From Chaos to Calm: How Project Managers
Can Manage Stress (and Avoid Burnout)
Project management is a demanding, high-pressure profession. With tight timelines, various constraints, and the responsibility of leading project teams, it comes as no surprise that project managers often experience high levels of stress. Balancing expectations at work and home can feel like we’re running a marathon fueled by adrenaline and lots of caffeine.
Nearly 60% of project managers report high levels of stress, which can significantly impact mental and physical health, and our ability to manage projects effectively.
In this article, we’ll explore stress management techniques to help maintain your mental well-being while successfully planning and implementing your projects.
What is stress?
Stress is a natural response to the pressures of everyday life. According to the American Psychological Association, our bodies can handle stress in small doses, but chronic, long-term stress can have serious effects.
Constant stress can lead to fatigue, muscle tension, shortness of breath, increased heart rate, and elevated levels of stress hormones like adrenaline and cortisol, which can cause wear and tear on our body over time. Learn more about the effects of stress on your body here.
What is burnout?
Burnout is an extreme form of emotional, mental, and physical exhaustion caused by prolonged workplace stress. It can significantly impact performance, concentration, motivation, and sleep. Burnout develops gradually but can be avoided by effectively managing everyday stressors.
High-performing project managers are often more susceptible to burnout.
What causes stress for project managers?
In order to manage stress effectively, it’s essential to identify the root causes.
Common stressors for project managers include:
1) Culture
Some organizations have a culture that expects 24/7 availability. Emails and messages continue well after normal work hours with an expectation of quick replies. This blurs the line between work and personal time.
2) Environment
High-pressure industries can create toxic or unsupportive work environments. This might include tight deadlines, non-stop meetings, inflexible schedules, lack of recognition for accomplishments, competing priorities, intense workloads, disrespectful team members, and poor relationships with leaders or colleagues.
3) Team Dynamics
Conflicts among team members or stakeholders can arise from personality clashes and differences in approach, poor communication, or a lack of cooperation. Project managers may feel pulled in multiple direction, acting more like therapists or babysitters than project managers.
4) Work-Life Balance
Juggling work expectations with personal responsibilities like caring for children, aging parents, or pets can be overwhelming. Long hours, heavy workloads, and potential travel demands can further strain a project manager’s work-life balance.
5) Project Requirements
Insufficient resources, unclear project requirements, scope creep, schedule pressures, and a lack of clear objectives can be stressful. Frequent status reports, unrealistic goals, and dealing with difficult clients can add to the burden.
6) Leadership Support
A lack of support from senior management or project sponsors can create additional stress.
7) Personal Fear of Failure
Many project managers struggle with a fear of failure or not meeting expectations, imposter syndrome, and the weight of responsibility without any level of authority.
What is the impact of stress on project managers?
Stress can significantly impact our decision-making and communication, both of which are crucial for effective project management. It’s easy to feel overwhelmed when carrying the weight of your projects on your shoulders.
How can project managers manage stress effectively and avoid burnout?
Project managers can manage work-related stress and avoid burnout by taking breaks, staying well-organized, delegating tasks, taking care of ourselves, and setting boundaries. Here’s a more detailed breakdown of stress-relieving strategies and quick tips.
Take Breaks
Mini-Breaks
Create moments to destress throughout the day. Take short breaks to stretch, get some fresh air, or change your scenery to feel refreshed. Take advantage of your lunch breaks to listen to your favorite music and re-energize (even if you’re eating at your desk and still working).
Use Your Vacation Time
Use your vacation days to rest and recharge. Consider taking a series of long weekends and spending time doing something you love, like enjoying nature, spending time with family or friends, going for a long walk, or reading a great book. Don’t let your vacation days go unused. Spend some well-deserved time off to take care of yourself.
Organize and Prioritize
Plan Ahead
Organize your tasks and high-priority activities the night before or at the end of each workday. Always build in time to deal with any unexpected situations and catching up on emails.
Understand Your Priorities and Deadlines
Regularly review your project’s status and timelines and focus on the highest-priority tasks and activities. Always monitor deadlines to avoid them sneaking up on your and causing unnecessary, last-minute stress.
Manage Your Calendar Effectively
Review your calendar a week in advance to know what’s coming up, and build in personal time for thinking and planning. Schedule a few “no meeting” times in your calendar to focus on important work and meeting preparation.
Take Care of Your Personal Health
Eat Healthy and Stay Hydrated
Nourish yourself with proper nutrition and hydration. When we’re busy, it’s easy to grab unhealthy meals on-the-go and load up on coffee to keep us going. This impacts our health over the long-term and makes us more susceptible to health issues related to stress. Plan for more nutritious snacks and avoid relying on caffeine.
Get Enough Sleep
Prioritize good sleeping habits. Avoid getting lost with late-night scrolling through your phone by setting an alarm on your phone to remind yourself to stop and get some sleep. Aim to go to bed extra early at least one night a week for extra sleep, as you can manage stress easier when you’re well-rested.
Exercise Regularly
Find ways to incorporate exercise into your routine, even if it’s just a few times a week. Determine what you enjoy most and build it into your schedule. Exercise is a great way to relieve stress.
