Get More Done with Less Stress

Effective leaders know personal organization is essential, and Henrik Edberg, in an article on positivityblog.com, describes twelve personal habits that foster getting things done with a lot less stress. Here is a sampling of the practices he recommends:

1. “Prepare for your day the evening before…
2. Be 5-10 minutes early for appointments…
3. Work on just one thing at a time…
4. During your day regularly ask yourself these questions for simplicity and focus:
• What is the most important thing I can do right now?
• Is doing this bringing me closer to my goal?
• Am I keeping things extremely simple right now?”

And in the Art of Leadership book, Leading Early Childhood Organizations, Rachel Robertson encourages program directors to “Follow the SMART goal method” to help staff be more effective and less stressed. She explains that SMART stands for:
“specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and time-bound. ‘Clean the classroom’ is not a SMART goal. Staff assigned to this task won’t know what ‘clean’ means to the director, there is no deadline, and it may not be realistic if there is no support or time allotted for the task. ‘Scrub each classroom shelf and re-label shelves and bins by October 10’ is a SMART goal.”

Source: “How to Get More Done with (a Lot) Less Stress: 12 Daily Habits,” by Henrik Edberg, positivityblog.com, June 12, 2019

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