It’s no secret that today’s work environment is stressful. With our current economy, labor force, and global supply chain, it’s not been easy. Businesses are dealing with an overload of responsibilities, and we are all feeling pinched to succeed. Customers are getting more and more impatient. Leaders are navigating through employee burnout, disengagement, anxiety, and dissatisfaction. And it’s no wonder. We’re expected to be always “on” with 24/7 emails, phone calls, instant messages, texts, meeting invites, pop-ins, and reminders. Everyone’s multi-tasking, and it feels impossible to stay on track or in the moment. Some would say that working at a fast pace is good for us. And maybe stress can push things to happen. But constant distractions and negative attitudes will take control if we let them. I believe the key to success is how we prepare for inevitable stressors.
As an athlete, I know what it’s like to push myself physically — often for many hours. But, for optimal long-term performance, I can’t go at full speed all the time. To avoid injury and fatigue, I prepare for each workout or race. The course will change, problems will arise, and obstacles will come and go. Once I’m able to identify possible stressors for a particular event, I can plan, prioritize, and move toward my goals. So, when the weather turns or my knee aches, I will have a plan on how to navigate through and keep momentum going at a healthy cadence. If I start stressing out about the multitude of problems that could occur at the same time, I will get overwhelmed. But if I train appropriately, map out the course, and maintain good nutrition, I can successfully move through variable conditions. And I might even be able to check out the scenery along the way.
“We spend over 80,000 hours at work in our lifetime. So, how can we spend our time at work more deliberately with less stress?”