Stress Tip Series (#2) - by Yvette K.

Tip #2: ONE THING

I believe the first time I heard about the idea of one thing was in the movie City Slickers, in 1991. The intimidating old wrangler, Curly, holds up his index finger to share with the aimless city slicker, Mitch, that the Secret of Life is “One Thing.” “But what is the ‘one thing’?” Mitch asks. “That’s what you have to find out,” Curly replies.

Simplistic as it may sound, not only the secret of life, but also the secret of reducing stress is “One Thing.” Most of us feel stressed when our to-do lists are miles long. We are on the phone while typing e-mails, or listening to a co-worker while planning what to make for dinner. The belief that we can do things simultaneously, instead of sequentially not only stresses us out, but I believe it reduces the quality of our efforts.

Instead of multi-tasking, try something Athena Williams-Atwood calls “uni-tasking.” If you have a ton of “to dos” on your mind: Make a list. Write them down in black and white so that your brain can stop whirring around them. Pick ONE thing from the list. Depending on who you are and how your brain works, maybe it is something quick and easy, maybe the highest priority, maybe the most important, maybe the thing you are dreading the most.

Pick it. Commit to focusing on JUST THAT ONE THING for a defined amount of time. Whatever time you have. Close a door, turn off a ringer, put out a do not disturb sign, ask your partner for some quiet – whatever it takes to FOCUS on your ONE THING. Breathe deeply and do the one thing, until the time is up or the thing is accomplished.

When that “one thing” is your running or workout time, be focused on your body - RIGHT NOW. And NOW too. How does it feel? What are its rhythms? What does it needs physically, mentally and spiritually? True, the running “one thing” is actually hundreds of small “multi-tasks,” but don’t let the infinite small things stress you out! Workouts are a GREAT time to practice doing One Thing at a time.

Yvette is a Corporate Training Contractor in the San Francisco Bay Area. Her greatest joys are sharing information, facilitating the learning of others, and celebrating results when clients reach their goals. With a background in coaching, social psychology and adult learning, Yvette sets out to make organizations better by improving the performance of individuals and groups.