Don't Stress Out!

On Saturday after some quick re-scheduling I held my "Don't Stress Out" event in the community room. I went all out! I covered the table in a nice paper cover, placed all the supplies on the table and provided some healthy juice for all that wanted and played some relaxing music. 

I printed out 'To-Do' lists and 'Calendars' to pass out to residents to help with time management, because a lot of stress comes from not planning your time accordingly. 

 The regular event attendees showed up along with a few RA's and I showed them how to make there own stress balls. Using balloons, flour, rice and scissors we could make decent stress balls. While they set to work I gave some great tips and we talked about some worries some of the freshmen residences had about finals. 

TIPS!

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• Plan each day. Planning your day can help you accomplish more and feel more in control of your life. Write a to-do list, putting the most important tasks at the top. Keep a schedule of your daily activities to minimize conflicts and last-minute rushes.

• Prioritize your tasks. Time-consuming but relatively unimportant tasks can consume a lot of your day. Prioritizing tasks will ensure that you spend your time and energy on those that are truly important to you.

• Say no to nonessential tasks. Consider your goals and schedule before agreeing to take on additional work.

• Delegate. Take a look at your to-do list and consider what you can pass on to someone else.

• Take the time you need to do a quality job. Doing work right the first time may take more time upfront, but errors usually result in time spent making corrections, which takes more time overall.

• Break large, time-consuming tasks into smaller tasks. Work on them a few minutes at a time until you get them all done.

• Practice the 10-minute rule. Work on a dreaded task for 10 minutes each day. Once you get started, you may find you can finish it.

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• Limit distractions. Block out time on your calendar for big projects. During that time, close your door and turn off your phone, pager and email.

• Get plenty of sleep, eat a healthy diet and exercise regularly. A healthy lifestyle can improve your focus and concentration, which will help improve your efficiency so that you can complete your work in less time.

• Take a break when needed. Too much stress can derail your attempts at getting organized. When you need a break, take one. Take a walk. Do some quick stretches at your workstation. Take a day of vacation to rest and re-energize.