Effort Analysis and Stress Control: How to Improve Your Daily Routine
// BySimone Janson

Perhaps you are one of the flexible people who like to shake everything out of their sleeves spontaneously. Then you may find it unnecessary to plan, because “everything always turns out differently than you think!”. However, an effort analysis will help you fight stress and improve your daily routine.

They prefer to be spontaneous

Instead of sticking to a fixed plan, which you would have to constantly change anyway, you would rather spontaneously adapt to new circumstances. And you also have so much to do every day that planning seems like a waste of time. If you still have an overview and meet all requirements: congratulations. In general, however, the following applies: The higher the requirements, the sooner you have to resort to good organization as an important tool. And the better your planning should be, so that you can rely on it if necessary.

Maybe you can also remember your appointments in your head. But if you have more and more appointments and you also have to plan more and more long-term, it will soon no longer be possible: Then you need well-structured scheduling that is tailored to your needs.

Planning - theory vs. practice

Perhaps you have already tried to plan your work processes carefully and failed miserably because you simply could not put theory into practice (you will find out in a later chapter why this could have been the case). Now you don't want to know anything about planning anymore, and phrases like"This may work for others, but not for me!" or"I'm just not consistent enough for that" shoot through your head. But don't give up, try again - after all, Rome wasn't built in a day. Optimal work organization is an important prerequisite for professional success. If you rely on the fact that you will spontaneously think of the right one in an emergency, it can go wrong. In addition, you usually only react passively to the events. However, if you plan sensibly and keep your goals in mind, you can also actively implement them.

Self-management doesn't mean stubbornly drafting a plan and putting it into practice 1to1, because sometimes you just have to throw your organization overboard and react flexibly. But a good plan does not prevent you from being spontaneous - but when difficulties arise, you simply have more options.

Analyze your time

You want to finally be able to do what you want, self-determined and without guidelines - and now you have to follow a schedule again? Before you put the book down indignantly, you should consider that there are some differences: If you have worked as an employee up to now, your day schedule was at least roughly determined by your boss and you had little opportunity to question working hours. As a self-employed person, on the other hand, you can determine when you want to work and when you don't.

At least as far as possible, because if you run your own shop, you have to comply with the opening hours law, if your customers want to shop with you, if you teach at the adult education center, you have to stick to the lesson times and also if you are a freelancer Working from home, you should at least occasionally be available for your clients during normal office hours. Nevertheless, self-employment offers optimal opportunities for free time allocation like no other job. Many self-employed people value their free time. But this also harbors possible dangers:

Too much work

Let us stick to the example of self-employment, because it shows very well how much people are responsible for over or under-demand, stress and lack of efficiency: especially at the start of self-employment, when a founder is strongly motivated to start up his own company , but even if there are no customers and there are fears of existence, many self-employed tend to work excessively. Especially when their character is more of a nervous type.

In fact, many founders work through nights and weekends, neglect private contacts, the sports program and a balanced diet and postpone their vacation time and again. In fact, checklists are circulating “Are you a type of entrepreneur”, which also includes the question: “Are you ready to give up sport and vacation in the first three years?”.

The fact is: You can, yes, you must confidently answer this question and still become a successful entrepreneur: A successful private life also means that people generally take care of your health and have a balance to your demanding job - otherwise you are not only constantly stressed , but also permanently spoil the joy of work.

Too little work

However, other people, especially phlegmatic natures, may have the opposite problem: They do too little because you are tempted by the free time to devote more time to your private life.

Others like to crowd out when things don't go well by distracting themselves with the beautiful things in life instead of, for example, countering the lack of customer demand with acquisition measures and thus solving the problem. Because in any case, your personal commitment generally has a direct impact on your income.

Too much and too little work at the same time

This can also happen because you are not equally motivated to do all of the activities. Probably you'd rather devote yourself to things you know about, such as your area of ​​expertise. Tasks that you find unpleasant may be treated rather neglectfully. This can (but does not have to) lead to problems.

In any case, good time planning helps to avoid the three problems mentioned above. However, good time planning does not mean to be rushed by the clock or your timer, but adapts flexibly to your wishes. Because of course you can't save time. But it can be won and work more effectively.

Analyze your time in writing

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