply having more time to do the things you want to do instead of what you have to do?
3 Steps to reducing stress in your life
By implementing these three easy steps you will reduce stress in your life, thus maintaining a healthy combination of work and personal happiness and improving your overall performance and productivity. It all falls under the category of taking control of your calendar.
Put all of your commitments in one place. Consolidate all your calendars (personal, work, spouse and children) into one easy-to-use calendar so all activities and events are easy to find. There are even apps that will color-code your calendar for you, and allowing you to coordinate with your spouse’s or children’s’ calendars. Many people keep the family calendar on a physical wall calendar and a personal or work calendar on their computer or phone. This causes confusion, over-comittment and stress. Decide what ONE type of calendar works best for you and be very judicious about putting everything on it. You will reduce stress by not missing appointments, seeing instantly if you’ve double booked events so you can make timely corrections and being able to quickly find everything you need to know at a moment’s notice.
De-clutter your calendar. Take a close look at how your are spending your time and determine whether everything on your calendar is really important. De-clutter it so you will be in better control of your life. Be merciless. Do you really need to do everything that is on your calendar? Do those events need to be scheduled on those specific days or would it be more convenient and less stressful if you scheduled them on other days or spread them further apart. Are there are poeple, places and things that no longer serve you well and you should simply get rid of them? This step alone goes a long way toward reducing stress, aggravation and resentment.
Schedule time for you. Set aside time for fun, humor, motivation and downtime. Put “you” on your calendar. The more chaotic your schedule and the more commitments you have on your calendar the more important it is to schedule rest, relaxation and downtime for you. This can range from simple things like going for a walk along the beach or a park, getting a massage, reading a favorite book or watching a move without guilt – even taking a nap. Not only will this regularly help you reduce stress it will also help you regenerate and boost your energy. Throw chaos, confusion and over-commitment out the door and take control of your time by de-cluttering your calendar today. You will be amazed at how much better you feel and how much more time you have to do the important things in life, not just the urgent.
© Pat Heydlauff, all rights reserved 2016 Pat Heydlauff, a “flow of focus” expert, speaker and consultant designs home and workplace environments that unleash the flow of focus and maximize performance while creating balance and increasing prosperity. She is author of the forthcoming book, Beyond Engagement: Seven Ways Leaders Fuel Tomorrow’s Sustainability and published books, Feng Shui, So Easy a Child Can Do It and Selling Your Home with a Competitive Edge. Contact her at 561-408-270