Work Time management related stress and employee burnout has become a major epidemic. It is a much bigger problem than most of us think. According to statistics, 83% of US workers suffer from work related stress. US businesses lose $300 billion due to work related stress each year. What’s even worse is the fact that work-related stress causes 120,000 deaths and costs businesses $190 billion in terms of health care costs each year.
OK, I understood how dangerous work-related stress and employee burnout can be but how we can detect and curb it. Here are some of the signs that you should never ignore:
- Mental and physical fatigue
- Job absenteeism
- Inefficiency
- Mood swings and short temper
- Loss of motivation and meaning
- Depressed outlook
- Fuzzy thinking
If your employees are showing one or more of these signs, you should take serious steps to get over employee burnout and work-related stress problem. There are many ways to achieve that goal. Here are some of the ways to avoid burnout.
- Know your limits
- Practice mindfulness
- Manage your energy levels smartly
- Unplug
- Sleep well
In this article you will learn how efficient time management can prevent stress and burnout.
Attend Fewer Meetings
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Unproductive meetings are one of the biggest productivity killers at work. According to meeting statistics, American businesses conduct 11 million meetings every day and half of them are unproductive. As a result, these meetings costs businesses $37 billion every year. What’s even worse is the fact that most meetings don’t have an agenda and end without any fruitful result.
It is better to avoid meetings as much as possible. Even if you want to attend meetings, make sure it has a clear agenda and does not last too long. Use technology and limit the number of participants. Make your meetings more interactive and stick to an agenda.
Create Flexible Schedule
Time is money. All of us know that but still some people are more productive than others. Why is it so? Because they value their time and don’t waste it on useless activities. Most successful entrepreneurs schedule every minute of their day. This helps them to take full advantage of every minute of their day and reduce the risk of time wastage.
Yes, this formula might work for them but not for you. Rigid schedules and tight deadlines that do not offer you breathing space can subject you to employee burnout. Always keep a buffer that helps you deal with unexpected tasks and delays. It can be an hour or two, but it will help you handle emergencies in a more efficient manner. Even if you don’t have any unexpected task, you can use this time to read or meditate to recharge your batteries.
Prioritize, Prioritize, Prioritize
One of the biggest mistakes most employees make is they don’t prioritize their tasks and time. That is why they end up diverting all their energies and time to wrong tasks. As a result, they are overwhelmed by the number of tasks which leads them to employee burnout.
The best way to counter that is to create a to-do list of all the tasks you must complete in a day. Arrange the list in a way that most important tasks are ranked at the top while the less important tasks are listed at the bottom. You can also follow 80/20 rule, where you can achieve 80% results by completing 20% of tasks.
Delegate Tasks Time Management
Once you have prioritized your time and tasks, you can easily decide which tasks are more important and demands your attention. This makes it easy for you to delegate less important tasks. When delegating tasks, make sure you delegate it to the right person otherwise, this move can backfire. Here are some tasks you can easily delegate:
- Data entry
- Administrative tasks
- Customer service
- Shipping
- Tech and IT support
- Accounting
Once you delegate some of these tasks, you will get more free time and less stress. It will reduce the burden off your shoulders. This will allow you to think differently and go about your existing tasks more efficiently because you don’t have to worry about remaining tasks.
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Use KonMari Method for Time Management
Marie Kondo, an organizing consultant and author, proposed a method known as KonMari method. KonMari method is basically a system of simplifying and organizing your home. You will have to get rid of items that do not bring joy to your life. KonMari ask you a simple question, “Does it spark joy?” If the answer is no, then you need to get rid of it.
When applied correctly, it can declutter your home and workplace. The more organized and streamlined your work desk is, the easier it is for you to find items you are looking for and the less stressed you are. You can also apply the same concept to your To-Do list. Cross tasks that you don’t enjoy doing or at least postpone them so you can focus on tasks that give you joy.
Track Your interruption
In quest to make money online or achieve your productivity goals, most employees tend to push themselves to their limits. They work overtime, which makes them less productive and leads to mental and physical health problems. More importantly, working long hours without taking a break can lead you to employee burnout. That is why it is important to take a break after every few hours.
Keep an eye on interruptions that put you off focus. It could be a noisy coworker entering your room for some chit-chat, annoying calls, messages or notifications or anything else. Irrespective of what they might be, they are negatively impacting your productivity and wasting your precious time. Keep all these distractions at bay and only focus on the task at hand. This will help you increase your efficiency and productivity.
Relax and Blow Off Steam
You might be stuck in the vicious routine, where you come to work every morning and go back home in the evenings. Sometimes, it is better to break the jinx and take some time off work to break that routine as following the same routine day in and day out can take its toll on your mental and physical health. Go on a vacation and spend time with your friends and family members. This will rejuvenate your mind and body and you will be able to deliver even better results when you come back from a vacation.
How do you protect yourself from burnout? Let us know in the comments section below.
