How to Manage Tasks and Reduce Stress: 5 Proven Strategies

Sharing insights on prioritizing tasks, setting realistic goals, using time blocking, delegating, and taking breaks to reduce stress. By tackling tasks within a set time frame, one can increase productivity and maintain sanity while having fun.

Welcome to Authentic Living with Linda
I’m Linda Codlin

Welcome, My Friends.

This week has been one of things ticking over beautifully.
The tasks on my ninety day plan are getting ticked off consistently, the things that are important to me are regularly being prioritized.
I’m noticing gaps in what I believe to be true and what I want to be true, and doing the inner healing and belief work to narrow these gaps.
This to me is what a successful week feels like. Growth and achievement, internal and external.

Okay, this week I want to talk about…

5 ways we can manage the tasks we have to do, within a time frame to reduce stress.

I’ve been thinking about time management.
We don’t actually manage time. Time ticks by no matter what we do or don’t do.
We manage the tasks, or activities within a time frame. That time frame might be ninety days, one month, one week or twenty four hours.
Sometimes we get to set the time frame, at other times it is set for us by other identities, such as work, school, the bus timetable, and our body’s.

Five ways to manage tasks and time frames.

Prioritize your Tasks.

I have seen systems that require you to write a list of all the things you want to accomplish and then assign them a number according to how urgent they are.
I have used the back of an envelope to write the things that needed to be done during the day.
I have created beautiful and elaborate plans on what needs to be done at what time.
I have also created charts to monitor where I am using my time and what I’m actually doing with my minutes. (Try this, it is very revealing, it shows up the tendencies towards procrastination and what your procrastination vices are.)
At the moment I am creating lists of the projects that will have the biggest impact on my goals.

The difference that makes the biggest difference.
Then I’m breaking those down into sub-headings, mini projects within the big project.
And then these mini projects are broken into tasks. Each task will have a list of details that need to be accomplished.
For Example: I am decluttering my computer and hard drive files as a project.
Part of this project is to complete tasks that I have sidelined as too hard, too boring, or not important enough right now. And to complete them.
I have had to learn new programmes, new ways of storing data, research certain items before I could write the reports etc.
Each of these are listed, given a date and time, and a time frame to be completed in. This prevents me jumping down more interesting wormholes, and keeps me focused.

What system do you use to decide what is a priority for you?
Is it working?
By deciding in advance and preparing ahead of time for what could be needed, you prevent the possibility of putting it off till later because of whatever excuse or reason is handy.
By deciding in advance what is important to be completed, you give it the priority and urgency it requires.
Maybe your priority is meditating for peace of mind and health of body, this would be at the top of your daily doing list, with a booked in time, and time frame.
By focusing on the high priority tasks first, you reduce your overwhelm, lower your stress, and ensure the critical items that need to be done are done in a timely manner.

Set Realistic Goals

I have talked a bit about this in prioritizing your tasks.
Sometimes it’s not about the goal, sometimes it’s about the progress that’s being made.
I have found by breaking my tasks into the smallest possible slices that I get to see the progress being made, which keeps me motivated to keep moving forward.
A realistic goal might look like decluttering the computer and hard drive files. (which is mine)
As a lump goal this is pretty overwhelming, I have hundreds of files, and thousands of documents that require me to look at and make a decision on.
I have chosen to go one main folder at a time. Each main folder may have 5-10 sub-folders with further sub-folders in them, with documents in those sub-folders.
Making this a realistic goal has involved giving it an extended time frame, and setting a goal of a minimum of 15 minutes a day, or a particular folder to be completed.
As I go if I find, some of my past procrastinations that require completing, they also go on the list in the smallest slice possible.
The decluttering is paused until the past procrastination document is completed. (This gives me the sense of knowing that all documents moving forward are complete.)
What goals are sitting on your procrastination pile that are nagging at you for attention?
These are all energy blockers, clear the blockage by clearing the nagging procrastination.
http://www.flylady.net Marla Cilley has what she calls an anti-procrastination day, one day a week where we are challenged to complete something we’ve been procrastinating on.
Break your goals into the smallest and easiest bite size pieces.

Ask yourself, ‘How can I make this easy and effortless?’
Then make it easy and as effortless as possible.

Use time blocking.

I use the Pomodoro Technique.
I set a timer for 25 minutes, no distractions, no interruptions, head down, concentrated work for 25 minutes.
I’m amazed at how much can be accomplished in 25 mins, once your energy gets in the flow of what you are doing everything becomes easier.
I find time blocking also lets my brain know what I’m about to work on. If I’ve decided that 10am I am writing letters, then my brain knows that this is what we will be doing.
It has taken some time to train my brain to trust me, when I say I’m doing it at a set time, then that’s what we’re doing.
Initially my brain and my body would rebel, they would try telling me stories about being too tired, not sure what needs doing, that there was something more fun somewhere else.
And when I listened and didn’t do my work, I would feel remorse, overwhelm and all behind.
So, one day I decided that no matter what my brain said, or how my body told me it felt, if it was booked into my diary, it was going to be done.
It didn’t take my brain and body to realize I was serious, and get on board with me.
Remember you are responsible for your schedule, you get to leave space and time for fun.
A high-value person does not over schedule themselves, they leave space for time out and fun.
The other part of the Pomodoro Technique is to allow yourself time between each timer set.
The time in between sets could be used for a bathroom stop, water top up, star jumps to get the blood pumping, or 5 mins with your eyes closed meditating.

Delegate Whenever Possible.

If you can pass a task onto someone who is capable to do the task to your standard, do so. (Also remember to train to the standard you expect. Then inspect what you expect to ensure it is at your standard.)
Delegating, whether that is paying someone to do a task you don’t enjoy doing, like housework, or whether it is something for your business or career, like editing videos, always make sure you are clear on your expectations and the results you are wanting.
Delegating doesn’t work well without clear guidelines and systems in place, it will end up making more work for you. Be sure to know why you are delegating.
You are responsible for the work you delegate, follow up and follow through with ensuring the result is what you want.
This will give you more time to focus on the things that only you can do, and gives you space to be authentically yourself without added pressure.
Delegating also allows others to show case their skills and abilities, it is good for the economy, it is good for mental health and for productivity.

Take Breaks.

Take the weekend off from work, leave work at work.
Give your body and brain time to wind down, to release the tension from the week just past.
Taking a break increases your creativity.

Your mind can find creative solutions when you are not stressed about the problem, or hyper focusing on it.
Have you ever had the experience of being in the shower, relaxed and feeling great, when a solution pops into your mind, and it’s exactly what you were looking for.
Your subconscious mind never sleeps, but sometimes it needs our conscious mind to be quiet so we can hear it speak.
As with the Pomodoro Technique regular breaks are essential for maintaining productivity and reducing stress. Allowing your creative energy to flow in ways that striving and struggling will never work.
Changing your environment can have the same effect as having a break.
Maybe you could work at a café, now and then, just for a change of pace, or stimulation.
Maybe you could work in the garden, instead of in the office all the time.
Even driving to the beach and sitting in the car with your laptop could be the change that is needed for your next breakthrough.
Take a break, change your environment, take the weekend off completely, refresh and relax.

These five strategies help me to be productive, maintain my sanity, and have some fun along the way.
How would you like to put these into action this week?

1. Prioritize Tasks.
2. Set Realistic Goals.
3. Use Time Blocking.
4. Delegate When Possible.
5. Take Breaks.

If you want assistance in breaking your big projects into smaller more attainable steps, contact me for a 30 minute complementary call to investigate how I can help you to help yourself achieve your goals.

oxoxo Linda

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