As a certified hypnotist and fellow human being, I am well aware of the challenging relationship between stress and effective planning. Improving our planning skills is an effective tool for minimizing some potential stress. A study led by Harvard psychologist Robert Epstein, confirmed that planning was the single most powerful method for reducing stress because it prevents tensions from building up in the first place. Please join me here as we explore the potential ease of planning for stress reduction.
Take control. Stress often comes from feeling like events are beyond our control. Planning puts you back in your seat of power as it reminds you that you can choose your reaction or your response. It’s good to give some thought to this ahead of an event.
Be prepared. Knowing what your day or month looks like in advance can prevent unpleasant and sometimes embarrassing surprises. You’re not going to double book when you can clearly see what you have written on your agenda.
Protect your health. We all know stress is a very real contributor to many health issues. By consciously managing stress through planning, you not only protect your well-being, you can feel good in the process as well.
Adjust procrastination. We’re more likely to get stuff done when we chunk it down into smaller steps. Sometimes I set a timer for the allotted time I expect the task to take. If I finish sooner than bravo for me! If I still have more to do after the timer has gone off then I get to decide to extend the time or schedule it for another day.
Feel more fulfilled. Planning to take care of what is urgent and what is important can then open the door to what is meaningful. The quality of your life soars as you devote more time to meaningful activities.
Now, let’s jump into actionable strategies for stress reduction through simply planning:
Track your time. See what’s really taking your time. Keep a notepad or use a free app for at least a few weeks. I have been deeply relieved by how long some tasks really do take.
Structure your activities. Once you understand your typical day, you can make adjustments. You may switch more demanding projects to the hours when you have more brain power or when you’re less tired. You may find you can even squeeze in the walk you’ve been wanting to take, the online group you would like to participate in, or just take a break, get out of your head and refresh your mind with this 13 minute hypnosis recording. (be sure to scroll way down on that page)
Organize your stuff. Clutter bombards your senses and causes anxiety. Pick up some cool storage solutions for your home and office.
Write things down. Do you have trouble concentrating because you’re trying to remember when someone’s birthday is or whether you have the ingredients you need to make that yummy thing? Put those birthdays into calendars and keep a running grocery list so you can be in the present moment doing the thing you’re supposed to be doing in the present moment:)
Set priorities. There’s more to planning than completing tasks. Think about your values and goals. Be sure that any system you use gives you the ultimate results you really want, whether that’s spending more time with your family and friends or more time for you to adopt a more balanced lifestyle.
Reconsider commitments. Sometimes we need to remove some commitments from our to-do list, because we can clearly see we (again) are biting off more than we should chew. Please, do not spread yourself too thin.
Create routines. When we make an activity automatic, we function more efficiently and cut out the extra stress involved in making extra decisions. Group similar errands and tasks together so you can do them with less thought. Resolve to exercise or meditate in the morning instead of flirting with your snooze button (serious note to myself here).
Schedule “me time”. Planning has its fun side too. Give yourself breaks to refresh your body and mind. Make sure your lists and calendars include play time and laughter. Laughter is so good for our health!
The bottom line is undeniably obvious that minimizing our stress is connected to effective planning. Enabling the two to tango together really helps us in cultivating productivity and maintaining at least some well-being. By practicing an upbeat attitude and embracing planning techniques, we can have a little more confidence handling life’s stuff with a little more joy and grace for ourselves and others.
You don’t have to go it alone…
Call me (Joann Dunsing) @ 203-907-7710 for your complimentary phone conversation. Or click the button below.
I usually respond within 24 hours.
