5 quick hacks to reduce stress and be more productive at work and in personal life

Stress is typically caused by an external trigger. The trigger can be short-term, such as a work deadline or a fight with a loved one, or some ongoing or recurring issues at work or in life. Our bodies are well equipped to handle stress in small doses in fact some research suggests that some stress is even good for us, but when that stress becomes long-term or chronic, it can have serious effects on our bodies. Here are some ways I try to keep my stress in check and stay more productive.

1. Write important things down: One Stress trigger that I identified for myself was keeping important things in my head and then constantly worrying about forgetting them or not remembering them as and when needed and either missing out on deadlines or important details. To overcome that, I started writing important things down as soon as they pop into my head. I would either make a quick note in my notebook or message/ WhatsApp myself. This change of habit has helped me reduce my stress level and added more mental space as I do not have to worry about forgetting important things anymore.
2. Prepare for the next day a night before: I take out 5 minutes every evening to outline 2–3 important things that I want to achieve the next day and a couple of smaller tasks. This prep helps me enter a new day more prepared and also have a broad sense of what I want to get out of my day. Once I get through most of the list I can end my day with a sense of accomplishment if I broadly achieved what I set out to on that day.
3. Eat the frog first thing in the morning: Eating the frog is the process of identifying my most difficult task of the day from the list that I have outlined the day before and completing it before I do any other work. Getting the hardest thing out of my way can get me rolling to tackle the rest of the day.
4. Take a break from routine: I do not typically follow any routine on weekends and give myself the liberty to spend time as I like. This helps me decompress and also helps me clear my head and energize myself by doing things that I like and not feel I am always on the clock.
5. Take more holidays: I have started doing this more recently and I need to get better at it. Although counter-intuitive, there are enough researches now that suggests that, taking more vacation results in greater success at work as well as lower stress and more happiness at work and home. I can also vouch for it from my personal experience that taking more holidays definitely has boosted productivity :)

These are my current favorite hacks that help me reduce stress and be more productive in daily life, what are yours? Please share in the comments!