A life without stress will be wonderful, but it is impossible. Every person will experience stress at some point in their life regardless of the field in which they are working. However, leading a pleasant professional and personal life depends on how you deal with stress.

Time is an important factor and ineffective management of time is directly or indirectly related to stress. A positive thing about stress is that it gives you an air of urgency and forces you to complete the work on time. But, too much stress can make you feel overloaded with work and can even affect your health.

So, let's have a look at the importance of time and stress management in the professional world.

Why time and stress management is important

Sometimes, you feel that even 24 hours is not enough for you to complete all the tasks of a day. This is not because of the insufficient time; the exact reason is that you are not managing time effectively. Time management is highly important for professionals as doing your tasks on the given timeline is necessary for the smooth functioning of the company.

It is also an essential factor that contributes to professionalism. Providing work within the specified timeframe is a quality expected from all employees.

Do you think time management can reduce stress? Well, time and stress management goes hand in hand. The importance of time and stress management at work has to be realized by all professionals since it is the key to well-organized work life. Following are the main benefits of time and stress management:

• Get organized

Time management will help you stay organized. It is better to have a plan, list down your tasks and decide the timeframe in which you will finish each of them. In this way, you can prioritize the things that have to be done first and do accordingly. Nowadays, several online tools help you keep a chart that reminds you of the things that you have to do. Keep a daily to-do list and mark those which are completed and not, so that you can ensure that nothing is missed out.

• Improves work efficiency

If you have a strategy for working and complete every work on time, your efficiency will be improved. The result is job satisfaction and rewarding professional life. Remember, the employees who manage their time well and stay in control even at the time of crisis are the favorites of the management.

• Enhances the quality of work

Every employee is supposed to provide works as per specific standards and quality. If they can manage time efficiently, they don’t need to rush at the last moment leading to errors and imperfect output.

• More opportunities for career growth

The employee who completes works on time will have a good reputation at the office. The senior officials and the management will regard them highly and they can consider him/her as the most reliable person. This increases your opportunities for career growth and receiving other rewards.

Techniques for time and stress management

Effective techniques for time management and stress reduction are the following:

• Control procrastination

Do you have the habit of saying “I will do it later” at the workplace? Then you have to get rid of that habit at the earliest. Postponing things without a proper reason is a behavior that is never expected from working people. Time management not only helps you at the workplace but also makes you a better individual.

• Learn to prioritize things

Employees are always busy at the workplace. They will have a lot of tasks at hand which needs to be completed at a specific timeframe. However, being overloaded with tasks is not an excuse for keeping everything incomplete. You should learn to prioritize things according to the deadline and importance. Prioritizing is a way of organizing the works and ensuring that everything is done one by one without getting lost in a pool of work.

• Think before committing

Sometimes, taking all responsibilities can backfire. It is tough for some employees to say ‘no’ when the management gives them a lot of tasks at a time. However, one shouldn’t commit to tasks that are impractical to be completed in the given timeframe.

In such cases, it is better to say it right away rather than committing them and leading to stress and conflicts at the last moment. You should know your skills and pace of working better than anyone. So, don’t commit anything impossible for you to do.

Practising the mentioned time and stress management techniques will help you manage time well and as a result, stress management is also possible.

The following are the specific steps you have to follow to get rid of stress:

• Reach office on time

This is the first and foremost rule that you have to follow to make sure that you have sufficient time for your work. If you are a frequent latecomer, it will cause unnecessary delays in your work and result in a last-minute rush.

• Have a clear idea of requirements

When someone is assigning you a task, ask everything in detail and clear your doubts right away. Having a clear idea of the task can help you do your work fast and saves your time from approaching others again for doubts.

• Take breaks

Breaks are an essential part of work. Never think that you have a lot of works and you will lose time if you take a break. Nobody can work continuously for several hours and the workflow tend to become slower when you don’t have time for rest. So, take a break between your works and interact with your colleagues to feel refreshed. You will also feel better if you take a short walk during the break time.

• Stay away from conflicts

Usually, people spend most of their time at the office than at home. So, always try to maintain healthy relationships with all your colleagues. You should accept the fact that every person will be different and have their own behaviors. It is recommended to cooperate with everyone and stay away from conflicts to the best of your abilities.

Time and stress management in business

Time and stress management is equally important for the entrepreneurs as they have a lot of responsibilities and any mistake from their part will have a direct effect on their organization. They will have to bear the financial consequences of whatever decisions they and their employees take.

Businessmen should practise all the techniques to manage time and stress as their emotions will influence the employees also. Manage your time and stress well so that you can make a significant decision with a clear mind and treat their employees in a better way that ultimately leads to the effective functioning of your organization.