In order to cope with workplace stress, you simply need to plan your work day. I am very surprised that some people do not plan their work day and allow circumstances to dictate their work situation.

Some of us tend to place more effort into planning what we want to eat for lunch, the things we want to do on the weekend and the quickest way to get home to avoid peak hour traffic, rather than plan the tasks we want to achieve at work. It is no wonder why alot of us suffer from workplace stress.

By not planning your work day, you’re simply allowing things to go wrong such as major delays and errors with a work project, missing important appointments or meetings and not completing your work tasks by their deadline. This will be followed by arguments with your boss and co-workers, dealing with angry customers, lost revenue, an unsettled work environment and you feeling upset and extremely stressed.

There will be times when things will be out of your control and you will be suddenly thrown off your feet with a major work delay or problem. As you know, the workplace will never be the perfect place. However, like an army general, it is best to be prepared with some form of game plan than not having a game plan at all.

The great thing about planning your work day is that it only takes a few minutes of your time. The results that you will achieve from your work plan and the reduction in workplace stress you will experience will be simply amazing.

Here are valuable tips for planning your work day:

• Create a daily “to do” list. This list involves the tasks you want to achieve and complete on a given day. With this list, priorities the most important tasks to the least important, factoring in time delays and room for error. The great thing about the “to do” list is that they’re easy to prepare and it gives you a sense of accomplishment, once you start crossing items off your list as you complete them. The best time to prepare your “to do” list is at the end of the working day, so you are well prepared for the next day. This will help you to start work fresh each day, knowing precisely what you want to accomplish.

• Set SMART goals and objectives. Set goals and objectives that are realistic and can be completed in a timely manner. 

Set SMART goals which are an acronym for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Timely. Here are the steps for planning your goals and objectives using SMART:

Step 1: Specific

Be clear about what you want to achieve with your goal.

Step 2: Measurable

It must be quantitative. The goal must have some form of measurement i.e. time, number and percentage. This becomes the goal post to aim for.

Step 3: Achievable

The goal must be both realistic and challenging. If the goal isn’t realistic you are likely to fail before you get started.

Step 4: Relevant

It must relate to your overall goal or the bigger picture you’re aiming for.

Step 5: Timely

It must have a time frame or deadline to achieve your objective.

• Always carry a diary. To keep on track with your work tasks, always write appointments and deadlines in your diary. There is no excuse for you to not have a diary. Diaries come in all shapes and sizes and are very cheap to buy. Some workplaces even supply diaries to their workers at no charge. Sometimes we get caught up with several work tasks and a diary reminds us of the tasks we need to focus on.

Coping with workplace stress is about being in control of your work situation and not allowing it to control you.