The Productivity Pro® Blog by Laura Stack - Time Management, Getting Things Done, How to Be More Productive

Laura Stack, The Productivity Pro(R) talks about lurking stressors and how they affect our productivity. (C) 2011 Laura Stack, All Rights Reserved http://www.TheProductivityPro.com

Everyone has stress! But is yours the good kind or bad kind? Positive stress can create improved productivity levels, but negative stress can cause performance to decline. Learn to diagnose your stress levels and determine the proper balance in your life.

It’s only logical that the healthier you are, the more productive you can be.  Think about it – the last time you were ill, how much work did you really get done?  It is so easy today to neglect ourselves because we are “too busy” or “too tired.”  We’re coming up on that busy holiday time of the year where everyone seems harried and has too much to do.  The holiday season doesn’t have to be a drain.  Now is the time to take steps to keep yourself healthy!

1. Get enough sleep!  I know, easier said than done – but it is important!

2. Get your flu shot.  No, it isn’t fun, but neither is the flu. 

3. Don’t neglect your exercise routine.  It is easy during the holiday season to skip over your regular workouts.  Try to stick to your routine, and you’ll feel better!

4. Treat yourself but don’t overindulge.  It’s not easy to say no to pumpkin pie and mom’s specialty side-dishes.  Have some (it’s okay)…in moderation.

5. Say “No.”  There are invitations galore, requests for assistance, volunteer time and all sorts of demands on your time time during the holidays.  Do the things that give you joy and help your community, but again…in moderation.  Don’t neglect yourself and your family for the sake of something “good.”

You can keep up your energy levels throughout the holidays and not end up in burnout on January 1st!  If you haven’t yet, check out my latest book, The Exhaustion Cure.  You’ll find all sorts of ideas on how to stay healthy and energetic!

(C) 2008 Laura Stack.  www.TheProductivityPro.com

Times are uncertain. The news programs and websites are all gloom and doom, full of distractions with the financial “crisis” and the upcoming elections. How do we stay productive when Chicken Little is screaming “the sky is falling”? Turn it all off, at least for a while.  Stay off the news websites during the work day. Schedule yourself for some time to read up on the candidates, ballot issues and news that is important to you, but outside of that, turn it off. Keeping the TV on and constantly being on news websites is information overload that creates undue stress. What’s going to happen is going to happen and you watching it unfold on CNN is not going to change anything. What we CAN do to help is to stay productive so that our businesses and households are as healthy as they can be. “But, there are things in the news I want to read/see,” you say? Then create a Google alert at www.google.com to search for for news, articles and blogs on the topics you choose sent straight to your inbox. That way you avoid the clutter on the front page of MSNBC or CNN which can distract you from the tasks at hand. I’m not saying it is not important to remain informed about what’s happening in the country and the world. We just need to control the time we spend on news and television. Our productivity boosts when we are healthy and not over-stressed about things we cannot control. So, skip the news tonight and go for a walk with a loved one.

(C) 2008 Laura Stack. www.TheProductivityPro.com

People with high stress levels are more likely to have heart attacks and strokes, respond poorly to flu vaccines, and catch colds more easily than those with low levels of work or interpersonal stress. To sideline stress, you need to learn to shift your perception and the impact of stressful situations. Here are some hints on how to do that.

1. Take a chill pill.  High anxiety can put a damper on your performance levels, so take psychological steps, like prayer, meditation, and positive imagery, to reduce your anxiety level. Or just forgive someone who’s slighted you.

2. Actively counter stress. Your stress won’t go away by itself; you may have to use effective stress management techniques to ease it. A massage, listening to music, and even crying can help you release built-up tension.

3. Seize control in small ways. You can’t control a traffic jam, your company direction, or Mother Nature. Identify things you can and can’t control in your daily life. Once you’ve done this, you can work on the things you have some control over, and let the rest go.

4. Turn off work when you’re on personal time. You can’t let your job take over your life. Re-erect the personal boundaries between home-time and job-time that electronic devices have so recently eliminated, or you’ll be eaten up by stress.

5. Take full advantage of company-sponsored benefit plans. Don’t let a desire to impress your employer keep you from taking advantage of your company benefits. There are valid reason for daily breaks, sick time, vacation, and the rest, and a smart boss will realize they’re instrumental to recharging your batteries.

6. Avoid crises by working ahead of deadlines. Procrastinating can force you to do everything at the last minute, which just ratchets up the stress, sucks away your energy, and adds to the difficulty of getting things done.

