How to Boost Productivity Without Boosting Stress

Productivity and stress aren’t necessarily two sides of the same coin, but they do go hand in hand, much more often than any of us would like. When you agonize over all the things you have to do, and make changes to your daily rhythms to help you accomplish more, it can take its toll on you; it can make you feel more anxious, more easily depleted. And that, in turn, reduces your productivity — a nasty cycle!

But is it possible to add to your productivity without compounding your stress? I think so, and I think it all comes down to eliminating unnecessary things from your life — tasks or obligations that only add to your workload without actually leading to meaningful achievement.

Let me show you what I mean with a few quick examples.

Be Productive Without Being Stressed

• Set aside a few hours each morning to just do work. Make it as early as you need to, but when you have this work time, turn off all desktop and phone notifications. In fact, you might want to go into Do Not Disturb mode. Ignore your inbox and your email just for an hour or two, and let yourself get stuff done without interruption.
• Set office hours. Similarly, set aside a couple of hours each day where your door is open and you’re available for any questions or…