HOW TO KEEP YOUR SANITY AT WORK

There are several elements of the nine to five grind that can make anyone go bonkers once pushed to the limit – that nagging co-worker, that challenging boss, the relentless loads of tasks which seem to attack you at almost every corner, the list is endless. Admit it, even if you absolutely love your job you’ve been prey to this sinking feeling at one point or another. Let’s put things into perspective, most of us spend on average eight hours a day for five days working for the man, eight of those other hours are spent in sleep-land (if you’re lucky) and the remaining hours are tied up with other responsibilities and some leisure time. If we’re not wasting it away watching the boob-tube we’re spending our hard-earned cash to free ourselves of the mental anguish that work bestowed on us. Sure we can use those remaining hours of freedom to try and forget the perils of work but when the weekend’s over we’re right back to where we started. Great.

While you may not be able to escape the stress that your job may sometimes provide, you can learn how to manage how you deal with it throughout the day which is likely to result in a more enjoyable week. Here are some tricks that work for me…

Make a daily To-Do List

I find that writing down what I need to do on a daily basis helps me keep everything in perspective. I know what is the highest priority and therefore I know what needs most of my attention. Having a list makes you pretty productive and seems to make you to have an omnipresent aura to others. It offers you the capability to remain calm. When your boss comes at you asking what’s going on with a particular task you can answer with certainty as to where you stand. If you unfortunately have a very demanding boss who will come at you with attitude as to why another task they gave you is taking longer to complete than expected, you can simply refer to the items on your list and state what you’ve done and explain without fear why that task was pushed aside to a later date. In most cases, this kind of boss will be dumbstruck that you’re on the ball and advise you to continue doing what you doing or they will request that you put the mentioned task at the top of your list for speedy completion. Either way, you’ll have structure and know what direction you’re heading in as opposed to scrambling to do your job.

 

Get in a Power Nap 

Wait a minute! I’m not saying you must randomly pop a snooze at your desk – do it on your lunch hour in a secluded area (or your lunch room if you’re as shameless as myself). This actually is an inevitable occurrence for me because I tend to get tired after a meal. But I’ve found that when I don’t take one of these much needed nap sessions on my break I’m not very functional or chipper. I later learned that I was getting some much needed restorative snooze time – which basically means that I was repairing muscles, tissues, as well as producing feel-good hormones. Go figure. The fact is that our ability to retain information becomes impaired, our reaction times become longer, and we are less coordinated without proper restorative sleep. So get in that power nap – you’re body and your job will thank you for it. Make sure to set that alarm though so you’re not late for returning to your desk.

 

Image Credit: Fosbytes (2014)

Go for a change of scenery

People need people and your body was made to move. Sitting for hours on end staring at a computer is not only mentally tedious it’s crap for your health. A change of scenery helps relieve some strain. Unless you have a job in the most toxic environment, there is at least one person you can relate to in the office. Break the monotony and free your mind by taking a stroll to say hey to your office friend in the HR department on the third floor. There’s no rule that says you can’t take a minute to do that. As long as you’re not spending forever to chat about personal things it’s totally fine. So instead of calling to find out if that file you wanted is ready, take a stroll and get it yourself and see how your office peeps are doing. We’re social beings. This helps builds great office camaraderie as well as get that blood pumping. Another great action I advocate it to go out of office for lunch. What’s a better change of scenery than that?

Listen to some good tunes

Another great way to keep your cool at work is to plug-in those headphones and tune the world out with some awesome jams. Music lowers stress and improves health overall whilst increasing your memory, which will come in handy when you have to find those files. So go ahead and block out the sounds of irritants (you know what I’m talking about) with soothing sounds of whatever you’re into.

Image Credit: Endurance Marketing

 

Leave work on time

This is the most important of all tips!  Nothing’s wrong if you have a pressing deadline and have to put in some extra hours – but as much as possible you have to leave work on time. No, I’m not talking about you folks who run your own business or work in fields where you’re on call…obviously. Nonetheless, I do believe you have to set some boundaries.  Remember, there will always be work to do. If you think that staying back everyday to do work makes your boss think that you’re extremely dedicated and effective you’re wrong. Most of time people will think you’re not efficient enough to complete your tasks in a timely manner. Leaving work on time makes you disciplined and boosts your productivity because you have an objective to leave promptly. Don’t let an employer who tells you that working late every day looks good for you to get that promotion – that’s a lie. They just want to get the work done and take you for a pasty. Don’t hold you’re breath.

Most importantly it shows that you have a life outside of work and which instills respect in others of your character. You respect your duties to give it your all while you’re on the clock, as well as you respect your family and personal time – you have value too! The more you leave work on time is the more you begin to feel a sense of accomplishment and inner peace. Trust me.

What are some tricks you use to keep your sanity at work? I’d love to hear. Leave your tips in the comment section below. Thanks for reading…