When choosing things to do to reduce stress at work this week, here is a list of some do’s and don’ts.

DO:  Eat things that fuel your body’s energy tank. Here’s a list of snacks that increase your energy from Cleveland Clinic Wellness.

DON’T:  Eat things that quickly spike and then crash your blood sugar levels.  Not eating for many hours at a time is also a don’t.  Starving your body will result in lower energy levels.

DO:  Find at least 10-minutes, 3x this week, to either get your heart rate up or get your blood pressure down.  Here are 100 ways to kickstart your brain.

DON’T:  Think that exercise has to been an all out 1-hour sweatfest to be helpful to your health.

No excuses this week.  Take a walk outside, jump on the treadmill, do some squats next to your desk, park farther from your building, do some yoga, try a few push-ups in the morning – anything that gets your body to feel alive and well for even a few minutes, consistently, can make a difference over time in reducing your stress levels.

DO:  Have a 10-minute sweaty conversation with someone that you need to.

DON’T:  Avoid having a necessary conversation with someone at work.  It will only prolong your pain and internal drama.  Remember, when anxiety is up, production is down.

A 10-minute sweaty conversation is one you know you need to have.  It’s that one with your boss that you have had a hundred times in your head and not once out loud with her or him.  You talked it through with everyone but the person you need to have it with.  Write a short script if you need to wherein you show respect and empathy for their side of the situation and you take time to listen to what they have to say about the thing that is bothering you the most.

You may need to have that 10-minute sweaty conversation with a colleague who has missed 4 of the last 5 deadlines.  Their delays are causing you to work late and harder than you have to.  Use the technique stated above.

DO:  Look ahead at the week, make a list, and place the items on your calendar.

DON’T:  Make your brain remember everything you have to do.

One of productive people’s secrets is that they schedule everything they do so they can measure how long things take them.  That way, they can schedule those items more effectively and efficiently in the future.  They don’t clutter their brains with mundane tasks they need to remember to do.  (Why do you think Mark Zuckerberg, Steve Jobs and Albert Einstein all made decisions to wear the same thing every day – they didn’t want to waste any moment of thinking time on mundane items.)

If you haven’t had a chance to read or listen to Time Mastery: 7 Simple Steps to Richer Outcomes, here’s the link.  There’s a whole system for reducing your stress, over time, by designing your time more effectively.