I feel like a runner at the start line. Anything can happen now. The phone will ring or an email will come in, and I’ll be off – pounding at the keyboard, draining the coffee pot, feeling the rush of excitement, and soon…. bending under the weight of the stress.

Does this sound familiar to you?

I’m one of those people who like pressure. I feel I work better when I’m under the gun. I feel alive, productive, in demand.

But I also know that it could have dire consequences for my health.

The adrenaline is like a drug

I asked Gerrianne Clare, a life coach and creator of the Moment-Is online coaching program, what she says to people like me who thrive on pressure and colliding deadlines.

She tells me that I’m not alone, and that it’s the adrenaline that gets me moving and on task. “But being under pressure releases coritsol, the stress hormone.” It leaches into my system and can lead to anxiety and depression – or worse.

To relieve the pressure, Gerrianne’s advice is to impose my own timeline on myself. She suggests setting the intention that “there’s more work coming your way, and you need to get yourself prepared for that.”

So, let’s say I have an article due in a week. I set a timeline that I’m going to have this article written by today at 5 pm.  I’ve put myself under pressure and got the adrenaline pumping – without the stress that goes with it.

As part of the exercise, Gerrianne tells me to “Take an intentional breath at the beginning, and set my intention on high that I will achieve my goal within that time segment.” During this time, I am to be fully focused. I don’t think about anything else.

“When finished,” she says, “take a deep breath and acknowledge what you have accomplished.”

I can imagine the feeling of personal satisfaction that comes with completing a task within a set time frame. I am free to move on to the next project or take a walk if I feel like it. And I’m not continually pushing things dangerously close to their deadlines because I’m oversubscribed.

That’s one small step for productivity…one giant step for keeping stress at bay and taking better care of myself.

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3. Making a list and checking it twice

It’s the Christmas season. Do you know how I know?

I know it’s Christmas because I have no fewer than five lists on the go. My gift list, a secret gift list for my kids and husband, a list of year-end projects to complete, today’s MUD to do list, my grocery list…you get the picture.

List making was a habit I picked up from my mother. Growing up, I remember countless lists floating around the house. I also remember that my mother was (and still is) an extremely well-organized woman. She had to be  – running the family business and raising four kids. Our home hummed along like a well-oiled machine. Our linen closet and kitchen drawers were works of art. A place for everything. Everything in its place.

A delicious sense of accomplishment

Years ago at a conference, I participated in an exercise where people were grouped according to their birthdates. At my table, it was established that we were all Virgos. (Virgos are known for their attention to detail.) A common theme among us was that we all made lists. We talked about how good it felt to cross things off our lists. One Virgo said that if she finished something that wasn’t on her list, she would add it and then cross it off, just for the pure joy of it.

An outlet for “energy leaks”

Gerrianne Clare, a life coach and owner of Clare Consulting, recommends writing things down to “plug those energy leaks.” You know, those annoying “shoulds” that weigh on your mind because you can never seem to get to them – like balancing the books or organizing your storage room. These stressors ambush your time, rob you of energy and leave you feeling tired and unproductive.

Rather than continually pushing these niggling thoughts to the back of your brain, Gerrianne advises writing them down and breaking them into manageable tasks. “Get them out of your brain and onto paper. Acknowledge that they need to be done, and create a plan for yourself to do them.”

Tools for list making

For me, there’s really nothing like a good pen and a piece of paper. It feels real, tactile and…committed. And seeing a list of tasks crossed off is, well… a thing of beauty.

But since I am usually tethered to my computer, I also rely on Entourage to keep my schedule and business tasks organized. I love the reminder feature of this program. I also appreciate that it can be synchronized with my BlackBerry.

Another great tool for basic list making is Tada Lists. It’s free and super simple to use.  I turn to Tada Lists for the “fun” stuff, like books I want to read and movies to see.

If you haven’t already discovered the joy of lists, I encourage you to do so. Even if you’re not a Virgo, list making can clear your mind, help you get things done and give you a powerful feeling of accomplishment and freedom!

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Before yesterday, I couldn’t remember a single day when I just let time unfold on its own.

I threw on sweats, hastily dried my hair and dispensed with the make-up.

My husband, daughter and I enjoyed a glorious Sunday afternoon of movies and popcorn. I may have even caught 40 winks at some point.

We had a Skype visit with our son in London, Ontario. I spoke to my parents down in Pheonix. We made some tentative getaway plans.

Dinner was quick and easy, and enjoyed in front of more TV time.

It felt delicious.

Today being Monday morning, it’s hectic as usual. But I am well-rested, revived and raring to go. And I refuse to feel even a little bit guilty.

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Happily, I am writing this as I enjoy a smooth and friendly Westjet flight from Calgary to London. ( Although, I had to switch planes in Winnipeg, so it remains to be seen if my suitcase will make it or not.) But I digress.

Sue’s entry made me think about another service that has been letting us down in the last few years, and one that I quite frankly would love to give up on altogether. I’m talking about the good old postal service.

Recently, I purchased birthday gifts for my twin nieces. I deliberately thought about the size and weight of the gifts due to the skyrocketing price of postage on parcels. I settled on a pocketbook and a glamour nail set for each. To mail the two packages from Calgary to small town Ontario cost me $24.00. To make matters worse, even though both parcels were sent the same day, they arrived a week apart. (I could have paid twice as much to ensure they were given priority and then maybe they would have arrived together. But I have bills to pay.) And since I had bought both girls the same thing, the surprise was spoiled for my niece who had to wait and wonder if her gift was ever coming at all.

You would think with all of the options we have out there to communicate with one another that Canada Post would try harder.

Every year as I dole out hundreds of dollars on postage for packages, I tell myself that there has to be a better way. I apologized to my sister for the birthday gift screw-up and we decided that from now on, the kids get cards and money. Also, we decided that instead of exchanging gifts between us, we would call each other on our birthdays.

Now that’s personal service.

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