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

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.

By: John of Indiana

John of Indiana — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 16:12:28 +0000

I made the “Double the Deadline” discovery myself recently, but in my case it’s more a matter of workplace politics than stressing myself out.
I found out that they Powers That THINK They Are would rather see me plodding away at a job for 5 hours than to have me knock it out in 25 minutes then be at loose ends to find something “useful” to do the rest of the day.
Do I like to operate in that fashion? Not particularly, but as Ivan Denisovich observed, “When you work for the Knowing, you give them Quality. When you work for a Fool, you give them Eyewash…”
Surprisingly, this knowledge has helped me to decrease my stress level.

By: Jennifer

Jennifer — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 15:33:59 +0000

I really like your idea of doubling the amount of time you think a task will take.

One of my biggest pitfalls is assuming everything will go as planned. Operating under that assumption, I try to fit in a couple extra tasks thinking everything will go smoothly. Ha! Rarely does it ever!

When one of those tasks doesn’t go as planned, I’m left in a time crunch and my stress level rises exponentially which affects how I behave and deal with the remaining tasks.

Great post! And very timely for me right now.

By: TippyToeDiet

TippyToeDiet — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 15:14:22 +0000

Hmm, I’m wondering if you’ve been spying on me. I threw a minor hissy fit just yesterday.

For stress reactions, the key for me is to recognize what’s happening (with luck, before I’m in full-scale meltdown) and then ask myself, “Is this the worst thing that could happen?” That usually helps me get the situation back in its proper perspective.

Great post! (Timely, too.)

By: Beth

Beth — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 15:02:53 +0000

I think meltdowns are common at this busy time of year – with everyone trying to cram so much into so little time. Just the other day I came out of a store to find that someone had hit my car in the parking lot and – not left a note. Meltdown – my friend is still commenting on the amount of expletives that were used in a 5 minute conversation – nouns, verbs, adjectives, etc.!

The most important advice I have is to PLAN for down time – I call it Beth alone time! Again this holiday season I found myself wanting to go to every event, see every friend. My joke is always – where are they the other 11 months of the year!?!? So, like Dr. K, I have learned to say “no”. And, I plan my schedule for things like writing Christmas cards, wrapping presents, baking cookies.

And, every once in awhile, I plan for “Beth” alone time – be it sitting in my PJ’s and reading the paper all weekend or taking that time to organize my office, clean the house really well, or throw out and purge things (my favorite stressbusting activity).

P.S. Erin – meltdowns sometimes help clear the stress! Cooldowns with a glass of wine afterwards are a good remedy!

By: Andre Blackman

Andre Blackman — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 14:50:30 +0000

This is exactly what I needed to read this morning. I admit things have been stressful – planning is key!

By: Dr K

Dr K — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 13:26:02 +0000

This is kind of like the pot calling the kettle black (that is, I cannot say I avoid altogether stress meltdowns…they are an inevitable product of the ambitious soul). BUT. I’ve noticed over the years that what I tend to do is *over* estimate how long it takes me to do things – not only at work, but in life.

For example, I am rarely late (if I am it’s because I’m waiting for my husband) because I will always assume it will take me an hour to get ready + drive/walk to my destination, when it takes me only half an hour.

I’ve heard the ‘double your deadlines’ rule, so I guess I do that as well. I tend to give myself 4 h to write a lecture, and it will take me 2.5. Then, with all the extra time remaining, I take to catch up on email, clean my desk, etc. etc.

I also avoid as much as possible planning meetings that are smack in the middle of the day, and get them all on one day if possible. But I have the luxury of doing that as I don’t work in a business environment (academia) so that won’t work for everyone. I agree with Mark M that saying “no” is a necessary evil. I am guilty of over-committing on occasion, but another lesson I’ve learned (the hard way) is knowing my limitations and what I can handle at any given time.

That said, meltdowns are inevitable every once in a while. It’s how you deal with them that matters.