Saturday 31 March 2012

5 Effective Ways to Reduce Stress on Body and Mind


If you telecommute, or work remotely like I do for a digital-based company, you’re probably fighting distractions around your home right now. Working at home effectively takes a certain amount of focus and willpower—otherwise you’d be doing the dishes, the laundry, taking the dog for a walk, and really finding any excuse to do anything, but your actual work!

It’s time to make some changes. If you find that you’re productivity is suffering in the digital workplace, working the same pace with the same outcome every single day in and day out will only get you the same old results. However, pressuring yourself to the point of fatigue by working all the time won’t get you ahead in the business world either—you’ll just end up burnt out and stressed out.

Instead, try making your digital workplace more of a comfortable sanctuary by adding some ergonomic furniture for that sore back of yours. And instate some workplace practices that will improve your overall organization skills and increase your productivity simultaneously. Here are my tips for increasing productivity in the digital workplace:

1. Prioritize your day

Start your work day or your work week by creating a prioritized to-do list. Make the tasks that have the nearest deadlines your top priorities, and put the others further down the list or delegate them to other employees (or freelancers) if you can. Make sure to leave some wiggle room for those unexpected things that always come up and demand your immediate attention.

2. Don’t get distracted by email

Email can be a productivity drain, especially when you have a new one in your inbox every five seconds. Instead, check your email in the morning, at lunch, and before you leave for the day—otherwise log out and concentrate on the tasks at hand. Because you know as soon as you check that email mid-day, you’ll be too distracted and waste precious work time on email stress.

3. Reevaluate your to-do list

This is a wise thing to do about halfway through your work day. As mentioned, priorities change and unexpected emergencies come up that demand your attention throughout the workday. So re-examine that to do list about half way through to ensure you’re still on track with your workday goals.

4. Don’t take on any more than you can realistically handle

I know that’s easy to say, but difficult to live by. But think of this way, if you avoid taking on any more projects then you can realistically handle during your work day—no one is disappointed. Instead, be realistic with your clients about your availability, and only take on jobs where you can complete them to the promised due date without adding extra stress to your day.

5. Keep an organized, comfortable workspace

Working at home often means you’re delegated to working in a spare bedroom filled with your kids play toys, or worse, the kitchen table. Your work space should be your sanctuary. Make it comfortable, organized, and ergonomic (so you don’t suffer an injury), Keep your work surface clean and organized with storage and filing cabinets. And invest in good lighting, a glare-free computer screen, and a comfortable ergonomic desk and chair so you’re back doesn’t suffer.

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