It often feels like an analyst’s role is never finished. Between managing the managers, sitting in more meetings than your guidance counselor ever told you was possible, and seemingly performing every role in the software development lifecycle the business analyst’s position can get quite stressful. Luckily, we sat down with Stress Management PHILosopher and speaker, Phil Barth to see what tips he could provide, aside from his 9 S’s of Successful Stress Management.

If each day is a gift, where can I return Mondays?

World politics and calamities aside, the business world has seen an increase in stressed-out employees. Americans are 20% more stressed than the global average, citing several factors behind it.

Occupational Stressors

• 80% point to ineffective company communications
• 39% identify their workload as the primary source
• 35% of workers say their boss is a cause of workplace stress
• 25% report that discrimination is a significant stressor

Stress aside, how we handle it often only exacerbates issues. When overwhelmed with stress, we tend to self-soothe by escaping reality or overindulging. Instead of trying to find the end of Netflix, hibernating until your next birthday or eating so much Ben & Jerry’s you begin to feel like a Chunky Munky here are some helpful tips to maintain zen at work.

Avoid Meeting Mania

Do you ever feel like you just get paid to sit in meetings all day? Does it feel like it’s getting worse? Well you may be more right than you know. A recent study has shown that since the pandemic meeting count has risen by an average of 13.5%! The reality is that 70% of all meetings keep you from doing the job you need to do.

While analysts tend to require meetings to elicit requirements, acquire business decisions and review stakeholder needs, we also seemingly get roped into everything. Try these two approaches to keep the meeting creep from encroaching on your day!

• Decline All Optional Meetings: if you needed to be there, you would be listed as ‘required’. When they need you, they will reach out, trust us! Until then enjoy the freedom of not being called out while you weren’t paying attentio…er..um…while you were multitasking.
• Block off your day: Treat meetings on your calendar like a goldfish in a tank, they will grow to the size of the container. If you have an open spot, you just announced that you’re free for a meeting. Create working blocks on your calendar to get things done. This creates space for productivity without having back-to-back bladder-control-challenging meeting marathons. This goes for lunch as well. You get a lunch break every single day. Don’t take our word for it. Check your local labor board and see what they say about your lunches.   
• Outcome-Based Meetings: EVERY meeting should have a pre-defined outcome, even if that meeting is a ‘meet and greet’ (see, it’s in the title). Paired with an agenda, the meeting outcome should keep the attendees focused on a singular objective. This empowers you as the meeting owner to prevent the derailers, grandstanders, scope-creepers and blatherers from taking over your meeting. Make sure your Agenda and Objective are in the invite and are discussed at the beginning of the meeting too, avoiding any ‘clarity issues’.

Take a Hike

Are we suggesting that you get up from your desk, put on your hiking shoes in the middle of the day and go outside? Actually, yes we are suggesting exactly that. Spending just 20-30 minutes in a natural setting significantly lowers the cortisol level in your brain. This means that you could de-stress by slipping away and taking your dog for a walk. They will love it and you’ll feel better after.

Stressed spelled backwards is Desserts

Not only nature, but exercise, in general, helps reduce cortisol hormones in the brain. Cortisol is great for helping to trigger the fight or flight responses necessary to deal with some of the day-to-day problems we deal with. However, long-term elevated cortisol levels can actually be one of the reasons we gain weight when stressed. We tend to like the sugary, fatty foods more when our brains are floating around in stress-juice.

Develop Downtime

This next bit of advice is for us just as much as anyone, since this blog post is being written at 9pm on a Sunday night. Despite what your boss, every hustle-culturist ever and that little voice in your head tells you, being productive doesn’t have to be a constant of being. In fact, it’s not healthy if it is. There’s even a fun book about it!

Creating downtime allows your brain to defragment, make connections between things you know and things you’re learning, and even help solve problems that have been stumping you. Ever had an epiphany in the shower? Thanks downtime-brain!

Building downtime into your daily routine provides your brain with the necessary time to unwind. Vacations are nice and effective, but their benefits wear off within about a week of returning to work. Ensuring that each day you find some meaningful downtime will guarantee that you have the best chance of operating at your highest potential.

If you have other tips and tricks that help you de-stress, share them in the comments. We’re always looking for new hacks to make our lives more enjoyable both professionally and personally.

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This is Analysts After Dark encouraging you to stay curious and stay positive!