23 Tips to Reduce Stress, Work Happier for Top Performance

 

Nov. 1, 2011

You have a 35 percent better chance of living longer if you feel happy. That’s the upshot from a British study that links feelings of happiness to longevity. Note the key word, “feel.” So the emphasis is on feelings. Makes sense, right?

The study acknowledges some people inherently feel happy. But there are environmental factors, such as dissatisfaction with a job or career field, or working or living with the wrong person. The wrong job or living with a toxic person creates lots of stress.

The Great Recession is technically over, but if you’re like most businesspeople you probably need Solutions to Rejuvenate Yourself and Business. And if Business Has Got You Down, Tips for a Morale Boost are helpful.

In my experience, many people tend to allow pressures to become stress, and they have a lot of fears – even without realizing it. These also stem from career challenges or having the wrong partner in business or at home.

Aside from being stuck in a career or changing partners, here are 23 stress management tips:

1. Avoid sleep deprivation. Insomnia and sleep apnea lead to strokes, heart attacks and other health issues. If necessary, see a sleep physician.
2. Drink enough water. It will help your mind and body.
3. If you drink, do it in moderation.
4. Create a balance sheet — a list of pros and cons of your work and personal life.
5. Write affirmations about your qualities or talents. Read the list as often as you feel necessary.
6. Write out your goals. Prioritize your career and personal life. Make necessary changes.
7. Use effective time management strategies. They include avoiding clutter and post-it notes. Don’t work against deadlines. They trigger stress.
8. When you finish a project, meet a deadline or accomplish a task, relish your success and celebrate it.
9. Self effacement works. Poke fun at yourself. It’s OK to be serious, but not be overly dramatic about, so smile.
10. Minimize junk food. Eat a balanced diet with plenty of fruit, salads and vegetables.
11. Don’t stuff your feelings, but that doesn’t mean showing anger.
12. Look for the silver lining in every situation – even be grateful for them because any negative situations can be opportunities for growth.
13. Take time off and go on vacations. You can’t afford not to get a change of scenery.
14. If you have a problem work to solve it ASAP. You’ll feel better faster and all other matters will be a proverbial piece of cake.
15. Do the things that promote healthy emotions. Be more accepting of events and people. You’ll find you won’t be so hard on yourself. Perfectionism leads to stress, too.
16. Be generous with compliments. Look for opportunities to confidentially to pat others and yourself on the back.
17. Do everything gently – whether it be setting objects on a table or talking with others.
18. Make family and good friends a priority.
19. Enjoy your hobbies.
20. Get exercise. Cardio workouts are best. At the minimum, do a lot of walking.
21. Remember there are many forms of success. It’s not always about money.
22. Make decisions promptly. Over analysis leads to paralysis. If you have good self esteem, you won’t be constantly engaging in self doubt.
23. Remember you’re never saddled with anything you can’t handle. Some events or people early in your life have prepared you for today.
24. If all else fails, look around for someone less fortunate to help. A volunteer spirit works wonders.

From the Coach’s Corner, here are related resource links:

Why ‘the Overflow of a Revived Heart Is Always Generous Living’

30 Time Management, Stress Reducing Skills

New Year’s Resolutions to Recover from the Great Recession

If you ask what is the single most important key to longevity, I would have to say it is avoiding worry, stress and tension. And if you didn’t ask me, I’d still have to say it.”

-George Burns

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Columnist Terry Corbell is also a business-performance consultant and profit professional. Click here to see his management services (many are available online). For a complimentary chat about your business situation or to schedule Terry Corbell as a speaker, why don’t you contact him today?

 

Solutions to Rejuvenate Yourself and Business

 

How’s business? Are profits meeting your expectations? In reading this column, you probably feel chained to a heavy weight.

