Less Stress Starting Today

The weekends are my time to reflect. You might have noticed that the blog entries on the weekends are often on the “bigger picture” of what it means to be a business owner and/or investor. Or, at least what it means to me!

Today, I’m thinking about being stressed. Or better yet, ways to reduce stress. There are so many options these days; so many people clamoring for attention, and way too much information flooding through the Internet. Instead of asking, “Do you ever feel overwhelmed?” therapists now ask, “How often do you feel overwhelmed?”

It reminds me of a PC computer with a lot of open applications, or windows. The more windows that are open, the slower the performance of the computer. Well, we’re clearly not computers. No, we’re a whole lot more complex and we have bigger operating system that consumes way more in resources than a plain old computer, just keeping us upright and breathing every day.

So, the more applications (decisions, tasks) that we keep open, the more overwhelmed we’ll feel and the slower we’ll operate.

One of the biggest culprits to creating this feeling of overwhelm is not making a decision. No decision is a decision. The decision is “no”, but it’s not clear cut, and so leaves everybody guessing. I remember once hearing that one of the quickest ways to free up time is if someone asks you to do something or buy something or whatever and you know you have no intention of doing it, just say “no” right up front. It frees up huge amounts of time and energy for both you and the other person. Even bigger, it gets you in the habit of being active and in charge of your life, instead of hiding and hoping that the other person forgets and never bugs you again.

So, practice today – if there is something that you know won’t work for you, just say “no.” If it’s something that will work, step up and say “yes,” then put the action steps in place to make sure you honor that commitment.

I’ve made a real effort in my life on this one and can’t believe the difference. A “no” is a “no” and it’s quick. A “yes” means I’ll do it. Period. I can’t believe the stress that simple thing reduces and how much better I feel about myself, and the actions I take.