The Daily Practice That Alleviates Stress AND Helps You Be More Organized

October 7, 2015

There are so many articles floating around out there about how to alleviate stress. I don’t usually find such posts helpful, because the tips included are ones that take you away from the source of your stress. (Stressed about that college essay you have to write? Go take a long, relaxing bath.)

Of course, one hand washes the other when it comes to productivity; sleep is one of the most productive acts we can do.

But on a day-to-day basis, I think the kinds of things we stress over are small ones, meaning that often the way to beat the stress is to actually do the things we’re dreading and procrastinating on doing.

So here’s my hybrid of everything aforeblogged: a stress-busting practice that directly contributes to the progress of whatever you need to do, that hinges upon a separation from our responsibilities. Anyways, it’s the only practice I can morally encourage, since it’s the only one I really do.

Pay attention, it’s so Simple a blink might make you miss it:

Do this every night before you go to sleep. Like magic: less stress, more organization in your life.

Before you close up shop for the day, sit down at your workspace and have a moment with your t0-do list.

Review all the details that have transpired throughout the course of the day, capturing on your list any commitments you made to people (since, after all, you’re a person who does what they say they’ll do), and “rolling over” any remaining tasks that you didn’t get to accomplish today to tomorrow’s list.

Dump it all out onto your to do list, so that there are no more tasks circling around in your brain, threatening to be forgotten about at any moment.

Look at your schedule for the following day. Consider what your priorities will be tomorrow, and how and when you’ll fit them into your other commitments. Visualize the next day going smoothly in your mind.

This practice allows your mind to relax, knowing that you’ve given yourself a roadmap towards productivity that you can follow in the morning. It quiets the never-ending “oh, shoot, I need to remember to…” voice that creates so much stress (I don’t know about you all, but that voice will haunt my dreams if I let it). Plus, when morning does come, you’ll have so much less confusion about what you need to tackle first and foremost.

This small act reminds you that life is a continual work in progress; what didn’t get done today will get done tomorrow.

That’s it. Then put your pens away and your post-it notes back where they live, and so on, push in your chair, and go have happier, unstressed-er slumber.

 

Do you have an ultimate stress-alleviating, mind-focusing technique of your own? We all want to know what it is! Share away in the comments below.

Image credit: unknown

2 Comments

  1. aimeecartier on March 9, 2016 at 8:42 pm

    I love this. It is simple, but I totally get the putting a circle around the thoughts so they don’t haunt you later bit. Or putting pen to page so they don’t circle around later, as you describe it. I like the idea of putting it in my daily calendar. I have project notebooks where I keep the tasks for all projects together but I like the modification to this practice that this article suggests to me. Thanks!

    • Annie on March 13, 2016 at 11:47 am

      So glad to hear this resonated with you! Hope you put it into practice lady!

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2 Comments

  1. aimeecartier on March 9, 2016 at 8:42 pm

    I love this. It is simple, but I totally get the putting a circle around the thoughts so they don’t haunt you later bit. Or putting pen to page so they don’t circle around later, as you describe it. I like the idea of putting it in my daily calendar. I have project notebooks where I keep the tasks for all projects together but I like the modification to this practice that this article suggests to me. Thanks!

    • Annie on March 13, 2016 at 11:47 am

      So glad to hear this resonated with you! Hope you put it into practice lady!

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