Iguana wisdom: Life’s short and inconvenient, but you can choose either to chill out or be burnt out.
Cakesim at work? Get organised & relax
HOLDING down a job is no laughing matter but if you don’t laugh at work, you end up with ulcer, depression and, heaven forbids, a short life.
Many people do not know that laughter suppresses stress-inducing hormones that eventually lead to all those life-shortening afflictions.
So, no matter how boring or discouraging your work place is, you can still find situations that make you relax, lighten up, and see things in a less stressful or gloomy perspective.
If you take a walk in the zoo, you can absorb many useful tips from the laidback natives there on coping with stress and preventing burnt out.
Organise, plan your time and tasks well
As Ignatius the wise old iguana-in-resident in Mandai Zoo points out, the secret to effective, productive organisation is to differentiate between tasks and issues that are urgent (although not important it cannot wait, like drawing money from ATM to buy the Coach bag before it’s sold out) and those that are important (can wait but cannot be ignored, like finding enough money to pay next month’s loan installment for your overpriced condo apartment).
Write out your list of goals and to-do tasks and place them accordingly in the boxes below. Some examples are given. Top of your list must be those tasks that are both very urgent and very important (top righthand box):
Decide how much time you need for each task and stick to your plan. A disorganised life and work schedule and a messy desk only make your stress worse.
Ignatius also points out other stress-reducing activities you can adopt:
Chill out
In the office zoo, take a walk to the other cubicles and talk to your fellow iguanas, I mean, co-workers. Share a joke or funny anecdote, and listen to what others have to say. However, resist the temptation to tell stories at the expense of anyone, not even your boss!
Don't eat lunch alone
Share meal time with others. Research has found that adults who have the fewest friends and are least active socially are most likely to die prematurely.
So, go out, have fun and live long – but pay for your own grub.
Say only positive, constructive comments
Be mindful, though, that a lot of workplace conversations seem to be negative. Be aware what you are talking, to ensure you don't contribute more to the negative atmosphere.
Inject humour, offer constructive comments and be positive in regarding others.
We don't get into trouble by talking about others – we only get into trouble by saying bad things (usually unfounded) about them. If you can’t say anything nice, just grunt, says Ignatius.
Be realistic about what you can do
Choose your work load according to your ability. Do not volunteer for the impossible, just so you want to impress others. If you can’t complete it, you become a laughingstock, which is an even more stressful situation.
Stay away from quacks
Ignatius is not referring to ducks but to fengshui people, fortune-tellers, multi-level marketing and time-share conmen. If you get demoted, suffer a pay-cut or lost your sweetheart, it is not that your office cubicle or your living room furniture attracts bad chi (actually, bad chi is caused by bad breath). But if you visit these charlatans, you will only lose more money and really attract bad luck.
Remember that in the sensible old days in Ming Dynasty China, people who posed as fengshui practitioners or fortune tellers were liable to get their heads chopped off for cheating the public.
Think positive
Some people think that being realistic is to be cynical and negative. That’s simply not true. Do not let negative feelings build up. Learn to identify the cause of these feelings and deal with them constructively
You can't control everything, but you can control what you are able to, and forget the rest.
(Note: Cakesim is Singapore Hokkien, for feeling vexed or frustrated)
Not Urgent but Important
1. Save money to pay off condo loan.
2. Start exercise programme to improve health and save money on doctor’s fee.
3.
4.
Important and Urgent
1. Update resume for job interview next week
2. Keep enough money to pay credit card sum before due date
3.
4.
Not Urgent and Not Important
1. Update my Facebook account.
2. Get tattoo on chest to impress sexy new receptionist in office.
3.
4.
Not Important but Urgent
1. Send past month’s dirty clothes to laundry.
2. Get haircut before I become mangy lion.
3.
4.
