HELL I am running late. What if the boss confronts me over the last week’s delivery? How will I finish my monthly target? I can’t miss my son’s school function this time. I am not getting anywhere.

If that’s how your days have been lately, you ought to push brakes. You ought to slow down. Life has a way of surprising us, intimidating us and sometimes attacking us. No one has ever lived a life that didn’t have this. If you are in an IT industry, the pressure can be overwhelming. The stretched out working hours and missing out on personal life makes it harder. Yet, there are some very practical ways to keep the pressure at bay and learn to cope with the routine.

Note down: First of all, take a break and note down all the things that you had planned to do for a certain given week and you couldn’t do them. Make two columns: personal and professional. Then jot down the reasons. Be very honest. Can you see why you couldn’t finish your targets? Now think of the ways to eliminate hurdles. Better, write them down. Determine yourself to follow your solutions.

First things first: Prioritizing always helps ease things up. Learn to make a list of priorities both personal and professional. You can prioritize based on deadlines, importance, urgency etc.

Focus: You cannot achieve anything if you try to do too many things. It is very important to focus on one thing at a time. And as you do this, do not think about other things. Give your undivided attention to the thing in question. Once you achieve one, you can achieve others, one by one. It’s possible.

Drink water: Believe it or not but hydration helps you focus better. Whenever bouts of pressure engulf your mind, just take a break for a few seconds gulp down a glass of water. In fact, keep water at a walking distance with you. Keep your body hydrated.

Pay attention to your body: To relax your mind, just have a look at yourself. For a few minutes, it can take your mind totally off the worries and pressure. Go to the washroom and take a good look in the mirror. Comb your hair, tidy your shirt, wipe off the dust from the shoes.

Enjoy the aroma: While getting fresh air on top of the office building is a great idea, we are referring to enjoying the making of coffee or tea. For a few minutes, just pay attention to making the cup of tea in the kitchen or at the coffee place. This is one good way to give your brain a little break. Bet you will enjoy the coffee or tea more than ever after this.