about Healthy life
From MayoClinic.com
Special to CNN.com
Do you find yourself overwhelmed by the number of projects you have at work or the depth of these projects? Do you feel the day flies by without your devoting the necessary attention to each assignment because other tasks keep landing on your desk, or because you can’t get it all organized?
You probably know that effective time management will help you get more done each day. It has important health benefits, too. By managing your time more wisely, you can minimize stress and improve your quality of life.
But how do you get back on track when organizational skills don’t come naturally? To get started, choose one of these tips, try it for two to four weeks and see if it helps. If it does, consider adding another one. If not, try a different one.
- Plan each day. Planning your day can help you feel more in control of you life. Write a to-do list, putting the most important tasks at the top. Keep a schedule of your daily activities to minimize conflicts and last-minute rushes.
- Prioritize your tasks. Like many people, you may be spending the majority of your time on a small percentage of your tasks. Prioritizing will ensure you spend your time and energy on those that are truly important to you.
- Say no to nonessential tasks. Consider your goals and schedule before agreeing to take on additional work.
- Delegate. Take a look at your to-do list and consider what you can eliminate or pass on to someone else.
- Take the time you need to do a quality job. Doing work right the first time may take more time upfront, but errors usually result in time spent making corrections, which takes more time overall.
- Break large, time-consuming tasks into smaller tasks. Work on them a few minutes at a time until you get them all done.
- Practice the 10-minute rule. Work on a dreaded task for 10 minutes each day. Once you get started, you may find you can finish it.
- Evaluate how you’re spending your time. Keep a diary of everything you do for three days to determine how you’re spending your time. Look for time that can be used more wisely. For example, could you take a bus or train to work and use the commute to catch up on reading? If so, you could free up some time to exercise or spend with family or friends.
- Get plenty of sleep and exercise. Improved focus and concentration will help improve your efficiency so that you can complete your work in less time.
- Take a time management course. If your employer offers continuing education, take a time management class. If your workplace doesn’t have one, find out if a local community college, university or community education program does.
- Take a break when needed. Too much stress can derail your attempts at getting organized. When you need a break, take one. Take a walk. Do some quick stretches at your workstation. Take a day of vacation.
Ask for helpIf you’re too frazzled to think about trying any of these tips, it’s time to ask for help. Does your life feel totally out of control? If so, contact your employee assistance program (EAP) at your workplace for assistance, or discuss your situation with your docto
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Nourish healthy habits amid tough economic times
- Story Highlights
- As crises rattle Wall Street, job pressures are fueling unhealthy habits
- Stressed workers often eat more calories, skip exercise, do other bad behavior
- But good food, exercise give people a sense of control and calm, dietitian says
- Walks, breaks, employee recognition help; caffeine, too many calories hurt
NEW YORK (AP) — Breakfast is diet Pepsi and two packets of M&M’s. For lunch, macaroons and white chocolates filled with marzipan from the farmer’s market near Wall Street.
After learning her job would be cut this summer, Kelly Daly started reaching more frequently for the soothing effects of sugar.
“It’s a stress reliever; especially now that a bunch of us are going to be laid off,” said Daly, 49, whose job reviewing medical insurance records in Manhattan’s financial district is being cut after 11 years.
As the credit and housing crises rattle Wall Street, pressures over bigger workloads, job security and shrinking nest eggs are upending diets and fueling unhealthy habits across the country.
Stressed workers often reach for calorie-rich foods, skip the gym after a taxing day or forgo meals because of heavy workloads. Or they indulge in other bad-for-you behavior like smoking, drinking or staying out late.
But it is in times of duress, experts say, minding your health is perhaps more critical than ever.
Eating right and getting exercise may seem burdensome and even frivolous under such circumstances, but such healthy activities actually give people a greater sense of control and calm, said registered dietitian Heather Bauer, author of “The Wall Street Diet.”
“It’s one less thing to stress you out,” Bauer said. “If you’re out of a job or in a financial slump, it can give you a sense of inspiration as well.”
For Aleksandra Cogura, heftier workloads in recent months means skipping lunch. If she’s lucky, she’ll manage to grab breakfast on the go. Once a gym regular, she hasn’t been in four months.
“I just feel like I need to complete my work,” said Cogura, a 44-year-old sales analyst in publishing in Manhattan.
Stress can take more serious, physical tolls. People under great stress release hormones and nerve chemicals that weaken the immune system, rendering them more susceptible to illness, said Dr. Esther Sternberg, who studies the effects of stress at the National Institute of Mental Health. Stress can also slow the body’s ability to heal wounds, she said.
That could all translate into higher worker absenteeism, and those who do show up are likely not to be as productive when under great stress, said David Ballard, who specializes in work stress issues at the American Psychological Association.
Some ingredients for happy, productive workers include a flexible work-life balance, employee recognition programs and an atmosphere that lets employees take part in decisions, he said.
“It’s about looking at the big system, creating a workplace that puts a variety of components in place,” Ballard said.
For individuals, reducing stress means “controlling the things you can control” when works seems to get too chaotic, said Marlene Clark, a dietitian with Cedar Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, California.
Taking a brisk, 10-minute walk can do wonders for clearing the head, Clark said. She suggests penciling the breaks in and giving them as much priority as meetings.
Laying off the caffeine — coffee, tea, soda or even chocolate — could also help calm nerves, she said. Getting enough sleep is critical, too, especially when workers face more demanding work and hours, Clark said.
Taking such measures to reduce stress will only become more critical as the economic forecast darkens.
The nation’s unemployment rate, now at 5.1 percent, is expected to move higher in coming months. Gasoline and food prices are at record levels, too, with ground beef, milk, apples, coffee and orange juice costing more these days.
“The first thing people want to do when they get stressed is eat stuff that’s bad for them,” said Bauer, who counsels Wall Street executives. “But the end result is that they’re more stressed out because they’re eating something they shouldn’t have.”
