—by Toni-Marie Ippolito
Is stress keeping you from accomplishing your goals? Here are some tips on how you can relieve stress by preparing your busy week with a checklist.
We know how hard it can be to juggle work/life balance. Factoring in your work duties with home life activities, meal plans and workout schedules can be a daunting task that leaves many people feeling overwhelmed and often defeated when they don’t accomplish what they set out to.
“I think a lot of people take on too much and don’t know how to slow it down to ensure they’ve allowed themselves time for all the activities they’ve got going on in their lives these days,” says Dennise Conforti from Professional Organizers in Canada. “We have a lot of clients and business individuals that don’t know how to plan properly for their upcoming week and we felt that it was important to give them tips on how to plan so that their weeks could go smoother and that could help relieve anxiety so they can have a better week with their families and individuals.”
Not planning properly can lead to high stress and anxiety. But there are ways you can relieve stress by completing tasks, schedules and everyday life in a simple, organized way.
“A lot of the reactions I see with individuals and their families is that they tend to get overwhelmed very easily, they are running late a lot of the times and I find that their health starts to fail, their constantly getting sick and a lot due to the stress of not being able to meet the demands of day-to-day life. And, by helping people slow down a bit and showing them how they can plan and prepare a bit better they start to see that things get better moving forward,” Conforti says.
“I think checklists are wonderful for some families. It can help things off of mind so that you’re not weighed down by all of these “to-do” things in your head which can then make you feel more overwhelmed because you’re trying to remember that you have X, Y and Z to do but you’ve got so many other things going on. A list can help you prioritize things and give you ease of mind.”
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Sound too simple? All you need to do, says Conforti, is to take about an hour on Sunday to whip up a plan or schedule for the week and it will make all the difference. “I think Sunday is a very important day to set up the week because we’re so busy throughout the week and when Friday comes, you’re so exhausted and you really just want to relax and you don’t want to think about the next week. On Saturday’s, families tend to use it as their shopping days and “get-togethers.” Sunday seems to be the perfect day to tie loose ends and to take an hour to make checklists or a plan for the week. You can then relax with ease for the rest of the evening,” she says.
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Here are some Sunday night routine tips from Professional Organizers in Canada that will help keep you on task throughout the week and relieve stress:
- Go through your day planner and check what next week looks like. Check all your appointments to make sure that you’re not double booked and ensure that you’ve allocated enough travel time (if required) and include “buffer time” to arrive calm, cool and collected.
- Evaluate and prioritize your To-Do list (and maybe set calendar alerts in your phone for ‘must-remember’ items or appointments). Plan to get your hardest/most time-consuming tasks done early in the week. That way, as the weekend gets closer, you won’t feel as if you’re playing catch up. Use an app to capture ideas and take away the stress of having to keep everything in your head.
- Do a weekly shop and plan out your meals for the week (or use an online grocery shopping site and arrange for delivery or pick-up). This will ensure that you have everything you need on hand when it comes to preparing meals throughout the week.
- Having gone through your day planner, you will have a clear idea of what you are doing each day, so you will be able to plan your clothing choices in advance. Arrange your outfits on hangers and place them in a specific area of your closet. If you have kids, you can sort out their clothes for the week as well.
- Schedule time for yourself. And not just as part of your Sunday routine. Look at the week ahead and schedule in time for yourself (a visit to the gym, time with friends, etc.). Your brain and body will thank you. Treat this time as if it is as important as a business development meeting and schedule your other appointments around it. This is key to staying sharp and focused.
