7 Easy Steps to Reduce Stress and Get More Done

Are you struggling to make ends meet? Do you feel like there's not enough time? Planning, planning, planning is the key. Time management is the new age solution that creates time where you thought there was none.

Stress affects many parts of the body, and being exposed to prolonged stress can lead to serious illnesses and health problems, such as fatigue syndrome and depression. That's why it's essential to take your stress seriously and think about how to keep it in check.

Time management is often highlighted as a popular solution that allows you to stress less - and get more done.

The concept originally came from the 1959 book "The Management of Time" by engineer James McCay and was initially intended to increase workplace productivity. However, the methods are increasingly being promoted as tools to create more balance in everyday life and create more structure in life as a whole.

1. Plan your day, your week, your month

Write down what you should and want to achieve during a day, week, or month. Be realistic and try to stick to your plan. Sorting your thoughts helps to create structure, makes you more efficient and relieves you from constantly thinking about the next step.

Think of your day as a full wardrobe. Before you start folding and sorting, you need to declutter and clean. Throw out unnecessary things and create principled places for everything. Try to schedule in time for planning. Schedule the same time every day and make it part of your routine.

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2. Have order

Spend time keeping your things in order - it saves time. According to research, we lose an hour a day just looking for things we've misplaced, says Julie Morgenstern to The Guardian. For someone who's really badly organised, that could be three hours.

3. Splitting up your life

Write to-do lists for both work and personal life. It's so easy to get stressed out by remembering all the things you need to get done, so if you write it down on paper, you usually see it's not that bad after all. Besides, crossing tasks off your list is quite enjoyable as well.

4. Avoid time stealers

Turn off notifications disconnect emails and social media. Notifications that pop up on your attention can eat up more time than you think, just by diverting your attention from the task at hand. Research shows that it can take as much as ten minutes to regain concentration when you're interrupted. Delineate blocks during the day where you would benefit from the complete focus and cut yourself off from similar distractions.

5. Schedule rest

You need to rest to cope. It will often help if you sleep on it instead of stressing to find a solution. During breaks, your subconscious mind works, and it's when you relax and have the most creative ideas, as author Bosse Arnlöw emphasises in his book Effective Time Management.

6. Focus on the morning

You don't have to join the 5 AM movement to take control of your day first thing in the morning. But maybe it's worth trying getting up half an hour earlier? No matter what time the bell rings, research shows that a good morning routine boosts your productivity for the rest of the day - whether you choose to exercise, read or plan during that time.

7. Do one task at a time

Focusing on one task at a time means you won't put off tasks as much. Try setting the clock and deciding to devote yourself wholeheartedly to one task and nothing else. This will help you feel less scattered and increase your efficiency.