“Wonder Woman Files” is a weekly career column on Madame Noire. Stay tuned for more topics, comment or write us at editors@madamenoire.com if you have suggestions!
Watching the season premier of Hoarders last night, we cringed as rats and reptiles crawled from some off the most atrocious spaces. And while we are certainly more hygienic than the folks on the A&E hit show, many of us are back from the long weekend and drowning already. Here are some tips for every Madame seeking to clear the mental clutter and get back to work!
Breath Simple but effective, the best way to avoid tumbling into an anxiety attack is to take a second and collect yourself. What should you think of? Nothing. Nothing that is in front of you causing you stress. Breath, and be, for at least a minute. You have that much time, be sure to give it wholly to yourself.
Clear The Air Your physical surroundings definitely affect how you perform. So while it may seem O.C.D.-ish, please clean. Clean your space from head to toe and leave nothing out of place. Making the way for some order around you will help you start paving the way to settling the turbulence going on inside.
Make a List A single one. Not one for work, one for school, one for home. Make one big giant list because after all, it’s not as if you can trick your mind into thinking that your life is delineated. Stress is stress. There’s no ‘work stress’, ‘love stress’- it’s all there and like ink it all bleeds through everything else. Don’t try to avoid this fact because it will stay true even if you tell your mind not to believe it. Write it all down: ALL of it. Making it clear makes your mind wrap around the magnitude of what’s in front of you instead of wasting energy trying to hide from it. So look at your giant, long list. It’s overwhelming we know but..
Cross Out the Non-Essentials Yup, this is our clever next step. Why? Because crossing off what you don’t have to do can make the hours and days ahead much less complicated than they seem right now. (P.S.: We know you didn’t really cross off everything you need to, but don’t think you’ve escaped…)
Enter the Matrix I was first introduced to the Matrix by one of my mentors. No, not Montana Fishbourne’s father- a female C.E.O. in her early forties who was explaining to me how to determine what tasks need to be prioritized. She told me to draw a square and divide it into quarters. On one side- write: “Urgent” and “Not Urgent”, on the other write: “Important” and “Not Important.” Prioritize the things that are Urgent and Important, then Important and Not Urgent. Why? because you want to do the things that matter most first before you get sucked into the things that matter less. So checking to see if that dress went on sale should go in the box for not urgent, not important, least of your cares.
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