Stresstab3: Planning and Preparation

Stress frequently comes about when we do not get done what we hoped to do in a given period of time. If this is the case, scheduling can help. We commonly tend to schedule too much for the time and energy we possess. We should be realistic and avoid over-scheduling ourselves. How much can we really do during the day? We need to allow for the unanticipated to pop up. This means not scheduling every minute of the day, but instead, leaving empty spaces designed to handle the unexpected. If the unexpected does not happen, time is available for other choices. Leaving time for emergencies causes less frustration when they arise. We need to let the schedule work for us and not be a slave to it. Another thing to remember is to schedule and prioritize tasks. Working on the most difficult and important first, then to the easier and routine ones. It is easy to deceive ourselves into thinking we will be more effective in our jobs, if we first "clear our mind" by running some necessary errands or by working our easier and routinary tasks before the most important and difficult ones. The reverse is usually true. We feel better if we get a start on the most important and difficult task first so they are not still facing us at the end of the day. It is also a good idea to schedule our most important and difficult task at a time during the day when we are the most alert and our energy level is at its peak. We too often leave this task until we are too tired to attempt it and then face the temptation of putting it off until the next day. It is wiser to leave the easy and routinary tasks for those times when our energy level is low. We ought to schedule some time in the day for ourselves and for our loved ones. If this personal and family time is set up as a reinforcement for completed tasks, we will likely be motivated to work more efficiently on most important and difficult tasks of the day. For example, when we say to ourselves, "I am going to reward myself by playing tennis after I get my laundry done," we will probably get more done than if we say, "I have to get this laundry done so that I can get started on my gardening next.” Some days our schedules look overwhelming. When they do, we need to take one thing at a time. We should try to enjoy the task we are presently doing and avoid thinking about the long day ahead of us. Time will go much faster if we concentrate on some interesting aspect of our immediate task rather than just enduring until the day is finished. Scheduling or planning is a preliminary step to preparation. Once the outline for the day is done, we can begin preparing for our scheduled events. Preparation is a great stress reducer. Usually there is an inverse relationship between stress and preparation, one increases as the other decreases. Most of us who experience noticeable stress in our job are behind in our performance due to lack of planning and preparation. Our stress decreases as our planning and preparation increases. As we draw up our schedule and begin to prepare for the day's activities, it is to our advantage to take a moment to sit back and visualize how we are going to do what we wrote on the schedule. We can create a mental picture or map in our mind of going through the process of doing instead of letting our schedule become filled with whatever happens at that time. God created the world spiritually before he created it temporally. This is an excellent example for us to follow. Without pre-experiencing in our mind how we will handle the events of the day, we place ourselves in a position to give into the "side show attractions" which draw us away from the items we need to accomplish before the day ends. Pre-experiencing our actions in our mind before they actually occur increases the probability of our behaving in a more productive way.