If profits or cash flow are subpar, chances are you also have these symptoms and stress factors:

• Boredom – you’re tired of the same tedious routine.
• Clutter — your office and home need cleaning and organization.
• Disappointment – perhaps you lost a bid, a customer or a major client.
• Emptiness – you’ve successfully reached a threshold or acquired a major piece of business only to feel let down.
• Fear – you fear some challenges. You feel paralyzed.
• Personal problems – a troublesome, prodigal child or lack of support from your mate.
• Reading — you haven’t read an inspirational book or article lately.
• Sense of betrayal — an employee embezzles money or your spouse starts drinking or finds a lover.
• Tired – you’re demoralized when you fail to make progress in being overworked.
• Too few options – you can’t find enough customers or projects.

By the way, FEAR (an acronym for frantic effort to avoid responsibility) is the root-cause of all the symptoms.

Whether it’s a personal situation or professional, there are solutions.

My friend, you need to develop some hope. That’s what you get from developing options.

This means you need to take time for reflection or some deep strategic planning. Yes, I know — lack of time is one of the biggest complaints of businesspeople – they’re too busy putting out fires. So, that’s why it’s vital to budget the time whether you plan a big block of time for reflection or just an hour a day. But you can do it.

If you’re a small-business owner, yes, it’s difficult to set aside the time. To paraphrase Reggie Jackson when he was hitting homeruns for the New York Yankees, you’re the straw that stirs the drink. You’re the sparkplug.

However, you can’t afford not to get the job done. Your work suffers from stagnation. Clients and customers become resentful. Your income will drop.

Do you have employees? Your employees need your leadership. They look to you as the role model. You can influence their performance simply by being energetic and positive.

But what to do?

Here’s a business principle to remember: “No matter what there are no big deals. No matter what.” Remember this axiom to take the emotional sting out of your problems. You’ll be better prepared to deal with issues.

Here’s another: Budget your time so you can better understand your problems.

Here’s how to get going:

1. Write about your situation. Analyze your problem with a piece of paper and pencil
2. Get help from an outside participant. Find a consultant or coach.
3.  If you can’t afford help, and don’t have a mentor, find one. Even in college, I’d call a successful person in my chosen field and ask for a brief appointment. Once, as a junior I was offered a job as a TV announcer in a Top 50 market. After my career was underway but I was laid off, I called the founder of a major broadcasting company. He met with me three times and provided outstanding counsel.
4. Clean and organize. Refrain from using post-it-notes and put things away.
5. Create a vision – some goals. One page will work.
6. Then, develop a balance sheet – pros and cons of the possible solutions.
7. Can’t get things done? Start a to-do list. Do the most-challenging project the first hour of your day. You’ll start experiencing some energy.
8. Take other actions. Even if it’s only going for a walk, take baby steps. Then, accelerate your footwork.
9. Start reading — something helpful each day.
10. Periodically review your goals. Do you want to remain an entrepreneur? Do you need more money? Do you need more time?

Especially during the holidays, excessive drinking is a pressing problem — whether it’s an employee or spouse.

The best-known, least-expensive solutions for problem drinking:

• For friends, relatives or associates of drinkers, Al-Anon (www.al-anon.org) provides free tools. There’s even a program for youngsters. It’s called Alateen.
• For the alcoholic, Alcoholics Anonymous (www.aa.org) is the proven free solution.

Don’t be discouraged. Alchoholics will be hesitant to consider AA until they’re sick and tired of being sick and tired…or until a judge requires AA attendance after a drunk-driving incident.

If you’re the boss, but still don’t feel like working, perhaps you’re burned out. It can happen to anybody – whether it’s procrastinating on difficult decisions, paying bills, or dealing with difficult employees and customers.

So, take some time off. If you can’t get away for 10 to 21 days, then plan a series of mini-vacations. Get some exercise.

Remember: You can’t afford not to relax and exercise.

Good luck in your rejuvenation!

From the Coach’s Corner, you might want to read 30 Time Management, Stress Reducing Skills.

Business Got You Down? Tips for a Morale Boost

 

If sales are discouraging and you feel like you’re on a treadmill going nowhere, it’s probably because you’re worried about the future. Trust me, you’re not alone. The trick is taking baby steps and not worrying about the future results. Instead, focus on the positive. Business success and strong sales stem are made possible by enthusiasm, and an attitude of service and gratitude.

