Most of us spend the majority of our day at work and research shows that the hours we spend working are constantly increasing. You are unlikely to be able to change either the prevailing work ethic or your working environment, but you can keep hold of your priorities and devise strict routines to ensure you make the most of your time.
How to Organize Your Day
If you are one of those people who rush out of the door in the morning and has to return because you have forgotten something or if you are someone who spends much of your working day flapping about until you reach home in a state of exhaustion, you need to get organized and regain control.
Try to take control of your day and reduce stress by:
- Prepare as much as possible the night before-get your clothes ready or lay out the breakfast table for example. If you drink coffee, put the filter in the coffee maker, put the coffee beans inside and pour water in the coffee maker so it is ready in the morning to just turn the power on to make your coffee. Pouring your coffee into a Thermus to bring to work. Saves you time going to buy your coffee at the coffee shop. Instead pour it into a Thermus to bring with you wherever you go plus you are saving money! Double bonus. Check out our Thermus collection to store your warm beverages into. Drinking lemon water at work throughout the day is extremely beneficial for your health by detoxing your body plus if you like lemon it makes your water more enjoyable to drink! Happy Being Well offers a on the go water bottle with a built-in lemon presser to easily squeeze your lemons into your water on the go & bring to work or meetings! Check out it here.
- Get up at least 10 minutes earlier than usual to give yourself the extra time to complete whatever it is that causes you to rush.
- Do not switch on the TV because this will distract you and make you late.
- Do not answer the phone unless you think it could be really important.
- Just before leaving the house, go over your mental checklist to reassure yourself you have everything you need.
- Making a checklist is an effective way of organizing a busy day-you could even stick it to the refrigerator to make sure you haven’t forgotten anything.
At Work
Having a work routine helps you define your achievements and leave the stresses of work behind at the end of the day. Once a week, plan a weekly schedule. Then spend the first 15 minutes of each working day thinking about what you wish to achieve. It helps to make a list, but don’t make it too long as this can be daunting and demotivating.
- Don’t try to do too many things at once.
- Prioritize and do the essential things first.
- Try to tackle at least one thing on your list that you really do not like doing-you will have a great sense of achievement when this task is completed.
- Leave half an hour a day for the unexpected.
- Delegate as many tasks as possible-don’t take on everything yourself.
- If you can’t delegate, ask for help.
- Learn to say “no” politely without feeling the need to justify yourself.
- Get a good diary and use it.
- Meetings should be to the point-always make it clear when they will end.
- If you are delayed, call and inform the person you are meeting; if you have to break an appointment, try to give as much notice as possible.
- Take time at the end of the day to review what you’ve done and to congratulate yourself on your achievements.
- If you have to make a number of phone calls, group them together- it is much more efficient.
- Turn off your mobile phone if you do not wish to be disturbed.
- If you work from home, invest in an extra phone and don’t answer the business phone out of office hours.
- Do not answer the phone just before or during meals-if it is really important, the person will call back.
- Don’t let the phone take over your life- answer calls only when it suits you and make calls only when you have plenty of time.
Work Space
A cluttered desk makes it more difficult to work effectively. Tidy your desk at the end of each day. Make use of in, out and pending trays and keep everything you need close to hand. Keep a supply of stationery and pens within easy reach of your desk and dispose of those that no longer work.
Pause for Thought
Most of us are governed by clocks, constantly under one deadline or another in order to become more efficient and productive. As slaves of time, we constantly rush to get things done, frequently making mistakes instead of thinking about what we are trying to achieve. Taking a moment to stop and think gives you the opportunity to act with greater consciousness and react more appropriately to the situation. A pause also let’s you say “no” and avoid committing yourself to too many things at once. At work, take time to enjoy a tasty, nutritious snack and recharge your batteries. Have an aromatherapy diffuser on your desk helps to keep you mentally alert, focused, energized and uplifts your spirit. Our sense of smell is the most powerful way to change our emotional state. This is one of the reasons we are happy to provide you with a great selection of aromatherapy diffusers and natural essential oils to pour some drops of oil into so you can tap into the mental benefits of aromatherapy to increase your productivity, focus, clarity, energy and mood! Also, smelling lavender and peppermint also helps relieve headaches. Peppermint oil is also great for mental alertness, focus and clarity. The following essential oils are great to boost brain function, improve mental clarity, reduce stress and stimulate inner peace:
Also, at Happy Being Well we do carry oils for a specific goal that are already blended for you such as our memory essential oil blend and our clarity essential oil blend.
Take a Break
It is universally recognized that to work for long hours without a regular break is damaging for your health and can on occasion be extremely dangerous. Its just like driving- you have to stop every couple of hours as your concentration and abilities begin to fail. Many office chairs are bad for posture and long hours spent staring at a computer screen can cause eyestrain, neck ache and backache. Get up, stretch and walk around at least once an hour. Take time off for lunch and eat away from your desk if possible. Remember that by law you are entitled to have regular breaks and you will be much more productive if you take them. Many of our customers love wearing our Womens Beige Brown Argyle Legging for both work and play. These leggings look professional, sophisticated, stylish and yet super comfortable to take a walk in or go to the gym or yoga studio after work to release stress and stay fit.
When to Switch Off
Don’t fall into the trap of thinking that the longer you spend at work, the more you will get done when in fact the opposite is more likely. Working excessively long hours and taking work home is counterproductive. Keeping work and home separate and being able to spend quality time with your family is essential-if you spend your leisure time relaxing, you will return to work refreshed and be able to give it your full attention.
Time Off Vacations
A vacation is a chance to rest and recharge your batteries but all too often it turns into another stressful event. Mental and physical preparation will make potential difficulties easier to deal with. Planning is the key to a successful vacation. First of all, choose a vacation that suits you and your family. Find out as much as you can about your destination before you go so that you know what your itinerary will be and what to pack. A few days before, prepare yourself mentally by making an effort to slow down-maybe take an extra day off work to unwind.
Instant Calm at Work
If you are being thrown into a state of panic by an approaching deadline, make a conscious effort to calm down. Instruct yourself to stop then close your eyes and breathe slowly and deeply. Feel yourself becoming more relaxed; notice your heartbeat slowing down. Alternatively, follow the steps for quick and easy meditation in our mediation made easy e-book here. Also, having a salt lamp by your computer or laptop helps people tremendously especially when taking screen breaks. First, they are beautiful to look at. Second, a salt lamp will counteract the harmful electronic vibrations caused by your electronic devices. Third, it helps purify the air. We are happy to provide various style of salt lamps in our natural home category.
If you enjoy learning about strategies to live happy being well then subscribe to our podcast, "Happy Being Well" and listen to our latest episode on either Apple iTunes or Spotify. If this article has helped you in anyway then share it out on your social media with friends, co-workers and family!
