Abstract:

Even those of us who try to slow down, occasionally still get caught up in stress. It’s the way of our world, and sometimes it’s hard to escape.

Rather than continuing to fight a losing battle, I’ve got three processes for you that’ll help you steady yourself again and again and make your life burnout-proof.

Your mission today is to learn how to eliminate stress for good.

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Process 1: Clarity

Stress has a way of distracting us and leading us on a wild goose chase. In the end, we get worked up about insignificant details and no longer see the wood for the trees.

The antidote is clarity, and ideally, you gain this clarity in advance. You do this by writing down what the most important things are in your life. Make sure to include at least one passion, hobby or interest.

When things get hectic, remind yourself of your list. If the thing you’re getting stressed about isn’t on it, maybe it’s not worth it. You can still do your best without losing your head over it.

Process 2: Radically prioritise

Every morning, write down your tasks for the day. Then find two priorities. Those are the tasks that absolutely must happen, even if everything else goes to heck that day.

Resist the temptation of: “But it’s all important!” It’s not. Do your two priorities, and pat yourself on the back. Anything else is icing. And if you absolutely insist on a 3rd priority, make sure it’s a passion.

Process 3: Align

Aligning your day and your activities is a great way of avoiding the headless-chicken confusion that leads to stress and burnout. If you know your life purpose, this is one great thing to align yourself to.

Otherwise, you could start with your values. Download this worksheet for inspiration and find your top 5 values. Whenever you’re pulled in all directions, refer to your values and say a firm No to anything that isn’t aligned to them.

If you find that the above 3 processes aren’t possible in your life, you may need change in order to stay healthy. The processes give you the guide rails to orient yourself towards.