7. Lose the Type A Personality. Type A personalities tend to be competitive, aggressive, dominant, ambitious, acquisitive, self-driven, and hardworking. Ultimately, these traits can have effects on your body far beyond energy drain. Seek help before the physical effects overwhelm you.

8. Don’t stew. If you’re stuck somewhere where you can’t get anything done — say, in a line at the bank — it’s better occupy your mind than to stew. Pull out your handheld and answer email, or work on a Sudoku puzzle to keep your mind sharp.

The physical effects of stress are so wide-ranging and common that some experts estimate that almost half of all doctor visits are stress-related. So do what you can to take it easy; in particular, stop trying to control the uncontrollable, and instead focus on what you can control — yourself and your reactions.

© 2008 Laura Stack.  Laura Stack is a personal productivity expert, author, and professional speaker who helps busy workers Leave the Office Earlier® with Maximum Results in Minimum Time™. She is the president of The Productivity Pro®, Inc., a time management training firm specializing in productivity improvement in high-stress organizations.  Since 1992, Laura has presented keynotes and seminars on improving output, lowering stress, and saving time in today’s workplaces.  She is the bestselling author of three works published by Broadway Books: The Exhaustion Cure (2008), Find More Time (2006) and Leave the Office Earlier (2004).  Laura is a spokesperson for Microsoft, 3M, and Day-Timers®, Inc and has been featured on the CBS Early Show, CNN, and the New York Times. Her clients include Cisco Systems, Sunoco, KPMG, Nationwide, and 3M.  To have Laura speak at your next event, call 303-471-7401.  Visit www.TheProductivityPro.com to sign up for her free monthly productivity newsletter.

SLEEP: Learn to Love the Last Letter of the Alphabet

You might be surprised to learn that there’s a simple treatment that boosts energy levels, improves memory, increases your ability to concentrate, strengthens your immune system, and decreases your risk of death and injury in accidents. Amazingly, it costs absolutely nothing, and is available to anyone. It’s called “sleep.” Ever heard of it?

Quality, restful, undisturbed sleep is one of the keys to maximizing your daytime energy level, but it may take a little tinkering to find what’s right for you. Here are a few tips that can help.

1. Catch the right number of Z’s. Experiment with finding the amount of sleep that’s right for you, and stick with it religiously — even on the weekends and holidays!

2. Nap wisely. If you absolutely have to take a nap, limit it to one hour — and don’t nap at all if you suffer from insomnia.

3. Treat sleep disorders. If you can’t get any rest, have yourself tested for sleep disorders. There are over 100, and each can interfere with your physical and emotional well being.

4. Lose weight. Obesity and poor sleep patterns go hand-in-hand, and just make each other worse. Your only real choice is to nip obesity in the bud.

5. Reset your body clock. Faulty circadian rhythms can foul up the timing of your normal sleep/wake cycle. The fix? Work to reset your body clock naturally.

6. Create the right sleep environment. Your bedroom should be your sleeping sanctuary, not a place to read, knit, or watch TV. If your body associates bed with sleep, you’ll get to sleep more quickly and sleep better.

7. Eat, drink, and be sleepy. Never go to bed hungry, but don’t go to bed right after dinner either. In addition, you should watch your intake of alcohol, water, and stimulants late in the evening.

8. Sleep well when traveling.  Look for hotels, like the Crowne Plaza chain, that understand the need for great sleep and provide for it. If you plan to travel several time zones away, try resetting your body clock in advance.

Never underestimate the value of a good night’s sleep. If you don’t get enough sleep, you’ll suffer fatigue, lack of energy, difficulty concentrating, and irritability the next day. While the body can dig into its reserves for a few days, inadequate sleep will eventually reduce your effectiveness at anything you attempt to do.

© 2008 Laura Stack.  Laura Stack is a personal productivity expert, author, and professional speaker who helps busy workers Leave the Office Earlier® with Maximum Results in Minimum Time™. She is the president of The Productivity Pro®, Inc., a time management training firm specializing in productivity improvement in high-stress organizations.  Since 1992, Laura has presented keynotes and seminars on improving output, lowering stress, and saving time in today’s workplaces.  She is the bestselling author of three works published by Broadway Books: The Exhaustion Cure (2008), Find More Time (2006) and Leave the Office Earlier (2004).  Laura is a spokesperson for Microsoft, 3M, and Day-Timers®, Inc and has been featured on the CBS Early Show, CNN, and the New York Times. Her clients include Cisco Systems, Sunoco, KPMG, Nationwide, and 3M.  To have Laura speak at your next event, call 303-471-7401.  Visit www.TheProductivityPro.com to sign up for her free monthly productivity newsletter.