This means not focusing on the proverbial “results department.” That department door might not open. So only focus on footwork and simply knocking on the “results department door.” Imagine knocking on one door and then moving quickly to knock on another.

Don’t wait for the doors to open because that’s what leads to despair. It’s true that a watched pot never boils.

Moreover, this is a good time to measure your progress – not your obstacles. Consider the acronym, GO, which stands for gratitude and options.

By way of explanation, sometimes discouragement is so bad a businessperson obsesses about what’s not working instead of relishing what is working. By focusing solely on the problems they become bigger. When that happens, it’s an endless cycle of despair. The person feels trapped.

Conversely, if a businessperson focuses on the positive, such an attitude of gratitude opens the person up to a childlike wonder and creates hope. Hope leads to options. So, with hope, anything is possible. Know that for each problem – I prefer the word challenge – there are 10 possible solutions for options.

But how can you get gratitude and options?

First create hope for growth. Examine the progress you have made and start a gratitude list. Pat yourself on the back for any footwork. Start by asking yourself, “Where, how, when, why and with whom have I made progress?” Write or type your answers. No progress is too small to list.

For some examples of progress to list, ask yourself these 10 sample questions:

1. What networking events, lunches or meetings have I attended?
2. What new acquaintances have I made?
3. What recognition or positive comments have been made by others about me?
4. What free publicity have I received either from my efforts or those of others?
5. Have I created a new Web site or marketing collateral?
6. Any new skills or knowledge?
7. Have I attracted any new clients or retained old clients?
8. Are there any companies or businesspersons indicating interest in my capabilities?
9. Have I done any pro bono or volunteer work?
10. Do I have a support system or mentor?

If you can’t give a positive answer to the 10 questions, then do what you have to do for the right answers. That’s just to get you started. Perhaps there are other pertinent questions you can ask.

Now, it’s time for a new vision for growth – here’s how:

1. Write out your vision plan. One page will do.
2. Set goals for footwork – not results.
3. Periodically, each day ask yourself, “Is what I’m doing right now, productive?” (Chances are it isn’t productive, so focus on what is.)
4. Keep records of your baby steps.
5. Honor your progress with gratitude and keep it going with affirmations.
6. Stay in close contact with your support system.
7. Get exercise, sleep and medical care when needed.
8. Practice stewardship of your assets. Focus on cleanliness and organization.
9. Focus on your favorite hobby and recreation.
10. Ask clients for feedback. If a client complains, don’t get defensive just take notes. When you’re complimented, ask for referrals to two people who might also appreciate what you have to offer.
11. Keep on practicing gratitude. Always handwrite a thank you note when someone considers buying or hiring you. Thank people for their business. In fact, in every e-mail, note, meeting or telephone conversation, remember 98 percent of the time a thank you is warranted.
12. Keep in mind the adage, “What goes around comes around.” Try to listen more and avoid treating others as though they’re invisible, and you will be accorded greater respect.
13. Keep smiling. A jovial Joe or Jane is an attraction to others.
14. Look around for someone else to help. This will help you smile.
15. As you succeed, carry this message to others.

As you go along and think of other pointers, add them to these suggestions.

Now, GO! Good luck!

From the Coach’s Corner, here are 30 Time Management, Stress Reducing Skills. 

In fact, you might wish to consider a bevy of other business-coaching columns in these categories:  Planning, Operations, Marketing/Sales, Finance and HR.

30 Time Management, Stress Reducing Skills

Updated May 5, 2011

Stress factors abound everywhere. The unemployment picture continues to be murky. General Motors disclosed it earned $3.2 billion in Q1 2011, not long after its bankruptcy and taxpayer bailout.

OK, so you didn’t get a bailout, but Goldman Sachs faced a fraud investigation and paid $20 billion in bonuses just one year after taxpayers rescued the firm with a massive cash transfusion. If you’re a Main Street businessperson, the firm’s behavior is likely to contribute to your stress factors.

Moreover, published reports indicate the firm now disingenuously tries to justify its bonus program by claiming it didn’t need the taxpayer bailout. You might recall it was engineered by former Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson, a Goldman Sachs alum. Where is their moral compass you wonder?

