Soothe Workplace Madness

36 ways to calm the chaos at work.

Take on Office Stress

Most days of the week, you get up, get dressed, eat breakfast, and head into one of the unhealthiest places in the world. Problems at work are more strongly associated with health complaints than any other life stressor -- even more than financial problems or family problems.

Here is a wide spectrum of tips to help you better cope with workplace stress (without taking out your boss).

1. Work on one thing at a time. Today's office worker changes tasks an average of every three minutes, a lightning-speed day of interruptions helped along by the multitasking made possible with computers. Working on eight things at once might seem impressive, but it isn't. Rather, it is exhausting, inefficient, and highly stressful. So instead of constantly checking e-mail, having two or three documents open on your screen at one time, or returning voice mail messages as they come in, structure your day to focus on one thing at a time. In particular, start your day by blocking out two uninterrupted hours for hands-on work. During this time, do not answer your phone or check e-mail. Then check e-mails and respond all at once. Go to lunch. Then structure your afternoon the same way. Designate a time immediately after lunch and an hour before you leave for returning phone calls.

2. Work in short bursts. The flip side to multitasking is that it is hard to sustain creativity or intensity over one task for long stretches. Rather, our brains work in cycles of creativity, then rest. So work this way. After an hour or so of concentrated work, get up for five minutes, stretch, walk around, do some calisthenics. Not only will this help the quality of your work; by the time you finish your day, you'll have snuck in 30 minutes of stress-reducing exercise.

3. Give your colleagues a grade. A "D" is for people who drain your energy, and an "F" is for people who fill you up with energy. Now make sure that you avoid the D's as much as possible throughout the day. Conversely, when you're feeling drained, take a few minutes to connect with an F, suggests James Campbell Quick, Ph.D., professor of organizational behavior at the University of Texas in Arlington.

4. With difficult workplace relationships, deal directly, but constructively. "Toxic people" are those whose negativity, intensity, or demeanor always seems to drain or annoy you -- the D people from above. They can be your boss, your assistant, your colleagues -- in other words, they are people with whom you frequently interact. After a negative encounter with a toxic person, the temptation is to be angry and accusatory. But that leads nowhere. Instead, try this direct, honest, and disarming approach: "I am finding our interactions stressful because of ---- and am feeling bad about ---- I would like our working relationship to improve. What suggestions do you have for me?" Even if you feel that the other person is the one who should change, by asking for her suggestions, you avoid putting her on the defensive. If she is even a little reasonable, this will likely lead to, "Well, I guess there are some changes I could make too."

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