What a day. Not only do you have a busy work schedule but life has somehow managed to insert itself in. Fight with the husband, sick kid, money troubles. And you have to let it not affect you, or at least “show” that it doesn’t affect you at work. Unless you’re Meryl Streep, it’s going to be awfully hard to mask all the life issues that are going on. So how do you deal?
-Take breaks, preferably outside if weather permits. Take time to clear your head and re-evaluate your situation. Don’t dwell on the problem, just think about the steps to the solution.
-Be honest. Letting your boss or closest co-workers that you have some life issues going on will definitely ease everyone’s mindset. Don’t over-share but an overall gist will help them become a little more understanding. After all, you don’t want to be seen as weird/crazy/anti-social person in the office for no apparent reason.
-Use a personal day. Preferably a Friday or Monday for a long weekend. If you can help it, don’t deal with work or life that day. just deal with you and your needs. Exercise, visit the spa, do a hobby or activity that you know makes you feel better. Hell, if sleep makes you feel better than just sleep all day. take this time to reset your “you” button.
-Baby steps. Accomplish what need to be a done one step at a time. Don’t get overwhelmed by the length of the to-do list. Focus on one item at a time and before you know it, that to-do list will be crossed out completely.
What do you guys do to handle life distractions at work?