Comments on: Uncluttering your schedule to keep clear of unnecessary stress

By: Kristine

Kristine — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 04:10:42 +0000

Doubling your estimate is good–I find I usually need to multiply by pi.

By: Four Simple Life Blogs That Believe Less Is More | My Super-Charged Life

Four Simple Life Blogs That Believe Less Is More | My Super-Charged Life — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 09:01:20 +0000

[...] and anxiety plague many of us. In Uncluttering your schedule to keep clear of unnecessary stress, Erin points out that this pressure often brings out the worst in [...]

By: Barb

Barb — Sun, 21 Dec 2008 18:17:43 +0000

Excellent post. Thank you for admitting it, so I feel less alone! It is a fun but stressful time of year.

I do the following to help manage the stress:
1. Lists. Lists. Lists. Out of my head and down on the paper for the nerdy satisfaction of crossing stuff off!
2. Prioritize. Prioritize. Prioritize. This means for a trying-to-be-organized person like me, some stuff gets a little cluttered and messy while I’m taking care of more important stuff–like the people in my life.
3. Find a good escapist book to periodically disappear into for short breaks during holiday preparations. A little “me time” makes me calmer/less stressed during the other times…

By: SewingGirl

SewingGirl — Sat, 20 Dec 2008 00:28:56 +0000

One good thing about my ex: he taught me, when I am feeling things are out of control, SLOW DOWN. Become more rigid about how tasks are completed, how items are organized, check twice for keys before closing door, etc. It really works, and everyone will admire you for staying put together when everyone else is losing it.

I think some people are just more temperamental than others, if you are prone to meltdowns, then you need to manage your environment to minimize things you find stressful. I kind of thrive on chaos and multiple tasks, but I do not multitask, I serially single task in order of priority. If I am unsure about the priority, then I slow down and make sure I have got it right before I continue.

I’ve played this to my advantage over the years, and now make 6 figures in a secure job. One of the constant comments on my evaluations is that I always seem calm, confident, and in control! (that is so not true but clearly my strategy is working)

By: Heather

Heather — Fri, 19 Dec 2008 15:00:27 +0000

Oh thank god… I’m not the only one losing my mind. I am usually very on top of things but I’d kind of lost control of my schedule, expectations etc. and my stress had no where else to go but out my eyeballs.

Makes me feel better to know that even the most organized among us have our moments. And also makes me feel okay about cutting some things of the old to do list.

By: Amy

Amy — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 20:21:59 +0000

We all have meltdowns/tantrums now and then. I feel better when someone owns up to it so I know I’m not the only one! Building in extra time to get things done seems like a nice concrete way to counter that abstract emotional reaction that sometimes kicks in. Thanks!

By: gypsy packer

gypsy packer — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 16:25:19 +0000

In stress times, I schedule extra solitude time. When that is not possible, I grab the iPod and perform a little manual labor, just concentrating on the music.
Of course, this is hard to do in a cube farm, because everyone else starts laying off office and break-room maintenance on you permanently and moves you to the bottom of the pecking order…

By: Alex Fayle | Someday Syndrome

Alex Fayle | Someday Syndrome — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 15:24:17 +0000

Wonderful post and great advice Erin. This is a great example of how we’re in control of our schedules and therefore for the most part in control of course stress and anxiety levels.

And by control I mean we make choices. Some say we don’t have the choice because we have responsibilities (like mortgage, kids, etc…) but every one of the responsibilities was a choice that had potentially choice-limiting consequences that we’re experiencing now.

Good for you for being aware and making a change!

By: Crystalyn Kokorowski

Crystalyn Kokorowski — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 08:22:25 +0000

I also forget to allow time for those unexpected interruptions that seem to get me sidetracked. . . .

By: Another Deb

Another Deb — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 03:27:12 +0000

If I give myself extra time, I will end up just procrastinating longer. I have to let go of expectations and prioritize what cannot be kicked off the list.

By: Catherine

Catherine — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 00:45:29 +0000

I wrote about something similar recently myself. Very frequently, the things I get upset about are completely avoidable, so I try really hard to keep accurate lists of my expectations (and expectations of me). And there’s something about checking items off a list… what a (nerdy!) feeling.

By: Elizabeth

Elizabeth — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 00:42:13 +0000

One of the many thinks I like about this blog is your readiness to admit to human frailty – and that you or your readers always suggest ways to do things better. At my workplace, managment has a hissy fit at realistic task/delivery estimates and demands they be halved or better (so things get left out or we get into trouble for not meeting totally unachievable deadlines. Nobody here has the energy to work 18 hour days any more). I might try quadrupling my estimates to try and get enough time to get things done!

By: DJ

DJ — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 18:12:59 +0000

Proper planning, including realistic time frames for how long I need to accomplish any given task, is vital.

The ability (hard for me) to take a deep breath, maybe walk outside for five minutes, and readjust my thinking when a task takes longer than it “should” for me to finish.

Hardest of all, accepting that I cannot control the behavior of co-workers and people outside of work. I can only calmly let them know what I need and ask for them to commit to deadlines. I can’t make them work.

Also, working from home, instead of in the office, helped tremendously, simply because I tend to feel stressed by the stress of others. The ambient stress in an office makes me tense, even if all is going smoothly on my end.

At home essentially no ambient work stress can intrude. I’m very lucky to be able to work from home. Commuting an hour each way for my job was an additional exhausation that I’m more than happy to have left behind.

By: Tabitha (From Single to Married)

Tabitha (From Single to Married) — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 17:22:56 +0000

I wish I had read this earlier this week before I scheduled myself into a lot of near-impossible deadlines. Well, not impossible, but definitely stressful. Definitely looking forward to the holidasy!!

By: Lori Paximadis

Lori Paximadis — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 16:37:20 +0000

I like the idea of doubling the estimated time something will take, and I’m going to start using that one right away. Seems I’m always in hurry-up mode.

One thing I do is set personal soft deadlines for important project milestones a few days (sometimes up to a week) before the part is really due. If I’m approaching my soft deadline and haven’t made good progress, it’s a kick in the butt to get going.