And you might not be convinced the U.S. is embarking on an economic recovery. Many economists are calling it a jobless recovery, but with respect for their opinions, the phrase is actually an oxymoron.

The economy will continue to be difficult with many economic stress factors.

They include:

• Tight credit
• Layoffs
• Rapacious behavior by many credit card companies
• Natural disasters
• Home foreclosures
• Bankruptcies
• Health care costs
• Declining profit
• College tuition

And such factors make businesses reluctant to take bold measures to invest in their future with needed equipment, marketing and training their workers. It’s time for performance solutions.

Start by reducing stress and saving time. Why?

Executives and workers, alike, feel powerless over most of stress factors. Indeed, the 2007 American Psychological Association study, “Stress in America,” had some startling conclusions (www.apa.org). The study is relevant years later.

For example, 74 percent cited work stress, 73 percent had money worries and 66 percent complained about their workloads.

Pressure turns into stress for many.

Trauma in your personal life can affect your business and career. Short of psychotherapy or meditation, time-management skills are a solution.

Here are 30 ways to reduce stress:

1. Identify your stress factors and take steps to eliminate them. Whether it is nasty surprise letter from the IRS, credit-card company predatory behavior, or a complaint from your best customer, do what you can to solve the problem quickly so you can move forward.  Paraphrasing a philosophy of former President Gerald Ford, clear the table and move forward.
2. Know your capabilities and limitations. Don’t take on too much.
3. Find a trustworthy person with whom you can vent and give you empathetic feedback when asked.
4. Understand when you need to say “no.”
5. Get refreshed by taking regular breaks, vacations, recreation and exercise. And when you can, a simple walk will work wonders.
6. Set time limits and goals for meetings.
7. Review your long range goals. Frequently during your work day, ask yourself: “Is this helping me to reach my goals?”
8. Record and analyze how you spend your time.
9. Make sure the first hour of every day is the most productive. Tackle the hardest task first. The rest of the day will seem like a walk in the park.
10. Practice excellence in every responsibility. Do the very best you can and you will prevent regrets.
11. Do everything gently. As famed entertainer Hoagy Carmichael once said, “Slower motion gets you there faster.”
12. Remember:  If you don’t take the time to do it right, when will you have time to do it over?
13. Instead of “post-it notes”, put all the necessary folders away in the appropriate file drawers. Once the clutter is off your desk, the “to do” list serves as the master organizer.
14. Look for progress – not perfection.
15. Plan your time. Make your “to do” list by Friday for the following week. If you’re in sales, have your list ready by Thursday.
16. Review the next day’s schedule before going home each night.
17. Prioritize your work: A, B, or C. Your A duties get done first – immediately.
18. Learn how to structure your e-mail system for maximum efficiency.
19. Eat the right foods for sustained energy.
20. Get enough sleep. If you feel tired by mid-day, ask your doctor for a sleep study. Insomnia and sleep apnea routinely lead to high blood pressure and even strokes.
21. Make your work fun.
22. Learn from baseball player Ichiro and do stretching exercises.
23. Listen to the right music. For many successful people that means classical music.
24. Look around to help someone who is less fortunate. Volunteerism is gratifying.
25. Learn breathing techniques.
26. If you commute to work, consider mass transit and take a good book to read.
27. Review inspiring thoughts, such as “No matter what, there are no big deals.” Taking the emotional sting out of your reactions to events will help. Learn to respond, not react.
28. Develop positive affirmations about yourself, keep your notes handy, frequently review them and rehearse them in front of the mirror.
29. Remember, the remedy for depression is action.
30. Become more active socially. Yes, that’s a time management skill. If you are not alone, you are not lonely. Loneliness contributes to stress.

Get busy and you’ll soon feel ready to take on the world and head toward to profits. Start investing in your future with needed equipment, marketing and training of workers. And talk with your public officials about policies that will improve the nation’s economic health and create jobs.

From the Coach’s Corner, for related career tips, here is another Biz Column:

10 Strategies to Overcome Stress and Energize Your Career