Work On One Thing at a Time

Today’s office worker changes tasks an average of every three minutes, a lightning-speed day of interruptions helped along by the multitasking made possible with computers. Working on eight things at once might seem impressive, but it isn’t. Rather, it is exhausting, inefficient, and highly stressful. So instead of constantly checking e-mail, having two or three documents open on your screen at one time, or returning voice mail messages as they come in, structure your day to focus on one thing at a time. In particular, start your day by blocking out two uninterrupted hours for hands-on work. During this time, do not answer your phone or check e-mail. Then check e-mails and respond all at once. Go to lunch. Then structure your afternoon the same way. Designate a time immediately after lunch and an hour before you leave for returning phone calls.

Work in Short Bursts

The flip side to multitasking is that it is hard to sustain creativity or intensity over one task for long stretches. Rather, our brains work in cycles of creativity, then rest. So work this way. After an hour or so of concentrated work, get up for five minutes, stretch, walk around, do some calisthenics. Not only will this help the quality of your work; by the time you finish your day, you’ll have snuck in 30 minutes of stress-reducing exercise.

Give Your Colleagues a Grade

A “D” is for people who drain your energy, and an “F” is for people who fill you up with energy. Now make sure that you avoid the D’s as much as possible throughout the day. Conversely, when you’re feeling drained, take a few minutes to connect with an F, suggests James Campbell Quick, Ph.D., professor of organizational behavior at the University of Texas in Arlington.

Be Creative in Motivating Yourself

Here’s a good one: Write a check to some organization you loathe, put it in a stamped, addressed envelope, and tell a trusted friend to mail it if you fail to meet an important deadline or complete a vital task. Or go the positive route: Give the friend something you really cherish or desire and only let your friend give it back to you if you achieve your goal.

Forgo the Coffee During Team Meetings or Group Work

A study sponsored by the British Economic and Social Research Council found that when men drank coffee while working together in a group, it tended to make the group less effective. The study also found that just the perception that the drink contained caffeine—whether or not it actually did—also increased the men’s feelings of stress and their heart rates.

Keep a Vacation File On Your Desk

Fill it with brochures of places you would like to visit. When you’re feeling stressed, daydream your way through the file. It will help remind you of one reason you’re working, and provide a few minutes of virtual vacation.

Personalize Your Space

Make an altar or display in your office to remind you of your life outside the office. Include pictures of your spouse, children, and/or pet, a photograph of yourself doing something fun, plus a memento that reminds you of a special occasion. When you feel yourself getting overwhelmed and stressed out, take five minutes and simply stare at the display. Recall the day each picture was taken. Hold the memento and return in your mind to the place where you got it. Now you’re ready to return to the workaday world.

Keep a Work Journal

This is a journal you keep in your desk drawer (preferably locked). Write in it whenever you feel your temper rising, your frustration growing, or your despair increasing. In it, you can write all the things you’d like to say to the boss/client/colleague so you get it out of your system without losing your job. It will also help you understand in a more realistic manner what it is about your job and your day that really drives you crazy—and what you actually enjoy. Do not, however, keep said journal on your computer.

Keep a Nerf Gun In Your Office

And try to get some of your coworkers to do the same. When the stress feels overwhelming, hit the halls shooting. It is a completely fun, cathartic, and nondestructive way to let off steam.

Schedule a Sick Day

If you’re experiencing an unusual number of headaches, sore neck, sore back, or other aches and pains; find you have trouble falling or staying asleep; or are snapping at your coworkers for no reason, it’s time for a day off. Check your calendar for the upcoming week and pencil in the day you’re going to call in sick. This is not lying—you are sick. It’s just mental rather than physical. But if you don’t take the day and spend it doing something you enjoy, you can bet you will be sick before the month’s end. Don’t believe us? Just consider that up to 80 per cent of visits to primary care physicians are for stress-related complaints.