MANY people have been complaining recently about their time management problems specifically around having an inordinate amount of meetings to attend on a daily basis. This leaves them with little or no time to tend to their emails, voice mails or anything else, for that matter. The incredible stress this causes can be greatly reduced.

First off, know that you really DO have control over the number of meetings you attend. If you use a group calendar system like Outlook and your calendar is empty at the time a meeting is called, then you will be scheduled to attend it. However, if you intentionally block out time (translate = show busy) for your email and other projects, then you won't be going to that meeting! Certainly there are some meetings that you HAVE to go to, but limit your time available by blocking out time for you, first.

Another simple strategy is to just say “NO”! Of course this needs to be used judiciously but remember it always IS an option!

Secondly, do you REALLY have to attend every meeting you are invited to? Of course we all want to feel needed and important but some meetings are just a plain waste of time. Find out from the meeting organizer what the meeting will cover and why you need to be there if you are at all unsure. You might just buy yourself an extra hour by spending 2 minutes checking.

Also, has your organization learned the ways to running efficient meetings? They include things like:

• Timed out agendas sent ahead of time

• Clear purpose and objectives

• Basic meeting ground rules

• STRICT start and end times

• A meeting timekeeper to keep on track

• A meeting minute taker (to share with those NOT in attendance, maybe you??)

• A meeting facilitator

• Evaluate meeting for productive or unproductive outcomes

• Set next steps

If you and your colleagues are meeting'd out, want to make your meetings more efficient or spend less time in meetings, then I hope this gets you thinking about making some changes to reduce your stress.

Another way to reduce stress is to reduce interruptions.

Think of the time you spend during your workday like Chinese water torture. This is the popular name for a method of water torture in which water is slowly dripped onto a person's forehead, slowly and unpredictably, driving the victim insane. The victim tries to predict when the next drop will fall causing tension build up. When the drop finally does fall, a sense of shock and then relief follows, only to be replaced with more tension about the next drop.

Believe it or not, you experience a feeling similar to Chinese water torture every day. According to the National Association of Professional Organizers, the average business person is interrupted, or dripped on, approximately 60 times per day. Each interruption lasts an average of five minutes or a total of four hours per day. These interruptions come primarily in the form of phone calls, emails, and other people dropping by. So if you are busy working on a project and your email dings (an unexpected drip), your body tenses up or “twitches.” Your mind now shifts away from what you are doing to make a decision about what needs to be done with the interruption. Multiply this by 60 and you have a very stressful and non-productive situation indeed!

So here's some ways to reduce your “twitches” so you can feel more accomplished at the end of your day:

Turn OFF your email notification. If you are feeling like a slave to your email, this can help you feel like the master.

Check your email 3 times a day (OR less than every 5 seconds!). If you are in a customer service position, this may not work BUT if you can resist obsessively checking email, you will twitch less and have more time to get other work done before checking it again.

Use voice mail and turn the ringer off. (See #1 above.)

Create daily office hours and post them. Just like professors, let others know when you are available to field questions and issues. Otherwise, your time is your own for projects or meetings.

Go where you can't be found. When you are trying to get some reading or important work done, sign yourself into an empty conference room or go to the cafeteria off hours to reduce your interruptions.