One of the problems of living in today’s fast-paced world is that it produces a lot of stress.
Being an entrepreneur, a parent, manager, C.E.O, or even an employee can sometimes be overwhelming with so many things demanding our attention. The world we live in seems to be moving so fast that most of us wonder how time flies and how there seems not to be enough time for things that matter most in our lives.
I recently had an encounter with a manager who happens to also be a mom. She complained about how stressful life has become, and how her job is taking much of her time that it feels like she’s not living at all.
A survey showed that “74% of people have felt so stressed, overwhelmed or unable to cope” with life demands. That goes to show that the majority of people feel stressed at some point in life.
Aside from finance, the major reason why so many people experience stress can be attributed to lack of time management – that is not having a priority of one’s time.
In this article, I’ll share with you 6-time management mistakes a lot of people make that result in stress in their life, work, relationships, and business.
Time Management Mistakes That Causes Stress
1. Not Having Priorities
Burn out is a dangerous condition that is characterized by physical, emotional, and mental exhaustion. It is one of the leading causes of emotional damage, and mental illness. Poor work/life balance can be attributed to why a lot of people suffer from stress, broken relationships, depression, and anxiety.
Taking on every task or activity that comes your way is a sure way to set yourself up for burnout and stress.
Reducing your stress level requires that you set your priorities right, understand what’s important to you and what’s not. Set boundaries and don’t get absorbed into someone else’s plan.
2. Not Setting Goals
Not having a goal is one of the time management mistakes a lot of people make on a daily basis.
The importance of having a goal cannot be overemphasized. It is scientifically proven that having a goal can help improve your mental health condition and make you smart and proactive in life.
One of the negative effects of not having a goal is that you allow everything and anything to take your attention. Remember we are living in a world that is composed of so many distractions – distractions from social media, friends, and even family. Not having a goal for yourself will only lead you to burnout, anxiety, resentment, and stress in your life.
3. Not Having a To-do List
A to-do list is a combination of your goals, and it also serves as a means of setting your priorities right. It rather unfortunate that most of us don’t have a to-do list and we wonder why we are constantly stressed and overworked daily.
To help you get hold of your time and also reduce the stress in your life significantly, you have to create a to-do list for yourself always.
One thing is to create a to-do list another thing is to stick with it. Sticking with the list of things you created for yourself is the only way you’ll reduce the stress you’re experiencing, so guide it jealously.
4. Not having Boundaries for Social Media
Research shows that social media is one of the major reasons why people experience stress and anxiety. We are constantly being bombarded on social media daily, and it can be difficult for most people to separate themselves from social media once they get hooked. The time spent surfing between different social media platforms can rob you off of the valuable time you could employ to more productive things.
Because we spend so much time on social media, we put ourselves in a condition where we race to recover lost time. The effort we put into recovering lost time is what creates stress and discomfort in our lives. This is one of the time management mistakes that trigger anxiety.
To avoid this time management mistake, you have to develop a time block. A time where you remain focused on your activity to the exclusion of everything else.
5. Not Taking Control of Your Morning
Most people underestimate the power of the morning. They never take the time to plan their day in the morning.
The benefits of planning your day in the morning are that it gives you time to reflect on how you’d want your day to be like, and what you’d like to accomplish. It also gives you the opportunity to handle the most important things for the day thereby giving you enough time to take care of other things on your to-do list.
Planning your day in the morning also helps you to prepare for challenges and gives you the necessary confidence to be more productive.
6. Not delegating
Not delegating is one of the time management mistakes perfectionists make.
Most perfectionists find delegating quite challenging, and they always assume that other people won’t produce the desired result they need.
The problem of not delegating is that you assume full responsibility for all the tasks that are important and unimportant. Doing so only leads to burnout, you feel overused and also resentful of others.
Managing your time and resources requires delegating at all levels. And if you feel others aren’t as qualified as you are, ensure to delegate the less important things to them.
The main importance of delegating is that it increases performance and productivity.