A little more space in your day

Name the pressure before adding a new habit

When the day feels overcrowded, another wellbeing task can become one more obligation. Start by naming the pressure: too many requests, unclear priorities, a difficult conversation or a task that is larger than expected. Choose one moment that regularly feels rushed. The exercise below helps you organise the next step in that moment.

Separate what needs doing from what needs deciding

Take one task and ask whether the next step is an action, a decision or a request for help. "Sort out the appointment" could mean finding a phone number, choosing a time or asking someone for transport. Writing the actual next step makes it easier to see what is in your control. It may also reveal that you cannot proceed until another person responds.

Try a three-line pause

Use paper or a private note, and keep each answer to a few words.

• What is pressing on me now? Name one thing, rather than the whole week.
• What is the next useful action? Make it something specific, such as sending one enquiry or asking for a decision.
• What can wait, be shared or be removed? Include a task that does not need your attention today.

Make one request clearer

A request can include the task, the time and the kind of help needed. For example: "Can you collect the prescription tomorrow? I cannot fit in the journey before closing." If you are being asked to take on more, try: "I can do this on Thursday; if it is needed sooner, we need another option." These are suggested scripts. Adapt them to the relationship and to what feels safe and realistic.

Protect a small transition

Choose a brief interval between two parts of the day and give it a purpose: sitting down, getting a drink, putting work away or checking what is actually needed next. Keep it free of a new performance target. NHS stress guidance encourages manageable steps, planning and asking for support. Our transition exercise is one possible way to put a small amount of breathing room into a busy schedule.

Source: NHS: Stress and getting support

Recognise when the problem needs more support

Time management cannot resolve every source of pressure. If stress is affecting your ability to cope or your own attempts are not helping, speak with a healthcare professional. Practical help with caring, work or money may also be relevant to the situation. If you need immediate help to keep yourself or someone else safe, contact local emergency services. You do not need to complete a self-help exercise first.

Source: NHS: Stress and getting support

Finish by removing one unnecessary demand

Look again at the original pressure. Have you clarified a decision, made a specific request or identified something that can wait? That is enough for this exercise. You do not need to turn the entire day into a routine. Keep the prompt if it is useful, shorten it if it creates work and choose another form of support if the problem is bigger than an organising step.