We've always been a pretty opinionated race. Step into any tea stall adda, or just ask your rickshawallah a question, and an hour later, you're neck deep in a political discussion. Sit in a waiting room – any waiting room, and you're bound to hear someone airing their views. None of this is new. What the proliferation of social network sites has done, though, is amplified the noise, so that, no matter where you are, you're constantly bombarded with opinions and thoughts, and egged on to react.
While discourse is a good thing, sometimes all the thinking and opining and second-guessing can be terribly draining, particularly when you're juggling work and deadlines.
Here are five things you could be doing instead of thinking all the time, which could actually help you at work.
Listen
When you clock out of work, heading to your hangout spot, or just going home, stop replaying the stress and conflicts of the workday in your head, and open your ears. Eavesdrop on some conversations, listen to some music without words, or – if you're lucky enough to find it in Dhaka – find a quiet spot and just soak in the silence. Not only is this incredibly refreshing, inspiration can hit you when you least expect it, so make sure you're open to it.
Feel
When you're on the clock, troubleshooting, strategising, usually your emotions have to take a back seat to the logical part of your brain. This is great for the job at hand, but can lead to burnout if you're always “on”. Listen to your body. If you're coming home every day with stiff shoulders and a headache, you really need to cut down on the stress. If a big decision gives you a bad feeling in your stomach, reconsider. Often, reason tends to silence out intuition to your detriment, so stay in tune with your senses.
Often, reason tends to silence out intuition to your detriment, so stay in tune with your senses
Watch
If you find yourself repeating a pattern at work – particularly with regards to conflict, take a moment to switch off your judgements and observe the situation with detachment. Only when you turn off the noise do you notice the details and this can give you clarity that can take you further. Challenge your own views by trying to see things from another perspective. The only way to do this is to stop thinking and be a passive viewer. This is particularly useful if you work in fields where consumer behaviour is a large part of the equation.
Relax
This one's pretty self-explanatory. If you don't want to blow a fuse, when you clock out of work, really clock out. Give yourself a rule: no work emails after dinner, stop responding to work-related texts after midnight. Take some time to rest and refresh yourself. You might face a little resistance from colleagues and supervisors at first, but when your performance is fresher in the long run, they'll come around.
Believe
When you're handed a complicated assignment, it's easy to get into self-doubt mode, get overwhelmed by obstacles, and end up having a massive meltdown, especially if this is the first time you're handling a crisis.
It's best to take a step back, clear your mind, and believe that you were given this task because your supervisors had faith in your ability to carry it out. Clearing your mind, and operating from a place of faith can work wonders in making the job much easier.