When it comes to the idea of work-life balance, we tend to
focus primarily on finding ways to make our job less stressful. Many of us
believe that reducing the stress we get from our job makes our life better.
This is good thinking, of course, but the question is always how you could make
your job not stressful. How do you know which aspect of it gives you stress
anyway? Is it how you do your career
planning? Is it the people you work with? Your boss perhaps? Or your own
pursuit of career advancement?
What many of us don’t realize is that they are doing things
that create the very stress they want to get rid of. Thus, if you don’t want to
suffer any more job stress, you must first know what’s causing them. Listed
below are some common tendencies workers have that lead to more stress at work.
1. PROCRASTINATION
If you’re a person who is likely to wait until the last
minute to do something important, like to complete a task, it’s no surprise
you’re often stressed out! There’s nothing really wrong with waiting, especially
if you are given so much time to do an assignment. The problem is that you can
never know what other projects or tasks will be assigned to you that will keep
you busy for some time. Also, it is possible that the resources you need are
not available anymore when you’re about to do your task.
What to do: Do what you have to do the moment you’re asked
to do it.
2. OVERWORKING
If you’re really confident about your skills and you tend to
take on more than you can actually handle, you’re giving yourself something to
stress about. Of course it’s fulfilling to do everything, but it won’t be any
fun if it turns out giving you lots of stress.
What to do: Prioritize your work and don’t bite more than
you can chew.
3. OVERREACTING
If someone asks you to do something, do you feel like you
have to do it immediately? Stress can be the result of too much pressure,
especially if you think that everything you’re asked to do is urgent! You’ve
got to learn how to choose which tasks require your immediate attention.
What to do: Ask your supervisor when the assignment is due,
and then check your schedule so you may prioritize work accordingly.
4. LACK OF SELF-CONFIDENCE
Many of us feel like they have no right to speak up to the
management about anything. While it is often the case in workplaces, it is
still important that you know when to speak up and when to not.
What to do: If you feel that you’re being given more work
than you can take on, try to approach your immediate supervisor and seek some
advice.
Although stress can never be totally eliminated, there are
ways you could reduce it so it won’t affect your quality of life, career planning, and career advancement.
