Use These Time Management Tips To Reduce Stress In Your Daily Workload

Time management skills may not come naturally for everyone. If you were not taught this skill by your family, social system, or school and would like to improve, you might be unsure of where to begin. However, time management can be an essential life skill, as it reduces stress and can lower the chances of mental burnout, which is a common cause of mood disorders like depression. 

To start, let’s explore how time management can reduce stress. Then, you will discover practical steps for integrating new skills and strategies into your schedule.

How can improper time management cause stress?

Poor time management skills may increase stress by depleting mental, emotional, and physical resources. If you tend to procrastinate, have difficulty paying attention, or lack structure in your day, you might believe there are not enough hours to tackle your responsibilities.

If you wake up long after your alarm goes off, take extended breaks between jobs or studying, and procrastinate important tasks like cleaning your home, you might become overwhelmed and feel pressured to squeeze these tasks into the end of your day. This retracts time from stress reduction strategies like self-care.

Time management tips to reduce stress and burnout

If you are experiencing stress or burnout, you are not alone. Below are a few tips to consider that may reduce these symptoms and free up time in your day. 

Use a time management app or software program

Expecting yourself to start perfectly aligning to a time management schedule might be unrealistic if you have never done it before or you are living with chronic stress or a mental health condition. Try downloading a time management app to take some pressure off yourself. Apps and time management tools can help you with the following skills.

• Listing and tracking habits.
• Waking up and falling asleep at the same time each day.
• Drinking enough water for your body size.
• Meal planning and eating healthy meals.
• Creating a calendar.
• Managing projects and setting priorities.
• Communicating with coworkers.
• Setting alarms, notifications, and timers.
• Turning off access to social media and other distracting apps.
• Reducing the chances of procrastination.

Some apps allow you to play games or dress up a character as a reward for completing items on your to-do list, whereas others offer commendation for reducing procrastination and working without breaks. You can add self-care and mindfulness to your schedule if you use an app for making lists, setting appointments, or tracking habits. 

Try body doubling

Some people, like individuals with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), may have trouble focusing without external accountability. “Body doubling” is a coping skill developed by the neurodivergent community that involves completing tasks next to another person who is completing their own tasks. Having a friend or family member around to visually remind you that it is time to work may be beneficial in reducing procrastination or distraction. 

Use a personal reward system

If you have difficulties motivating yourself to complete a task, consider using a personal reward system. A few ways to do this include the following:

• A sticker chart with rewards for completed tasks.
• Healthy snacks to munch on between each completed task.
• Supportive acknowledgement from a partner or friend after completing a task.
• Leisure time after completing all the most challenging tasks in your day.
• A food/beverage treat to celebrate the completion of the week.

Studies show that reward motivation is one of the most effective ways to create habits, so ensuring you feel rewarded and satisfied by completing your schedule can be a vital aspect of improving your time management skills. 

Schedule time for self-care and leisure

Having a set schedule with time allotted for work, school, parenting, cleaning, and health can be advantageous; however, if you spend your entire day focused on potentially stressful and time-consuming activities, you might still put yourself at risk of high stress. 

Instead of prioritizing only the most strenuous tasks, schedule time for self-care and leisure in your personal life every day. Studies show that even 10 minutes of mindfulness or meditation daily can benefit mental health. Before and after work, try taking a few minutes to follow a guided meditation, staying focused on your desire to eliminate distractions and care for yourself. You can set time limits on these practices to fit them into a busy schedule. 

In addition, you can reserve time for spending time with your family or friends or working on a hobby. Adding another detail to an art project, cooking your favorite food, or DIYing furniture might be a fun way to unwind before returning to your responsibilities. Try scheduling all your daily chores before your leisure time so you can enjoy the rest of your day with a sense of accomplishment and without the stress of knowing that there are tasks yet to be completed. 

Spend time with others

Social connection improves mental, emotional, and physical health. Working with coworkers is one way to socialize, but you can also work with family and friends at home — perhaps you can even try body doubling or working with them on a project. 

For example, you could turn cleaning into a game to enjoy with your children, write a to-do list with your partner, or partake in other self-care-related tasks with someone you love. Find ways to include others and have conversations while you work to reduce the stress these activities might generate.

Avoid taking on too much work 

It can be tempting to stuff all your tasks into one or two days to avoid having more to do on your days off. However, taking on too much work might contribute to burnout and stress instead of reducing it. 

When you have too much on your calendar or on your to-do lists, you might risk turning in poor or late work or forgetting to prioritize specific tasks over others. If you are a freelancer or have strict deadlines at work, forgetting a project can have rippling consequences. 

Taking on too much of one task can also harm your mental health. For example, if you work long hours but neglect cleaning, hygiene, and social time, you might resent your job for taking the attention you would prefer to give elsewhere. Group similar tasks together to manage your time more efficiently and avoid too much of one type of task. 

Set boundaries 

Setting boundaries can be essential in all aspects of life, but you can also set boundaries for your time. If you often find yourself accepting new projects that you cannot complete, agreeing to hang out when you do not want to go, and ignoring your need for a break, you might cause yourself undue harm. 

Instead of going with the flow of every situation, try to recognize your limits. Keep in mind the signs of chronic stress and burnout, and communicate to others when you need time to decompress and care for yourself. It can be understandable to tell someone you are not interested in hanging out after a difficult day at work. 

You can also set time boundaries with your coworkers and boss. For example, if your boss asks you to take two double shifts a week, and you are already feeling stressed, you can let them know you are not available to take on the additional hours and reserve time to practice self-care instead. 

Studies showcase that taking mental health days substantially improves employees’ performance. Knowing you are rested and no longer experiencing stress can allow you to return to work with a fresh mind. A company that does not respect your mental health may not be the best company to work for.

Connect with a professional

Becoming adept at time management can take effort, which may be especially challenging for those with mental health conditions like anxiety or depression. In addition, if you are living with chronic stress or burnout, knowing how to revitalize your life and practice new skills can be overwhelming. If you can relate, you may benefit from talking to a licensed therapist.

For those who are busy or experiencing significant stress, online counseling through a platform like BetterHelp can be advantageous. Through an online therapy platform, you can connect with a therapist from the comfort of your home, outside of standard business hours, and via your preferred method — be it video chats, phone calls, or in-app messaging. 

Studies have also found online therapy effective. One study showed that two-way messaging therapy was as effective as in-person therapy in reducing symptoms of depression and anxiety.