1. Deliberately reframe challenges

What quality do you admire most in others? Consider how the challenge you’re facing gives you an opportunity to grow in that quality. 

I admire wisdom. A common challenge for me is getting to appointments early, because I really don’t like waiting—it feels like a waste of time! However, wisdom teaches us that doing things well is more important than simply getting things done. Wisdom teaches us to slow down and enjoy life. Wisdom teaches us to enjoy silence and simply being with others. Therefore, arriving a couple minutes early to appointments, calmly, without rushing, is a perfect way for me to grow in wisdom.

2. Give yourself time for mindfulness each day

I started practicing mindfulness in high school, and it had a profound impact on me. I stopped after college because I didn’t know how to fit it into my schedule. Starting a few years ago, OptimalWork taught me a strategy that has brought mindfulness and it’s benefits back into my life. Before starting each hour of work, I simply pause for 30-60 seconds and take 3 slow breaths.

3. Work with a timer

Have you ever experienced the deadline benefit? We perform better when we experience a sense of urgency due to an external demand. We can create this sense of urgency for ourselves by setting a timer before beginning a task. If you practice stopping the task when the timer goes off, then your brain learns to compress the steps of the task into the time it’s given. It’s amazing how this simple practice sharpens our focus.

4. Follow a schedule

Feeling overwhelmed comes from believing we don’t have enough time to finish all our tasks. By having a clear schedule and slotting in our tasks at specific times we realize that there is often more than enough time if we use it wisely.

5. Have a stop time for your workday!

If we don’t enforce a stop time, we can easily trick ourselves into thinking we have to always be on. There will always be more than enough work. Pick a time to stop working and enjoy life. Let’s enjoy the things we’re working for, like our family, friends, and hobbies.

This post is based on my interview with Authority Magazine.