Stress is a part of most people’s lives, but sometimes it can become quite overwhelming.  Luckily, setting some priorities can be a very effective way to minimise and manage stress.  Read on to learn more.

Time Management and Stress

Effective time management is one of the best ways to beat stress.  People with poor time management skills are likely to wake up to an alarm clock and plunge into their day, often without any clear sense of what they are doing, or in what order.  However, people with good time management skills are more likely to use the first 30 minutes to an hour of their day for relaxation and reflection, as they already have a plan for what they are going to achieve, and when. 

A leisurely cup of tea, listening to music, or quiet reflection is not a waste of time. It becomes a part of the person’s schedule, and doing these things actually makes it easier for them to cope with the stress that the rest of the day brings.

One time management tip is to make a to-do list and prioritise the tasks that are on it.  People get stressed because they try to do too many things at the same time, even if it means that nothing is actually finished.  Work out what your personal concerns are and align your list to meet that.

Also use tools to help manage your time.  Use a daily planner, with time being allotted to each specific task that you wish to achieve.  Remember to allocate time generously – do not underestimate how long a given task may take to achieve.  This planner could be in your diary, on your phone, or hastily written down.  The point is to have it somewhere where you can easily refer to it to keep yourself on track.

Tips on Prioritising to Beat Stress

Here are some great tips on how to beat stress just by setting your priorities:

1. First identify the thing that is stressing you out.  Once you know what this is, you can then plan a way or ways to overcome it.
   
   
2. Learn how to say no.  You do not have to commit to doing everything that is asked of you.  Only say yes to things that you want to achieve or can reasonably achieve in a given time frame.
   
   
3. Beat procrastination!  This can be done by breaking tasks into smaller, more manageable tasks, using a diary to schedule tasks, and also by setting yourself short-term deadlines and rewarding yourself in some way when you have met all your goals (not just one of them!)
   
   
4. Record how you spend your time. Include work, family, and leisure and see if there is a drastic imbalance between any of these elements.
   
   
5. Schedule time to yourself. You need to recharge.
   
   
6. Delegate work to other people where practical.
   
   
7. Prioritise your time by rating tasks according to their importance and urgency.
   
   
8. Schedule tasks according to your own energy levels.  For example, if you are most mentally alert in the morning, do the difficult mental tasks then.  If you feel active in the evenings, make that your exercise time.  Doing activities when they feel right means that you will be more productive and achieve a lot more.