Monday, March 8, 2010

What stresses you out?

What stresses you out?

As I had a frantic weekend of trying to accomplish 2 days of "to-dos" in one day because of some volunteer obligations and travel I had on Sunday, I noticed myself getting a bit stressed. Nothing like "I'm going to rip my eyes out" but just more tense and crazy that usual. Then it was as if some automatic instinct popped up---and I automatically started doing these certain things (that I've never really noticed until now) that make me feel just a little bit better and more organized in life.

The two biggest things that help me de-stress:
1) Making a daily (if not hourly) to do list...the crossing them off several times when complete. I would like to think the feeling I get when I cross something off might be similar to the way someone who is a drug addict feels when they take a hit or something. I really have no idea, but let me tell you, when it goes off the list and the whole list is complete IT-FEELS-SO-GOOD.
2) Emptying/sorting/answering emails....in my work email and my gmail account. Again, IT-FEELS-SO-GOOD. Nothing stresses me out more than opening one of my email accounts and having a bizillion unread or unanswered emails that I still need to sift through and either file or answer.

But I feel like those things don't work for everyone. I'm not sure about the first one, but the second one I am. I know several people that have tons of unread, unfiled, unanswered emalis in their work or personal inbox....and it doesn't seem to bother them at all. I personally would be a huge freaking mess. But, to each their own. I did survey a friend and they had about the same response as me that they have 1 unread email in their work account right and just a few in gmail. But I know other people (cough*jimmy*cough) that keep their inbox full. It's so interstesing to think about how your friends and colleagues manage their email and their lives and what makes them de-stress! What are tips that you have or things that you do??

So today, to do list is completed, email inboxs are almost empty and right now.....I'M FEELING GOOD :) Can't wait for 5:30 to have our final walk through of Aquinas and the final meeting with our wedding planners. Wahoo!! It's coming faster than I can realize......

2 comments:

  1. Funny...I was just talking about the e-mail thing today. I feel and do the exact same thing. Also, I just had a hit of the "drug" twice today!

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  2. You should totally read "THE CHECKLIST MANIFESTO" by Atul Gawande. It's all about how checklists make things more efficient!

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