The leadup to EOFY is a crazy time for most people, so this week we thought we’d share five simple stress hacks to help avoid burnout and get through the week in good form.
Let’s jump in.
1. Schedule time off post-EOFY
One thing I’ve always sworn by is recharging after the end of every quarter; even if I can’t manage an entire week and it’s just a day or two, it all counts to recharge our batteries, ready to go again for the new financial year.
Having time off to look forward to and knowing you’ve already scheduled it gives us a prize at the finish line to keep us motivated.
It’s been found that 41% of stressed employees believe that the stress is negatively impacting their productivity (Colonial Life). So, do yourself and your employee a favour and log off 🙂
2. It’s all about the microbreak
When you’re under the pump, the last thing you feel like you have time to do is to take a break. Let’s be honest, sometimes having 2 minutes to run to the bathroom feels like a luxury, but the benefits of a microbreak are game-changing for our health and productivity.
I’m not saying take a long leisurely lunch; nobody has time for that at EOFY. It’s all about taking just a few minutes throughout the day to stretch, get some sunshine, move your body, or do your daily wordle – whatever floats your boat.
Brendan Burchard, a world-leading high-performance specialist, encourages a simple reset; for example, use the doorway as a reset prompt when you walk into your office or through your front door at home. He encourages saying “release, release, release” as you do so to allow you to move from one activity to the next.
Dr Kristy Goodwin talks about our ultradian rhythms, reoccurring periods where our energy rises and falls every 90 minutes. Taking microbreaks every 90 minutes or so will help stabilize the falls.
Microbreaks have been proven to manage fatigue, suppress attention decline and reduce workplace stress (Forbes).
My favourite is going outside, walking to the end of my driveway and back. It’s enough to get some movement and reset when I’m under the pump.
3. Be at one with zzz
I know it’s easier said than done when managing good quality sleep at the EOFY, especially when stress and anxiety are sleep’s worst enemy. Still, getting a few solid nights’ sleep will make all the difference to our attitude, productivity and general mental health.
I was always known for working until midnight at the end of the quarter/year. Whilst sometimes this is unavoidable, I now attempt to live by the rule, don’t do more today than you can recover from tomorrow, a concept from the book ‘Effortless’ by Greg McKeown. He also encourages us to set an upper limit, e.g. I will not work past 10 pm as I won’t be productive tomorrow and will be more likely to make mistakes at a critical time. Again, appreciate that this can be hard to execute at this time of year.
Tips to promote optimal sleep:
– Place a self-imposed phone/tablet ban 1 hour before bed. Dr Kristy Goodwin says mobile devices emit blue light, suppressing the melatonin sleep hormone. Blue light exposure is known to cause disrupted sleep, which reduces time in deep sleep stages, causing tiredness and impacting our mental health.
– Get out in the sunshine as exposure to natural sunlight can help regulate their circadian rhythms, which helps with healthy sleep habits.
– Become well acquainted with exercise. A moderate amount of activity daily is known to increase our sleep drive (Cleveland Clinic).
4. Focus only on what you can control.
Ah, another easier said than done. When many things are outside our control this week, strive to concentrate your energy on what is within your control. Prioritise the deals with the highest potential of closing, rather than frantically chasing everything and anything.
Whilst you might be so close to that target or accelerator, clients can smell the desperation on a sales professional from a mile off, and it is not a good look and not worth breaking the relationship for.
5. Laughter is the best medicine.
Don’t forget to stop and have a laugh in and amongst the whirlwind.
According to London Business School, “laughter relieves stress and boredom, boosts engagement and well-being, and spurs creativity and collaboration, analytic precision and productivity.”
Set yourself up for success in the new financial year with a fortnightly dose of sales and marketing goodness. We share our highest-performing campaign insights and drop tips and trends to get you striding ahead of your competition. Check out our Inside Scoop here: https://insidescoop.salesredefined.com.au
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