Stress Management for Productivity

Goal: Manage stress to maintain productivity.

High stress creates “cognitive tunneling,” making it impossible to prioritize effectively.

1.The Eisenhower Matrix (Prioritization):

To reduce stress, categorize your tasks into four boxes:

1. Urgent & Important: Do it now (Crises, deadlines).

2. Not Urgent but Important: Schedule it (Planning, relationship building, exercise). Focus here for long-term success.

3. Urgent but Not Important: Delegate it (Interruptions, some meetings).

4. Not Urgent & Not Important: Delete it (Doom-scrolling, busy work).

2.Physiological Stress Busters:

• Box Breathing: Inhale 4s, Hold 4s, Exhale 4s, Hold 4s. This physically resets the nervous system from “fight or flight” to “rest and digest.”

• The “Brain Dump”: When stressed, write every single worry or task on a piece of paper. Getting it out of your head and onto paper reduces cognitive load.