Stress less, achieve more

Feeling overwhelmed at work is a familiar situation for many of us, but a few easy to remember tips can be helpful for prioritising the most important targets.

Setting priorities will help clarify what are your most important tasks, which will help to prevent you wasting time on less important tasks. These priorities will also help you to avoid becoming distracted by unexpected demands or the concerns of colleagues.

One major distraction for us all is email – and an effective strategy to help reduce email distraction is to use a two-minute rule to manage your inbox. The rule is that if the email takes you two minutes or less to deal with, tend to it immediately.

Respond

Your action may be responding to the message, filing it into a folder or sharing it with colleagues. The aim is to move as many things as you can out of your inbox during your allotted email time. This method can help prevent a backlog and mounting pressure on your to-do list.

Consider applying this same rule to emails you send. Can the receiver complete your email request in two minutes?

Goals

Aligning your work and life goals around what you value the most can also help clarify what to pay attention to and what to let go, helping you to be more productive on what matters most to you, your family and your organisation.

‘While juggling your workload effectively can be tough, it is crucial for improving productivity, protecting your wellbeing and achieving a work-life balance,’ says Lorraine Twist, director at Hays specialising in accountancy and finance.

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‘Identify clear priorities at the start of each day or week so you can plan your time around this. Writing to-do lists is a classic but valuable way of staying organised. Pay attention to what times of day you are most productive and schedule in certain tasks around this.

‘Sticking to a routine where possible is also beneficial for staying on top of your workload. Reflect on what works well and what doesn’t, so that you can learn from your mistakes and make changes if necessary.

‘There is a misconception that having boundaries, such as saying no to additional projects and responsibilities, will make you appear less hard-working, but sometimes it is important to say no so you can focus on your priorities and produce high quality outcomes. By implementing healthy boundaries, you are less likely to feel overwhelmed and become burnt out.’

Surge

Remember also to take care of your physical health. It may seem counterintuitive when you are under pressure at work, but getting up to move, eat and drink water can be just the thing you need to give you the energy to work effectively.

Likewise, taking the time to breathe and reflect provides insight into what you are doing and will provide you with an opportunity to become objective.

Another important – and often overlooked aspect – is to manage your sleep. It is easy to get into a cycle of overwhelm when we are not getting the rest we need. Sometimes having an early night is all we need to tackle the next day.

After you have finished work for the day and look in the mirror, are you proud of what you accomplished – and does your work each day align with what you consider to be important?

Author: Alex Miller, writer

This article was first published in Student Accountant | Get the SA app now