Time and stress are interconnected in many ways. Perhaps the most shocking fact about stress is that it can affect all parts of your body, not just in one area. Our body responds to stress by altering the secretions of certain hormones and chemicals.  Time management and productivity play a huge role especially in today's workplace in how we keep stress at bay and still feel like we've accomplished something.

A word on stress.

A majority of these secretions originate from the adrenal gland, a small gland that is situated on top of the kidneys and releases hormones that control the “fight-or-flight” response, maintain metabolic processes, like blood sugar levels, regulate the balance between salt and water, maintain pregnancy and initiate and control sexual maturation.  In moderation, these hormones can help save your life, but for prolonged periods of time, they can have seriously damaging effects.

If you find yourself chronically late, there are ways to improve. It truly depends on the root cause of why you're late. Identify the problem to see what you can better manage when it comes to your time. 

1. If you sleep too late, you need to go to bed earlier. It's simple, you're exhausted in the morning and it's time to think about going to sleep at a decent time. It's also important to go to bed at the same time every night. 

2. Don't underestimate your commute time. Even if you're a seasoned commuter, be sure to think about delays and unexpected items that could happen. Always  give yourself extra time 20-30 minutes is always a good idea.

3. Give Your Time to People You Care About

The most interesting aspect of time is that it effects how we feel about ourselves. Giving your time to others can make one feel less time-constrained rather than wasting your time. If you spend it on yourself with people you love, you'll learn to appreciate free time. Even further, if you are using your time to help others, you'll feel more capable, confident and useful and more control of their time. Accept that our lives our complicated and we know this is quite the cliche, but it's important to live fully in every individual moment, versus always thinking of time and your to-do list. 

4. Invest in something non-urgent.

You may think that treating yourself is a luxury, but it isn’t. Taking time to play with your kid, enjoy a nice cup of cup of coffee, read a book, or even organizing your desk send a message to your mind that all is well. It eases scarcity mode. You free up cognitive bandwidth to manage and improve with your packed life by giving yourself these little gifts of time.

5. Block off your calendar as "unavailable"

Going back to what makes us feel good, believe it or not, feeling organized is a big part of balancing time and productivity. The feeling of being overwhelmed stems from the inability to make time for the administrative or household tasks that can be easy to put off. But continuously putting them off only adds to the pile, later stressing you out. Stay ahead of the game and schedule by blocking off time to manage the basics of your life.