Reduce Stress and Perform Better with Simple Behavioral Change

Perform better with simple behavioral change? I will share with you 3 practical tips to manage your work flow and with this, your energy, creativity and mind space / clutter.

These are just a few of the practical tips that are part of my training and coaching program. Conscious At Work is all about managing your (4 reservoirs of) energy, consciously. I've made it my mission to support you to become a content, conscious and productive human being with enough 'mind space' for the fun and creative. No need to get a burnout to find a reason to change 'sabotaging' behavior.

TIP #1 Reading or not reading emails - that's the question

Is reading emails your main responsibility? If not (which is for most people), don't begin your day with checking your emails. You might mess up your agenda/plan this way. Check your inbox at dedicated times instead.

Start your day with getting an overview of your meetings and daily tasks to get a clear direction and ease of mind. Still not convinced? Participants of the practical part of the time management training reported an increase in their productivity and a clear mind. Stress reduction at its finest. (Master in Teams approach I use)

TIP #2 based on books such as Eat the Frog, The One Thing & 7 HHEP.

Work on one thing at a time. Use your brain efficiently by closing the "side-thought tabs", how I like to call it. Set a timer, give yourself the chance to get into a delicious work flow, without interruptions. Dedicated, focused for 30 to 50 minutes, eg. One task at a time, getting things done.

And if you dare the challenge and enjoy the satisfying feeling of getting big work done - start with the 'biggest frog', aka the thing you aren't really looking forward to doing. Ticking this one off first thing, is a rush of relief and release of stress!

"You need to be doing fewer things for more effect, instead of doing more things with side effects". I'd say, stress reduction at its finest.

In the time management part of my training, you learn how you can apply this approach in practical terms. Participants reported this training to be one the most impactful they've had.

TIP #3 Take regular 'mind breaks'.

"I need a good reason. I will lose time. I don't need a break."

Consider this: We physically, mentally and emotionally can’t work at 100% capacity, 100% of the time. Especially not long-term. It goes well until it goes wrong.

So how do you keep up your energy? Make sure you recharge by taking GOOD breaks. Yes, there is a difference in quality.

GOOD breaks can reduce mental fatigue, boost brain function & creativity, lower stress levels - ironically, taking breaks enables us to do more work. Not the 1hr lunch break in an 8hr workday, but the sustainable approach: the one you give your MIND a break, regularly throughout the day.

Eg, after working 30 - 50 min. on one task, you reward yourself with a 5 -10 min. 'mind-break'. There are different opinions about exact length - choose what feels good for you.

Taking breaks to create more 'mind space' wherein you can work more effectively? Stress reduction at its finest, I'd say. In my training I give you the tools to succeed.

What is a MIND BREAK?

We get used to always be 'on', ready to think of solutions and what we WILL do next, or evaluating how something WAS. This is exhausting if done continuously and takes lots of (brain) energy.

A 'mind break' gives your physical body AND your mind rest. It means, doing or not doing things that enable you stop (over-) thinking, (over-) analyzing and (over-) anything. You go from a forced active state, to a flowing passive state. Only then, you're allowing your mind to rest, process and create space for something new.

What does it mean in practice?

Socializing with a colleague during a coffee break is wonderful if you have inspiring conversations, but mostly we are still in thinking-work-mode.

The trick is, to ' get out of your rational head' for a while, eg by focusing on your body. So, walk/sport and get some fresh air. Or, check into your body: how do you FEEL (physically, emotionally) and how is your BREATH (rhytmic vs frozen).

In sum:

Use dedicated times to process emails and focus on your task overview.
Allow for a work flow, do one thing at a time.
Take qualitative and regular mind-breaks.

What did you think of them? Let me guess, simple but hard to implement?

These are just a few of the practical tips that are part of my training and coaching program. Like all behavioral change, it needs repetition until it becomes a routine and effortless.

Thus, the program supports you in making it a routine, and facilitates behavioral change - the most difficult to achieve when learning something new or fighting one's sabotaging resistance (!). Are you up for the challenge to increase your energy level and productivity for a certain amount of days? Please share what you decided to try, for how long and how it went!

My mission

I've made it my mission to support you to become a content, conscious and productive human being with enough 'mind space' for the fun and creative. No need to get a burnout to find a reason to change 'sabotaging' behavior. Conscious At Work is all about managing your (4 reservoirs of) energy, consciously.

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