The Most Underrated Way to Reduce Office-Related Stress

What's the most obnoxious thing for you at the office? For me, it used to be when I was deep in the middle of a project and the deadline was approaching, and a co-worker came by either to give me a new assignment or just to chat. I would be friendly and courteous on the outside, but on the inside I was fuming.

This is 100% poor planning, but it's not just because of procrastination or time-management, it's a way of viewing life. It's packing your schedule to the brim or hyper-focusing on your current task so much so that all others (and the rest of life) fade into the background. While these may increase your productivity in the short term, in the long term it will reduce it significantly and make you an unpleasant person to be around. Why?
Because you're stressed out.

If you've ever watered a plant with a watering can, you know that it is far too easy to overfill. It may theoretically get you more water faster to fill the pots and finish your task, but getting all of your water to the various plants without spilling any is a bugger, and you will spill so much that you brought less water than if you would've just filled it less -- or you will walk super slow and concentrate so hard you get an aneurism. 

This is what it's like to not add margin into your day. You'll get to work late because you didn't include account for the always possible traffic, you will be rude to a co-worker because you don't have enough time for a pleasant conversation, it's awful! Especially for people-pleasers, which I have tendencies of.

Adding margin to your day means saying no to extra tasks that you can't do and starting tasks early enough so you don't jam pack the backend of the week, it means being on top of your schedule and it means managing your hustle. We want to be productive, but we want to keep a positive, grateful mindset.

Start your day right with a good breakfast and things that improve your mindfulness and peace such as exercise or inspirational reading, devote time to your holy book if you are religious. Take time throughout your day for people, schedule your meetings far enough apart that you're not late to one because the last ran over. And speaking of running over - if your day does run together, it is better to be honest with your current task or meeting and let them know that you are out of time, or close out of your software to start again later, and move on to your next task or meeting. This is how you honor them. This isn't being mean, it's being mature, and your current meeting will understand. It's how they would want to be treated and if they don't understand, that is a personal flaw.

This is a topic I have found to be extremely influential in my life and helped me to be a more productive employee, happier, and more at peace. If you are interested in learning more, head to A Virtuous Woman or Holistic Wellness Practice. They have far more detailed steps and actions that you can take to add margin to your day and improve your productivity.
But that is all for today, my friends. Take it easy and have a wonderful day!