Manage your time to manage your stress

Nov 22 / Keith Battle (he/him)
If you’re like me it probably feels like there are never enough hours in a day or days in the week to fit everything in. And, like me, you may have tried some time management tools, productivity hacks, training or coaching or even therapy if your overwhelm is really bad. Even though I was knocking out tasks and projects at a superhuman level, according to witnesses, this feeling of never being able to get to a good stopping point led to a downward spiral. I stopped having the energy to do the things that I love to do outside of work like making music, martial arts, and playing with friends. The problem is that I need all of those things to create some sense of release and balance in my life. Instead, I found myself insomniac AF, mind racing on all the things I needed to achieve in the next day, week or month. 
The good news is, I found tools and tactics that work!

It took a pretty major burnout and some tough conversations with my then boss and my therapist for me to realize and begin to articulate that I was on an completely unsustainable path. The thing is, I love being the superhero and, hell, I even love to work. I can’t count how many times I’ve pulled a 12-15 hour day and felt great about it, especially in work environments where we were offered a flexible schedule and I could make up the time elsewhere when whatever crisis or not-to-be-missed deadline was in the rearview mirror. For me, though, this workaholism coupled with a people pleasing nature started to get really tricky to manage when I started to operate at the executive level. And, yes, my dear freelancers I consider you to be in this category. The good news is, I found some tools and tactics that work for me. I hope they’re helpful to you as well.

Track everything
One thing you’re probably already doing is creating to-do lists and they certainly have their utility. But are you tracking how much time it takes to complete all those tasks? In my opinion, you really should be!

Reason #1 - keeping track of your time is a great way to identify opportunities to improve efficiency through automation, additional training or outsourcing.

Reason #2 - adding the time dimension to tasks is essential to make sure you’re pricing your time correctly.

Reason #3 - there’s this thing called the Pomodoro Technique that has been shown to increase focus and productivity by breaking work down into smaller sprints instead of a marathon slog where you forget to eat lunch. Been there, done that, bought the t-shirt, never going back.

Focus on what matters
This one is pretty cool. It’s a little old school but the classics never die. Ever been sitting at your computer with an overflowing inbox and a mile-long task list and get that deer in the headlights freeze? I can certainly relate to this version of decision paralysis. Enter the Eisenhower Method. Broadly speaking this method helps you to compartmentalize different types of work by assigning them an importance and an urgency. What you get is a decision matrix like this.

The philosophy behind the Eisenhower Method is that if we spend more time on the things that are “Important and Not Urgent” (think big picture planning and long-term projects), fewer things rise to the “Important and Urgent” status, also referred to as “Putting out fires”.
I asked on Quora a while back what things should go in the “Not Important and Urgent” quadrant and a helpful commenter replied that they use that quadrant for things they should delegate. This user was interpreting that lower left quadrant as “Not Important TO ME but Urgent. I like that twist when working with teams. I like the example above, too, because it helped me to think about how to create a work environment that is more focused. I’m as distractible as Dug, the dog from Pixar’s Up, so open-concept or co-working environments really don’t work for me. Even when I’m working from home I literally jerk my head towards the window every time I see a squirrel run by from the corner of my eye. I just can’t help it. What I do to control my work environment, besides closing the blinds when I need to focus, is turn off all social media notifications and assemble my personal and business email tabs into a tab group and then collapse it.

Use a scheduling tool for meetings
I’ve used Acuity in the past and now use Calendly for scheduling calls and meetings but Google Calendar is good enough to get you started, provided the majority of your calls and meetings are with Google users. Using these tools has greatly reduced interruptions and unscheduled calls. No more phone tag and no more losing your train of thought when the phone rings in the middle of your carefully cultivated flow state.

Last tactic: Try, Troubleshoot and Tweak 
Try out one or more of these tools and tactics and commit to using them for 30 days. That’s how long, on average, it takes for a person to adopt a new habit. It can be really easy to try something new and then flake out when the going gets tough, even when you’re pretty convinced that that new habit will have long-term benefits.

Troubleshoot any barriers to adoption that you encounter along the way to see if you just need to change either your mindset or the way you’re implementing (or both). Not every tool or tactic is useful to everyone and I certainly ran into my share of false starts and roadblocks before settling on the suite that I use.

Tweak the way(s) that you’re implementing your selected tools and tactics and continue to take note of any hiccups. Rinse and repeat.

Bonus tip: Celebrate your successes
As a small ritual I have set aside the final 2 hours of every work week with a block of time called Reflect and Plan. Carving out this time helps me look back on all the accomplishments of the week. With that done, I’m better able to let go of any guilt or stress about the things I didn’t get around to. I bust out that crossed off to-do list and marvel at my productivity. I also use this time to look ahead to the next week and figure out how to catch up on anything that slipped through the cracks as well as dedicate time to new tasks. As I close up my laptop for the week I can sail into the weekend without my brain buzzing about all the things I’ve been juggling. Well, most of the time. It’s important to remember that this is a living process and some weeks will end with more wind in your sails than others. However, I can say with confidence that taking time to manage your time will reduce confusion and stress and help you enjoy the precious time with friends and family more, thereby reducing stress even further.


What is Online Learning?

In online learning, students attend classes on the Internet and involve in real interactions with teachers and students at the other end. Students can attend the curriculum at their own pace and easily access the class from anywhere.

Online Learning is a reality and gradually becoming part of formal education. This educational model appeals especially to anyone who can’t attend a physical faculty or school. Online Learning also hops the national boundaries and is offered for dispersed college students that can have a wider choice of online programs.

How does online learning work? Learning management systems (LMS) provide an accessible exchange of information between professors and students. Τhis way, students can view learning material at their leisure or even attend scheduled conferences or lectures.

Concerning test-taking, learners can submit course assignments through the LMS, participate in a discussion, or submit other tasks. Lastly, professors may provide feedback to the student through comments or emails when using this LMS.
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