postpone - HR Footprints

Beyond just Time Management!

In our previous blog, we met Raghav, who is looking for a time management course. Like many of us , Raghav is also facing a challenge of doing many things but not finding time. The key question is: Does this really solve the problem? Let us look at some of the key reasons why we generally struggle to find time to do many things. Time management is basically just managing yourself. As you read through this list, it will be useful to reflect if any of them apply in your case. Setting too many things to do: It is good to be ambitious, but it is also important to realize that we will always have more ideas than time to execute. It has been proved that even if you set more than ten goals, you will still be able to achieve only two or three of them. Once you are done with those goals, you can take up the next set of goals. There is no point in getting frustrated that you do not find time to perform all at the same time. Unable to Say “No”: Once again, it is good to be flexible and extending a helping hand to anyone who seeks support from us. But be watchful if you are taking up those requests because you are unable to say ‘no’ them. While trying to please others, you are building pressure on yourself. Then you come plain that there is no time. Wanting to do a perfect job: Doing a perfect job is a perfect trait in terms of intention. But is it practical? You can track the time spent to perfect a job; the core of the job would have been complete in a reasonable time; but it is your desire to make it perfect that takes enormously more time. Is it worth it? Should every job require such perfection? I do not mean to say that we need to execute a task with mediocrity. The question to ponder upon is if you are spending disproportionate time perfecting a job. Jumping from one to the other: There are some people who take pride in saying that they get bored working on one job at a time and therefore they keep moving from one task to another while keeping every task half done. At the end of the day, they again wonder how they could not find time to finish the work. Postponing the difficult job: Some tasks test our capacity to perform. They call for advanced thinking and some more application of mind than the routine ones. The tendency usually is to postpone such ‘difficult’ tasks and instead fill the day with more familiar ones. A stage comes when the difficult task keeps staring at us. A quick glance at the above reasons reveal that finding time to do things is more to do with managing self; by undoing the above habits, one can prepare self to get the focus back and achieve much more in the available time. After all, time is a constant number; what we make out of it is in our hands. This article was published in: HR Mirror, Hans India. Follow Dr. Raj on Twitter @drraj29

Is your work tiring you?

Leave a Comment / Personal And Professional / HR Footprints / 28/04/2013

Are you stressed at work? Is your work tiring you? Best way to deal with work related stress or fatigue is to understand what is causing the stress or strain in the first place. Some of the often found reasons that I could think of are: When we are overworked or physically strained: This reason is very reasonable and is understandable. There could be occasions when we go through sudden spurts of work load or intense travel. The remedy is fairly simple: a good night rest, healthy food and some relaxation. When we are bored: when we continue to perform a job or role that we don’t enjoy, it tires us! We are either not convinced about what we are doing or we experience a sense of monotony without any stimuli. In such occasions, we experience a different type of stress. Solution to this may not be easy. We need to think a little out of the box and self motivate; alternatively, we may have to dialogue with seniors or stakeholders and express or discuss. Carrying on with the work without conviction can be perpetually tiring! When we are not successful: Think of all those occasions where we experienced success (though it involved a lot of hard work); it would not be tiring. Whenever success eludes us, work starts tiring us. A few quick wins and a sense of hope is what could help us in such situations. When we are not appreciated: Whenever our work is acknowledged or appreciated by our stakeholders, it can keep us going. If there is a feeling that we are performing a thankless job, then we experience fatigue. It needs a high degree of internal motivation to reenergize. Figure out why you are doing what you are doing. If you could spot a good reason, then that could provide the necessary stimulation. When we postpone and thereby carry sense of guilt: This is a very common reason, but seldom understood reason for stress. Piling up work due to procrastination and ‘thinking’ of work all the time, but not ‘completing’ the work can cause mental stress. It feels as if we are always at work. What can be done this evening, if we put off for tomorrow morning, we will end up thinking of it through the night. Simple formula to deal with such work stress is to finish the work! When we are struggling to perform due to incompetence: This too is a reason that may be difficult to accept for an individual. We go through stress when we are struggling to perform due to incompetence. It can be frustrating inside and at the same cannot be openly discussed. We therefore end up carrying the internal stress. Best in this situation is to seek help and collaborate. When we are experiencing stress at work, it is important to reflect and search for an answer inside. Several times, avoiding work or going on a holiday may not be the solution to become stress-free. It is ironical but real that more work can free us from work related stress – as long as we love or learn to love what we do! Blog Author : Dr Raj

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