5 Steps to Controlling Stress

With the new school year approaching, I decided that its time to reframe my systems to maximize productivity and reduce my levels of stress. In this article, I will outline 5 steps that I have taken to reduce my stress levels to help you manage your daily workflow and studies.

1.) Create:

• I have found joy in just the idea of setting time out for myself to explore what makes me feel more fulfilled and I have noticed the idea of creating content to be a huge asset to this feeling. It's one thing to constantly consume media and it's another to put content out there that could possibly benefit someone. Playing an instrument can also reduce stress because you are honing a skill and creating sound. It may not sound good at first but the more you practice creating your music the happier and less stressed you will feel.

2.) Making Time for Priorities 

• One of the best feelings I have found in terms of managing a todo list is to tackle your biggest challenge in the beginning of the day or at least one of your biggest tasks. At the end of the day, it will feel great to at least go to bed knowing that you made progress or even finished something big that has been on your mind for a while. After reading the book, "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People" I have incorporated the Eisenhower Method to organize my most important todos for the day to ensure that I'm constantly making maximum productivity with my goals. I supplement this with an app known as Habitica to keep track of my daily habits and even brain dump my todo list for today or the future. Planning ahead reduces stress and anxiety more in the long term. It may cost you stress in the short term but similar to planting a seed, you will reap a good harvest in the long-term. I have also read a few articles on productivity where research had found that the best rewards and feelings occur not from an immediate reward but instead from a delayed long-term reward.

3.) Manage Your Health Everyday

• One of the worst road blocks towards productivity is having bad health. It leads to issues such as stress because you can't focus, experience facial breakouts, your body weakens, and you would most likely contract sickness making you stay at home all day. Taking care of your health will also affect point number two mentioned because if you are not properly taking care of your health or become sick it will become even more difficult to make time for your todo list and biggest priorities piling on stress. Being sick and stuck in bed alone is a very difficult feeling, its important to prioritize yourself to produce optimal results and reduce stress. You also worked out at the gym making you more good looking and less stressed out! 
• One thing we obviously just can't get enough of is sleep so make sure you are maximizing for at least 7-8 hours so that you're up and running for the next day to work on your dreams and goals! It also reduces your chances of getting sick the better rested you are. I have also started taking daily vitamins when I wake up from sleeping to reduce my chances of getting sick.

4.) Change Your Environment

• A major part of all the previously mentioned steps are affected strongly by your environment. If your environment is not optimized for success, it can be difficult to stay on track and constantly make progress on your goals. If you clean your environment and remove nearby cues for bad habits such as a TV or video games, you are more likely to tackle those big projects you have been planning or even create that new idea that changes the world! I recently learned about this idea from James Clear's book "Atomic Habits." Think about it, your room was clean so you were healthy for the day to work on your goals and had less stress. An optimized environment is an absolute recipe for success. In short, Batman wouldn't be Batman without his Bat Cave. 

5.) Take Time Out For Yourself

• I know a lot of people may be against this idea but its absolutely important to make time for activities that bring us joy whether they are productive or not. Everyone is different and takes pleasure in different activities, so having a clear understanding of the things that make you happy will reduce your stress levels and ensure that you are constantly ready to put out your best work when the time comes. Lately, my guilty pleasure has been online shopping for items. It can be unhealthy at times so its important to establish a limit for how long you want to partake in this activity to still make time for your biggest goals for the day. There will always be a time to be creative and busy but making time to be happy and manage your stress is still a major priority.

I hope you found something useful here. I also plan on clearing out my systems and todo lists to start fresh and ready. This has definitely reduced my stress levels. Stress is a difficult topic to cover but don't be afraid to reach out to others for help if you need help with it. I wish you the best on your school year or creative endeavors!