Prioritize
There are always going to be things in your life that you can and cannot control. Prioritizing them can help you feel a little less stress, by attacking those you can control first. Taking part in outside activities, or hobbies can help to reduce the amount of stress, as well. There needs to be a balance in everyday life so that you don't become overwhelmed with stressful tasks.
The biggest single stressor is paperwork. compared to other schools we produce more paperwork for the faculty than any of the other schools by several magnitudes.
I do this, too. Sometimes the simple act of creating the list helps to relieve stress, as I can see all of my tasks on a piece of paper.
What works for me is to make a physical list, it really helps to check things off as you go along.
I often find myself writing a to-do-list. Listing everything helps me to stay on top of what I must do from day to day. When I allow myself to fall behind from my list I begin to feel stress, this is why I use a to-do-list. Each item is checked off as it is completed. At the end of the day feel I have accomplished what I set out to do, without stress.
I feel that this is a great way to stay focus. This will allow me to distress, and I can give more to my students.
Agreed, I prioritize through three lists:
Things I want to do
Things I have to do
Things I neither want to or have to do...
Throw out the third list.
I follow this same process and find it very helpful. It lets me consider all possible activities before I boil everything down to the 3 to 5 'get these done' items for the day.
Prioritization helps me and my students. I find as a massage instructor, if I start on the more difficult techniques earlier then the students will have more time to master it. I then teach easier techniques that requires less time for mastery. I find that both parties end with a win, win result.
What works for me is to brainstorm a "to do" list. I take about five minutes to do this, writing down everything that comes to my mind, even if it sounds daunting. Then, I do an inventory to see what is most important. When I'm finished, the result should be 3-5 items that I want to accomplish that day. These items will be the most important tasks at hand. I try to do this soon after breakfast so that I have a clear perspective on how I want the day to proceed. I have 150 students, so if I don't do this, I often become overwhelmed and anxious after lunch.
