How to Slow Down, Get Rid of Stress, and Get More Work Done!

I realize more and more that getting more work done has everything to do with slowing down more than anything.

Last blog post I told you to think of 30 new ideas everyday and take an hour of your time daily. And, I told you that I would tell you why that is important.

Let me tell you story of my life. (AGAIN!)

I used to play in the mini-pro circuit golf before I dived into the Web 2.0 world.

I might not be the best professional golfer in the world right now but I can tell you that there’s a lot of things I know about golf more than most people.

One of those things that I do on a consistent basis (when playing competitive golf), is slooooowing down.

If you read a bunch of golf books on how to play better golf, you will find that most top pros will tell you to slow down EVERYTHING.

To play well in a pressure-packed golf tournament, a player has to learn to control his emotions. (basically your heartbeat.)

When your heartbeat pounds too fast during a golf tournament, you will ultimately hit bad shots or hit shots with too much power.

Because of this, a professional golfer will prepare for a golf tournament by driving slow to the golf course before the tournament even begins. (or walk if not driving)

Famous golf pros like Gary Player even suggest you to drive at least 10 miles below the speed limit before playing golf.

WHY?

Because you need to control and pace yourself. If you eat a large hamburger and run out to your tee time, you will inevitably end up shanking your tee shot or worse.

Even during a golf round, a pro golfer must pace himself/herself by walking at a constant pace that he/she is comfortable with.

What does this have to do with anything?!?

It has everything to do with your blogging business. If you can learn to do things effortlessly, you can go longer.

For example, in arm wrestling, it’s usually not the person with stronger biceps who wins but the other guy who uses his brain and keeps his “reserve” power for last.

Like such, you need to do thing effortlessly so you can put that extra energy to good use, such as thinking of 30 new ideas for your business.

How to Lower your Heart Rate and Reduce Stress

Here’s a simple exercise that will actually lower your heart rate, reduce stress, and make your daily commute more effortless and enjoyable.

The next time you drive, try to keep like 5 seconds between your car and the car ahead of you. In other words, drive at comfortable, relaxed speeds.

When you accelerate your car, do it very gently. When you come to a stop, do it gradually.

These tips will not only actually help you “control” the traffic around you and get to your destination faster, they can also save a LOT of extra gas plus the environment.

Likewise, if you simply learn to slow down your life, you will be able to think faster and get more things done in shorter amount of time.

Don’t be a “squawker” or someone who constantly keeps “busy” for nothing important. Take enough time to do everything in your life whether that’s cooking food or even brushing your teeth. When you start making time for everything, you will actually have more time. I am sure you know many “squawkers” in your life, they probably will stay in their box forever. Squawkers usually whine about everything instead of focusing on things that will actually help their life and business.

Even myself, I have been guilty of being a squawker most of my last 12 months and I came back to realize that’s simply not the way of life.

Stress is simply “self-imposed” actions that complicate your life. There’s no need for you to stress about anything if you take everything slowly.

Another exercise that can help you deal with stressful situations is to simply “slow down” everything you do. I have seen many grocery clerks who use this method when customers start being obnoxious. They will slow down to a point the customer gets mad but the stress goes to the customer, not the clerk.

Next time you get in an argument with someone, simply “slow down” whatever you are doing.

When you “slow down”, you will think clear and realize there’s no reason to stress.

The only reason you stress is because you try to do things too fast and your brain cannot catch up.

You can also do breathing exercises by breathing in 4 counts and out 4 counts; this can help you control your heartbeat and slow it down.

I know it might not make sense for some of you but you really need to think out of the box on this one.