The world where we live and work today is ever more dynamic and challenging than it was in the past. Technological advancement on one hand has enabled us to be more agile in our day to day activities but on the other hand, this swiftness at times brings some adversities; most prominent of them being STRESS. Stress is inevitable. It is a habit we all tend to develop and mostly it is associated with our work life. It is a problem which not only reduces our productivity but also eats us like a termite would enjoy eating wood. As we try to protect our house from termites, the same approach must be used in protecting our own selves as well.

Following are some ways through which we can not only reduce stress at work but can enhance productivity as well:

1. Set deadlines

It may sound pressurizing, but deadlines, either self-imposed or set by our superiors, help to improve productivity and reduce stress. It sets a limit on how much time we should spend on one task. It prevents dragging of assignments and helps us to complete our work within the set deadline. It’s better to set a self-imposed deadline for a task a day earlier than its planned date of submission to cater for unforeseen contingencies.

2. Stop procrastinating

If you see something which can be done in a small amount of time, then just get done with it. Don’t delay it until someone arrives at your door, and asks you to do it right away. Not only this will distract you from work, but will also mess up your work image. So, if there is a task such as getting the document signed by someone or mailing an important notice to your boss / customer, then just do it right away, and remove it from your to-do-list. It may seem like something “not so important”, however, this point is critically IMPORTANT to reduce stress and be productive at work.

3. Minimize interruptions

Working in an organization involves being surrounded by different kinds of people. These work colleagues, although being our team members support us in doing our official tasks but may sometimes cause to create distractions. Many of us have faced this situation (and some may even face it several times a day) when we are busy doing some important work and then all of a sudden someone comes at our work station saying: “Hey, what are you doing?” Well, it’s important that you ignore that situation, and make it clear to them that you are occupied in your work and aren’t interested in chatting with them at the moment. But remember not to be rude in doing so as you also don’t want to impair your work relationships. Just be diplomatic and polite while getting rid of work interruptions. Set an image which depicts that you are professional at work to follow office etiquettes.

4. Quit multitasking

Can you write an e-mail, answer a phone call and type an SMS, all at the same time? Well, I can’t and neither can Superman. Even if you can do all these tasks simultaneously, I can bet that these wouldn’t be as efficient as they could have been if done individually. So, just for your own sake, don’t overburden yourself with multi-tasking. Try to do one thing at a time. This will not only help you finish your tasks quickly but will also bring effective results.

5. Accept your stress

Sounds unusual? Well, it is. Every factor of your life is accompanied with positives and negatives, and so is stress. Yes, it’s true that we always frame stress quite negatively, and it does harm us in many ways. However, it is also true that when you accept the fact that you are going through stress, things automatically begin to ease up as you move out from ‘denial’ phase and this helps you to do your tasks quickly and also you’re able to prioritize your assignments efficiently and effectively. It is an honest advice to look at things differently and positively. Recognize and accept your stress!