Work pressure: get control before it controls you.

We all know what it is like to feel as though pressures at work are going to kill you. We have faced impossible deadlines. We have run full steam ahead to tackle unbearable workloads. We have juggled too many things that needed to be done at once. We have delivered for that boss who did not care about anything except getting the job done. We have stepped up to get things done when staff or co-workers were away at critical times. We have handled all different types of work pressures, and we have survived to deal with still more.

Each day, we face many different types of work pressure. We often cope with the pressure by racing to get today's problems out of the way with just enough time to catch a quick breath before starting all over again tomorrow. We are easily sucked into a crisis management vortex wherein work pressures constantly control our actions. We can get so caught up in it that we forget to ask ourselves some hard questions. Do we want to continually react to work pressures, or would we rather be in control of the pressures we face at work? Are we prepared to control the pressures that build up in our work environments, or are we resigned to having them control us?

The reality of any job situation is that work pressure is a constant challenge. Those of us in the municipal finance profession must confront the pressures arising from the constant collision of fiscal limitations and the service delivery expectations of constituents, elected officials, and staff. We are in the customer service business and thus our focus has to be on serving both external and internal clients. Unfortunately, customer expectations almost always exceed the fiscal capacity of our organizations, creating a unique and challenging set of work pressures.

I want to share some of the practices I believe are vital for successfully handling work pressures. Over the years these practices have helped me cope with many different types of work pressure, ultimately ensuring that work pressures did not control my actions either on or off the job. They have helped me stay in control of my job, rather than being controlled by my job. In some cases, these practices have even helped me to use work pressures as a springboard for raising the bar on my productivity and effectiveness at work.

Below is a list of the practices I have used for dealing with work pressure. Many of these practices stem from good old-fashioned common sense. This list is neither all-inclusive nor guaranteed to work for everyone all of the time. You may already be utilizing most, if not all, of these practices to handle your work pressures. Maybe reading this will be a good refresher and reminder for you. Maybe there are one or two new practices you can deploy that will help you to handle your work pressures. Take what you want and leave the rest.

YOUR MENTAL APPROACH TO WORK

Be positive. Look for reasons to find and create success at work. It is far too easy to be negative, critical, cynical, or sarcastic tic about your work. Actively work to move ideas forward in one way or another. This is so much better than sitting on the sidelines criticizing the actions of others. When you are at work, focus primarily on the types of work you enjoy doing. Do the things you are good at and get help from others to address those things that you want to learn to do better. When you make mistakes, don't beat yourself up. Instead, learn from your mistakes so that you do not repeat them. Refuse to let other people or difficult situations drag you down. And don't waste an inordinate amount of time and effort addressing negative pressures. Rather, direct your time and energy toward positive contributions to your organization.

Find solutions. Be determined in your efforts to find solutions to problems. Focus on solutions rather than problems. Take the time spent analyzing why problems occurred and assigning blame, and instead use this time to find and implement solutions. While past and current practices have their merits, be willing to think outside of the box as you work to find solutions for the future. Share your solutions with others and ask them to help you shape and develop them. Find solutions that others have implemented and use them in your work. It is the solution that matters, not who thought of it. In short, alleviate work pressures by implementing solutions to the problems that cause these pressures in the first place.

Set objectives. Before you jump into a multitude of tasks, take a moment to stop and look at the big picture. Draw up a schedule that includes targeted work objectives for the day, the week, the month, and the year. Try to focus your efforts on attaining the objectives that are most important to you. Ensure that your work objectives are directly linked to and integrated with the objectives of your organization and colleagues. Face work pressures created by time deadlines head on by first completing the tasks that are the most important. And don't be obsessed with striving for perfection in your work. We have all heard of the 80/20 rule. Focus on producing quality work that effectively addresses 80 percent (or more) of what you are trying to achieve. The time and effort you put into completing the last 20 percent (or less) that is required to achieve perfection can be better deployed to accomplish the next task. Finally, know when and how you can realistically say "no" to new projects. But don't simply say no. Consider whether you really need to say no to a particular project, or if instead you can come up with some way to make it easier for you to add it to your plate.

Maintain a steady pace. Work is more like a marathon than a sprint. Plan to be involved in it for the long haul. Work at a steady pace instead of at a slow pace when deadlines are off in the distance and then at a frenetic pace when deadlines are upon you. Work pressure can be greatly alleviated by maintaining a steady pace.

Don't expect to do the job alone. We all know someone (maybe we are one) who thinks he or she is the only one who can effectively perform a given task. This belief is simply not true in most cases, and it often leads to unnecessary stress and even burnout. Get help! Do what you do best and ask others to help you to do what they do best. Subscribe to the "two heads are better than one" mentality--you will feel less pressure and your work will usually be much better.

YOUR PHYSICAL APPROACH TO WORK

Take care of your body, Look after yourself on an ongoing basis. Don't wait until a health crisis strikes to take actions that will help you handle work pressures. Spend less time worrying about work pressures and more time getting work done. If you do get sick, don't be the office hero who refuses to take time off. Instead, go home and rest so that you will get better sooner rather than later. Work pressures will only increase if you are not at your best or if neglecting to treat an illness causes you to miss more work than if you had simply gone home to begin with.

Take time for physical activity, Your body is amazing! Take the time to fine tune it and to push it. Walk. Hike. Run. Golf. Skate. Whatever the activity you choose to participate in, stretch your body's physical capacity. Don't focus on what you cannot do physically or what you have not yet done, but rather celebrate what you have already accomplished. Develop an ongoing physical routine and stick with it. Set targets for yourself. And don't judge your success solely by what the scale says. By taking time for physical activity, you are giving yourself an opportunity to wash work stress out of your life (at least for a time). And you are likely to perform better when you are on the job.

Take time to rest. Take some down time for yourself. Don't feel guilty about it. And get good sleep. Allow yourself to sleep in every now and then. Don't add to your work pressures by being so tired at work that you cannot perform optimally while on the job. A well-rested individual is better able to handle work pressures than one who is constantly fatigued.

Look good and feel good. Ensure that you look professional and that your attire fits your work environment. Whether you like it or not, the reality is that many people equate the credibility of one's job performance with how that person looks in the workplace. Avoid incremental work pressures that may arise because certain people perceive that the credibility of your work is compromised by your physical appearance or your attire.

Eat and drink well. Fuel your body properly with good energy sources. As with most things in life, moderation is the key to your eating and drinking habits. Don't flood your engine with too much fuel or the wrong fuel. Look to other avenues besides eating and drinking to release work pressures and stress.

YOUR SPIRITUAL APPROACH TO WORK

Believe in yourself. Have faith and confidence in yourself and in your abilities. Know that you can do the job. Tell yourself you can handle the work pressures. You have to be your best cheerleader! Creating a strong inner foundation for yourself is key to thriving in your job, especially when work pressures are coming at you from many different angles.

Look to have fun and enjoy yourself, Keep your chin up at all times. Even if you don't feel like it, exude confidence and optimism in the workplace. The best way to do this is to find ways to have fun in the workplace. One way to enjoy your work is to play some of your favorite background music in your office while you are working. Nothing calms you down in the face of work pressures like a smile, a chuckle, or some good tunes.

Focus on those work pressures that are within your control. Every municipality faces challenges from many different sources. You need to realize that you cannot address or resolve all of these challenges. More realistically, you need to focus your efforts primarily on addressing only those things that are within your control. By not focusing on or wasting time and effort on things that are beyond your control, you will have more time and effort available to you that can be positively directed toward managing the work pressures that you can control.

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