Teacher Support Network. Stress - understanding stress and dealing with it. Imagine a world in which work was pressure-free, office politics were a thing of the past, colleagues were always nice to each other and job security was guaranteed. Nice work, if you can get it. The reality is that every job comes with responsibilities, people are often competitive and pushy and jobs are no longer for life. No matter where you work and for whom, work can be stressful. On one level, pressure at work can be healthy. It’s estimated that about thirteen million working days are lost every year in the UK through anxiety and stress-related conditions.
How do I know if I’m experiencing stress? You may believe you can simply work through your stress and recover when life calms down. Physical symptoms Sleep is disturbed and less restful. Complaints of general aches and pains last longer and can develop into tense muscles and a general lethargy. Headaches and migraines become more frequent.
You can become more susceptible to colds and flu. Mental and emotional symptoms Internal politics. Time Management - tips for great time management. We know we should manage our time more effectively but it’s easy to rush along when we feel under pressure and end up not getting all those important jobs done. The good news is that establishing a few simple routines to plan and organise your time will make a big difference! General Tips Tips for great time management: Know what is important – write down the key goals you are working towards Consciously plan your time – using monthly, weekly and daily plans Choose how you communicate – by telephone, email, meeting or letter Avoid being completely driven by your diary – it isn’t set in stone and you can change plans Know when you are at your best and schedule the most demanding tasks for that time i.e. you work better in the morning, after lunch and so on Make the most of 10 minutes – many tasks can be done in a ‘spare’ 10 minutes, including taking a relaxation break Try to rank the demands and think about how you can organise the day.
Invest time up front on labour saving systems. T o Do Lists. Prioritization - Online Time Management Training from MindTools. Making Best Use of Your Time and Resources Learn how to prioritize, with James Manktelow & Amy Carlson. Prioritization is the essential skill that you need to make the very best use of your own efforts and those of your team. It's also a skill that you need to create calmness and space in your life so that you can focus your energy and attention on the things that really matter. It's particularly important when time is limited and demands are seemingly unlimited. It helps you to allocate your time where it's most-needed and most wisely spent, freeing you and your team up from less important tasks that can be attended to later... or quietly dropped.
With good prioritization (and careful management of reprioritized tasks) you can bring order to chaos, massively reduce stress, and move towards a successful conclusion. Without it, you'll flounder around, drowning in competing demands. Simple Prioritization Prioritization Tools Paired Comparison Analysis Decision Matrix Analysis Pareto Analysis.