What are some things you’re doing to prepare yourself for the workweek? How do you manage workload anxiety and stress? Trust me, managing workload anxiety can be … a lot, of course! As a full-time employee who also runs her own fashion brand and is currently completing her Masters (my parents said, “OK, so Ph.D. next?”), optimizing my time and mental health is crucial.
Here are three tips I have to share:
1) Create an editorial calendar for managing workload anxiety.
Map out your content for the week, whether it’s social media posts, things you have to write up, and when. I admit I’m not the BEST person when it comes to sticking to a calendar, but I can’t deny that it really keeps you on schedule! Give yourself space for outliers and random “pop-ups” that you have to adjust for.
How do you guys like editorial calendars? Honestly, I keep it simple — pull out that pencil and paper and write away! Whatever works for you works for you, just get it down and be effective.
2) Schedule email responses for managing workload deadlines.
I LOVE scheduling emails out, especially since I’m someone who naturally would send emails on the weekends and wee hours of the morning. I use Boomerang by Gmail to schedule emails out and, when necessary, add mail trackers to important messages that will require responses.
I like to limit this to only a few times a week (or a Sunday task!) because it’s important to get some work-life balance. However, I can say that scheduling email responses help take a lot of pressure off my shoulders, especially when I’m doing TBM stuff and answering important messages for the brand.
3) Outsource and ask for help for managing workload responsibilities.
This is the hardest one for me, but 2020 has taught me the importance of asking for help. Whether it’s gaining clarification on an assignment, outsourcing specific tasks to a VA on Fiverr or asking teammates to pitch in, ask for help! There’s always someone willing to help, but you also have to be willing to ask.
I also am working on asking friends and family for help, especially when it’s smaller tasks and lighter lifts that don’t require much. Seriously, how much does it require to simply ask your friends to share a story on Twitter or tag you in a project on LinkedIn? Now, I’m not saying to harass your friends and family for promo, but if they are and help serve your main demographic and target market, why not also utilize them while pushing out content?
What are your tips?