Practice Mindfulness and Calm Breathing
When stressed, remind yourself to take slow, deep breaths to stay calm. This will help you think through a stressful situation easier and determine the right solution. Practicing mindfulness will help you manage stress and improve your focus.
Seek Professional Support
If workplace stress becomes overwhelming, see professional help. It can be beneficial to talk to a therapist or counselor to manage your stress effectively. Contact your family doctor, consider online therapy options, or leverage mindfulness apps like Calm.
Manage Your Work and Set Boundaries
Identify Self-Imposed Stress
Recognize when you’re being too hard on yourself or trying too hard to please others. We often put unnecessary stress on ourselves. Give yourself the needed break you deserve.
Know When to Escalate
Projects are filled with opportunities for stressful situations. Don’t shoulder all the stress yourself. Escalate concerns to your project sponsors or stakeholders to help resolve issues. Stop spending long hours stressing over something that might be out of your control.
Evaluate Your Workload
Understand how much you have on your plate. Discuss your workload with your leader if you are overextended and working beyond your personal capacity. Protect your time to avoid burnout. Remember, only you truly understand your workload.
Set Personal Boundaries
Avoid responding to work emails late at night, on your days off, and during your vacations. Establish boundaries to protect your personal time.
Set Realistic Goals and Expectations
Make sure project goals and timelines are realistic. Set clear expectations with others, especially with leaders who may unreasonably push for quick results.
Consider Remote Work
If possible, explore if working from home occasionally is an option, even one day a week. This will reduce the stress of commuting and allow you to get a head start on tasks, or take a short stress break before you start your day.
Ask For Help
If your workload continues to increase, delegate tasks and activities to your project team. Ask for support when it’s needed and share the workload to prevent stress from building up. Also talk to family and friends when needed or seek online resources and tools to help you cope when your stress levels are at a high.
Manage Your Time
With only so many hours in a day, manage your time wisely to help manage stress. Use tools like calendars to block off dedicated work time and to-do lists to stay organized, and delegate tasks to team members to distribute the work and alleviate the burden on yourself. Also consider productivity apps to stay on track.
Evaluate Your Work Environment
In worst case scenarios where stress becomes unmanageable, consider whether your workplace environment and culture are a good fit. If your work environment has become such a burden on your mental and physical wellness, consider if another company or industry is right for you. Project managers are needed in all industries, so it’s crucial to explore and find the right environment for you.
The Role of Organizations and PMOs in Managing Stress for Project Managers
While project managers can take steps to manage stress, organizations also have a responsibility to create a supportive and healthy work environment for their team. This includes:
Encouraging Work-Life Balance
Organizations and PMOs should encourage their project managers to find a healthy work-life balance. They can do this by offering flexible work arrangements, encouraging the use of vacation time, and setting realistic expectations around work hours.
Providing Stress Management Resources
Organizations should offer access to mental health resources, training on stress management techniques, and creating a culture of open communication and support. Check your HR department for a list of resources and programs available.
Recognizing and Rewarding Success
It’s essential to acknowledge and recognize the hard work and achievements by project managers. Provide opportunities for growth, development, and rewards for successful project completion. This will help boost team morale and reduce stress levels.
Project management can be demanding and stressful, but recognizing the onset and managing stress is crucial.
Project managers must take care of their personal health, incorporate breaks, practice self-care, and maintain a work-life balance. Organizations also have a responsibility to promote a healthy work environment and support their teams by providing resources around managing stress.
Follow these steps and strategies to minimize your stress levels and avoid burning out.
How can I learn more about managing stress?
We invite you to learn more about stress management for project managers by joining the PML Tribe here at Project Management Life (PML). We’ll be covering stress management strategies regularly in our weekly PML Tribe Community Newsletter.
Also, check out our blog post called What is Project Management? A Comprehensive Guide for Beginners to learn more about projects, the project life cycle, methodologies and approaches, knowledge areas, and more.
Download your FREE Managing Stress for Project Managers CHECKLIST.
Who is Project Management Life (PML)?
Project Management Life (PML) is a team of passionate project managers who believe in the power of this incredible profession and provide our knowledge, guidance, and support to our colleagues.
We know that project managers are often the unsung heroes that drive innovation and progress, and bring calm to what might otherwise be chaos. We are the leaders behind the scenes that work tirelessly, and deserve to be celebrated for our incredible efforts in making the world a better place.
We founded PML on the idea that we can inspire each other with stories of success and valuable lessons learned, empower each other with career advice and resources to thrive both personally and professionally, and support each other to achieve a fulfilling work-life balance by focusing on our health and well-being.
By living our best project management life, we bring our best selves to our projects, our teams, and the world.
We truly believe that project managers change the world.
Join the PML Tribe
The PML Tribe is a growing online community of project managers supporting our fellow project managers. Whether you’re a new or experienced project manager, this is a place where we can connect, learn, celebrate, and support one another.
Membership is free, and you get access to a weekly, members-only newsletter that is jam-packed with exclusive and curated content about project management, career growth and personal branding, health and well-being, personal self-improvement, professional development, work-life balance, and more. We are also launching an invite-only community forum, an exclusive clothing brand just for us, PML podcast, and so much more.
Join us today, and don’t miss out!
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