This hardly ever happens to me anymore but last night I woke up at midnight thinking about several projects I was working on at the office. Some were tight deadlines some were large dollar orders being produced overseas. I literally had a brief panic attack worrying about what might go wrong with the projects. I don't know if any of you have faced this type of panic attack but once the brain gets going it's pretty hard to shut it off.
I used to get stressed out by things I really couldn't control but over the years I have learned how to turn off work when I leave the office. Today I want to share a few ideas for avoiding those work related panic attacks after a busy day.
1. Exercise. Since I started working out every week night I seldom lay awake thinking about things. Something about exhausting the bodies seems to help the mind sleep as well. Usually I lay my head on the pillow and 10 minutes later I'm slumbering away.
2. Read for a few minutes. I just finished a great book "Born to Run" by Christopher McDougall which I highly recommend to anyone who likes running. I've noticed a few minutes of reading right before bed usually lulls my brain into a sense of calm. Another book I highly recommend is Dale Carnegie's "How to Stop Worrying and Start Living". This is a great must read for anyone who worries too much. I can't recommend it enough.
3. Avoid the computer and smart phone right before bed. I was just reading an article talking about how the glare of the screen can affect your ability to sleep. By no means read your work email before bed time. The last thing you need is to see something in an email late at night that you can't do anything about before tomorrow except worry.
4. Plan your project list before you go home. I try to always take the last few minutes of the work day to plan out my morning schedule. What are the 6 most important things for me to get down when I get into the office? The better task list you keep and the better you structure your day the less important things slip through the cracks and the less you'll have to worry about when it comes time to go to sleep.
As I can attest to last night no system is perfect but at least these steps tend to help me avoid panicking about work most of the time.
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