Forgotten Workplace Hacks That Will Reduce Worry And Fatigue At Work

Clear Your Desk of All Papers Except Those Related to the Immediate Problem at Hand

Do you keep your desk nice and organized? I don’t, but I’m constantly trying. There are two kinds of people in the world. There are those who can only work successfully when their immediate surroundings are organized and tidy, and then there are those like myself who can function in any messy state. I’ve tried to be otherwise, but there hasn’t been any significant progress. I’ll keep trying… I’ll keep trying….

If we visit the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C., we will find five words painted on the ceiling:

“Order is Heaven’s first law.”

Order should also be the fundamental law of business. But is this the case? No, the average entrepreneur’s desk is piled high with papers he hasn’t looked at in weeks. Coffee stains, unwashed coffee mugs, and haphazardly flung pens, and other stationery are common sights. Finally, one must not overlook the maze of entangled cords that help in connecting or charging all of the desk worker’s fancy gadgets.

The sight of a desk piled high with reports and documents is enough to breed confusion, tension, and worry. The constant reminder of a “million things to do and no time to do them” can cause not just tension and exhaustion, but also high blood pressure, heart issues, and even gut problems.

Dr. John H. Stokes, Professor, School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, in one of his research papers had a list of eleven conditions under the title: “What to Look for in a Person’s State of Mind.”. And the first item on the list was:

“The sense of must or obligation; the unending stretch of things ahead that simply have to be done.”

But how can such an elementary procedure as clearing your desk and making decisions help you avoid this high pressure, this sense of must, this sense of an “unending stretch of things ahead that simply have to be done”?

The key here is to make it a habit to never leave any unfinished business on our desk. Taking care of things as they come up and not having a mound of unfinished business nagging at us and making us uncomfortable and nervous could do a lot more for our physical and mental well-being than we can imagine. Reports or papers from previous weeks could be archived immediately rather than later.

“People do not get sick from overwork. They certainly do owing to dissipation and worry. Yes, from the dissipation of their energies — and worry because they never seem to get their work done.”— Charles Evans Huges

.......................

Have a look at my curated article on ‘ The Psychology behind why we get easily tired and fatigued.’

Do Things in the Order of Their Importance

An entrepreneur once said that regardless of how much he paid his best employees, there were two skills he found it impossible to find.

Those two priceless abilities are: first, the ability to think. Second, the ability to do things in the order of their importance.

We know how to do it, and we’d love to experience it in our lives. To start our day at 5 a.m. Yes, I know. This one is not going to be simple. Planning the day at this early hour in the morning will help us think clearly and prioritize tasks in the order of their importance.

It is also beneficial to plan for the next day the night before. Some folks also do it this way. I understand that it is not always possible for us to do things in the order of their priority, but I also understand that having a plan to do first things first is far superior to improvising as we go.

If George Bernard Shaw had not made it a rigid rule to put first things first, he would most likely have failed as a writer and ended up working as a bank cashier for the rest of his life. His plan called for him to write five pages per day. That idea pushed him to continue writing five pages a day for nine long years, despite earning only thirty dollars — roughly a penny a day.

.......................

When You Face a Problem, Solve It Then and There if You Have the Facts Necessary to Make a Decision. Don’t Keep Putting off Decisions

We face problems of all sizes and shapes in our personal and professional lives. It is critical and prudent to address and resolve a problem to the point where a clear and sound decision may be made before moving on to the next issue. Just as a clean and organized work desk helps to reduce our worry and tension, not procrastinating with problems in our lives does the same.

Take up one problem at a time and come to a decision. No procrastination, no putting off. This way, there won’t be a worrying sense of unresolved problems.

.........................

Learn to Organize, Deputize, and Supervise

Many small-time entrepreneurs and other business professionals are driving themselves to all sorts of physical and mental miseries by failing to properly learn to delegate responsibility to others. They take on all of the responsibility and are far too stressed. They are always pushed by a sense of impending doom, concern, anxiety, and stress. They are worried about delegating power to the wrong individuals. However, as difficult as it is to delegate authority, it is necessary if they are to prevent worry, tension, and fatigue.

“Be soft. Do not let the world make you hard. Do not let pain make you hate. Do not let the bitterness steal your sweetness. Take pride that even though the rest of the world may disagree, you still believe it to be a beautiful place.” — Kurt Vonnegut

........................

• Thanks for reading.
• Love, Peace, and Bliss.
• If you liked what you read, please consider subscribing, liking or sending me a small tip.