We all know life is tough. Between juggling relationships, finances, family, and work, stress can have a negative impact on your day. Stress can even negatively impact your performance at work and may increase the risk of a potential work-related injury. A stressed employee is more likely to become distracted and pay less attention to the task at hand. Although it’s nearly impossible to completely remove stress from your life, the attitude you have and the actions you take moving forward can help you stay afloat.
Here are four ways to help you stay focused.
Relax When You’re at Home
You’re finally home after participating in the usual daily grind. Time to relax, right? Wrong. So how do you tackle the stressors? Well, as easy as it would be to not fold the laundry or run over to the grocery store, these tasks can’t be avoided. What makes a difference is the actions you take moving forward to reduce the stressful impact on your life. Go for a hike, take your pet for a walk, work out, read a good book, or try a new recipe. The possibilities are endless.
Let Your Team Know What’s Going on
If you’re going through a personal issue that could influence your performance at work, it’s important to let your team (especially your boss), know what you’re going through. Not only could they be a potentially good resource for support, but they could also misunderstand your situation and why your performance has differed over time. Heed on the side of caution, however. You never want to overshare what’s happening in your personal life with your co-workers. Put yourself in their shoes, oversharing could cause them to become distracted and maybe even feel uncomfortable.
Take Steps to Stay Focused
Plenty of things in our life can find their way into your head at the worst times. It’s a part of the work-life balance struggle all of us go through at some point. So, what can we do to stay focused? For one, don’t forget to make good use of those vacation days.
According to the U.S Travel Association, Americans forfeited 705 million vacation days in 2017. Spending some time with your family, your significant other, or even your furry companion can have a huge impact on your performance at work.
Secondly, while at work, try making a checklist of every task that must be completed that day. Breaking your responsibilities into chunks can help you manage your work and keep you from getting overwhelmed. Lastly, while you’re working on that important project make sure to stay hydrated by drinking lots of water and non-hangry by having plenty of healthy snacks on hand. Listening to music is also a helpful way to keep you focused on your work.
Stress is something that is hard to avoid. It shows up at what seems like the worst times, but the actions we take moving forward can keep us staying happy and healthy. It’s important to note that distracted employees aren’t just more likely to have varied work performance, but they could also be at a heightened risk for a work-related injury. Having a group of people that support you in addition to the tips mentioned above can help tackle common stressors and get us back on track. These people can be your family, your significant other, your friends, co-workers, or even your friendly pharmacist.