I took a poll on Twitter recently, in which I asked, “What’s the biggest concern in your life right now?” I was interested to see that with five hours left to go, I’d gotten 10 votes (which is hardly representative of the population at large, but even so) that showed a dead heat between time management, managing stress, and chronic health problems.

As one who suffers from chronic health problems, my general advice about managing stress and time is as follows:

1. Plan your day ahead of time

The night before, take your calendar and simply pencil in what you’ll be doing and when. You may have to deviate from the schedule, but at least you’ll have a roadmap of sorts and a time limit on each activity.

2. Do the hardest things first

By getting the tough things out of the way, you avoid putting them off and not getting them done. This also frees your mind from the worry of needing to do something inevitable, so you can concentrate on what you really like to do.

3. Don’t compare your beginning with someone else’s middle

I read this on another blog and have never forgotten it. Everyone starts somewhere. It doesn’t matter where you are compared to others. What matters is that you have a goal and you take steps to achieve it.

4. Take time to recharge

As one who has ongoing health issues, I’ve learned firsthand the importance of simply stepping away from the computer and taking time for myself. I tried to take a nap during the day, when I can. Naps have been shown to increase productivity. I’m pretty sure they also help reduce stress.

5. Learn to say no

Ask yourself, is the reason you’re feeling stressed and less productive because you’ve agreed to take on too much? Even the healthiest of us can’t do everything. Choose to do the things that will get you closer to your goal and learn to say no to the rest.

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On that note, I’d like to continue my survey. This one is only two questions and takes no time at all.

Just click the link below, please.

Take Our Survey!

Thanks! 🙂