Welcome to the First Column IT Tech Blog

HomeBlog
Tip of the Week: Mellow Out When Things Aren’t Going Your Way

Tip of the Week: Mellow Out When Things Aren’t Going Your Way

March 10, 2023

There is a lot made of the importance of productivity when it comes to running a business. Of course, without a consistent output, revenue growth is impossible. As a result, many workers expect the same kind of effort that they give. When they don’t see that effort, tensions can get high and they can get stressed out pretty easily. Today, we will go through a couple of tips that will help you maintain composure when your job delivers more stress than you’d like. 

Stress is a Ruiner

One of the problems with stress is that it clouds rational judgment. When people get stressed out at work it can severely hinder their work performance because they aren’t focused on the job at hand, but on the stressors. Work isn’t always a cakewalk, especially if you are stressed out. Before we give you a couple of tips on how to cope, let’s identify some of the most common reasons people are stressed out at work:

  • Too much work
  • No available upward mobility
  • Unclear instructions
  • Unreasonable demands
  • Frustrating work environment
  • Financial or personal problems

Regardless of what the problem is, the more stressed out a person is, the worse his/her performance will be.  Let’s take a look at three things you can do to reduce workplace stress: 

Keep Track of Your Stressors

It doesn’t matter if that guy at the desk near you is a slob and his desk looks like your kitchen after you cook a three-course meal or you simply didn’t get enough sleep and are grouchy, you need to identify what is bothering you and when it does. One thing you can do is track these stressors in a work journal. By recording your thoughts, feelings, and notes about your work environment, you will be able to better identify the problems and create healthy responses for them. 

Establish Boundaries

It is more difficult than ever for people to create boundaries between their work life and their home life; especially if they work from home. If one part of your life is creating stress, it is best to keep it away from the other part. Create and stick to rules governing when you can and can’t work. For example, if you are habitually checking work notifications at times when you should be relaxing or focusing on family or other important things, you need to set a rule that you aren’t allowed to look at your work notifications at these defined times. 

Communicate

Most bosses don’t ask what their role is: it is to make sure their people are productive. This is not to say that most people want to push their subordinates to the limit of their sanity. If you explain your problem to your manager, there is a good chance that they will do something to help you better manage your business tasks. No one wants burnt out employees, so having a frank conversation about your situation can go a long way toward reducing your stress. 

While work isn’t always going to be easy, it doesn’t have to be so hard that you are tearing your hair out. Companies that choose to outsource some of their responsibilities have a tendency to see better productivity and efficiency than those that do everything in-house. The IT professionals at First Column IT provide a lot of value with our managed IT services and can help you have a more efficient and effective workplace culture. Give us a call at (571) 470-5594 to learn more.

‍

Previous Post
June 20, 2025
“Find” the Secrets Behind the Ctrl +F and Ctrl + G Keyboard Shortcuts
The Ctrl + F keyboard shortcut is incredibly useful, especially when you need to find specific text on a page… but did you know it is capable of so much more than that? Today, we want to go over some specific use cases for this keyboard shortcut and how you can use them in Google Docs and Microsoft Word.
June 18, 2025
Transform Your IT from a Money Pit to an Asset
Many businesses are under the impression that their IT, despite being a necessary cost, is just that: a bottomless pit for the company’s hard-earned money. However, this impression could be a sign that the business is not utilizing its technology effectively. Let’s look at three signs that your organization might need to reconsider its relationship with IT spending and how they contribute to your company’s overall impressions of IT (as well as its productivity).
June 16, 2025
Use the MACH Architecture Framework to Plan Your Business’ Future
Businesses tend to strive for agility, meaning that they want to make changes quickly and effectively as their needs change. Technology often holds them back from making these changes. You can bypass this roadblock through the MACH architecture framework, a way to build a flexible, scalable, and future-ready IT infrastructure to suit your business’ needs.

Have a project in mind?

Start with our free consultation. We will provide a detailed proposal and firm quote based on your specific IT support needs. All at a predictable monthly cost per seat.
Free Consultation - Sign Up Here