Stress is something most of us experience at work, and as the year draws to a close, the pressure often ramps up. Deadlines tighten, holiday cover gets complicated, and the to-do list never seems to shrink. Left unchecked, the everyday stress of working life can quietly build until it feels overwhelming.
The good news is there are simple, practical strategies that can make the pressure easier to handle.
What you’ll learn
- Why everyday stress builds up more towards year end
- The small habits (like Graham’s) that quietly increase stress
- Signs you might be carrying more pressure than you realise
- Easy strategies to manage stress at work day to day
- How to cut down on admin stress with the right tools
There are always signs when stress is starting to get the better of us. For some people, it is snapping at colleagues. For others, it is lying awake at 3am worrying about tomorrow’s to-do list.
And sometimes, the signs are a little more obvious.
For Graham, the warning signs arrived one frosty morning when his colleagues pulled into the car park to witness him drop kicking the printer across the tarmac after trying and failing to print a report.
It was a dramatic clue that the pressure was getting to him. But the truth is, most of us do not show our stress in such spectacular ways. More often, it is the small, everyday habits that quietly chip away at our resilience.
How stress builds up at work
Stress doesn’t usually appear overnight. It builds gradually, through small habits and daily pressures that start to pile up.
For Graham, stress built up through habits that might look familiar:
- Skipping breaks because he “had not got time”
- Keeping everything in his head instead of writing it down
- Ignoring the holiday calendar until it became urgent
- Answering emails late at night, so he never properly switched off
Individually, none of these seemed like a big deal. But over time they left him drained, distracted, and far more likely to take his frustrations out on office equipment.
Signs you might need to manage stress at work
You do not need to be seen wrestling with a printer in the car park to know stress is taking its toll. Often, it shows up in more subtle ways, such as:
- Feeling tired even after a full night’s sleep
- Snapping at colleagues or family over little things
- Struggling to concentrate on simple tasks
- Constantly feeling behind schedule
- Tension headaches, stiff shoulders, or jaw clenching
Spotting these signs early is the first step towards reducing stress at work before it escalates.
Signs you might need to manage stress at work
You do not need to be seen wrestling with a printer in the car park to know stress is taking its toll. Often, it shows up in more subtle ways, such as:
- Feeling tired even after a full night’s sleep
- Snapping at colleagues or family over little things
- Struggling to concentrate on simple tasks
- Constantly feeling behind schedule
- Tension headaches, stiff shoulders, or jaw clenching
Spotting these signs early is the first step towards reducing stress at work before it escalates.
1. Do a brain dump
Stress often builds when your head feels overcrowded. Instead of trying to remember everything, write it down: list tasks, worries, reminders, anything that is taking up mental space.
Once it is on paper, you can sort through it more clearly. A simple way to do this is to use the Eisenhower Matrix,, which helps you decide what to do now, what to plan for later, what to delegate, and what to let go of.
Seeing everything laid out like that makes it easier to spot what really matters and what can wait.
2. Take micro break
You do not need to block out an hour in your diary to reset. Even five minutes away from your desk can make a real difference. Stand up, stretch, step outside for some fresh air, or make a drink.
Micro breaks help lower stress hormones, keeping you calmer and more focused. Graham’s favourite version is a trip to the biscuit tin, though perhaps not every time the inbox pings.
3. Tidy one thing
Clutter, whether it is on your desk or in your inbox, adds to workplace stress without you noticing. When everything looks chaotic, your brain feels the same way.
Pick one small area and sort it. Delete ten emails, clear one pile of papers, or file away that stack of documents you have been avoiding.
Small wins create little pockets of order that make everything else feel more manageable.
4. Set a finish line
It’s easy to let work creep later and later, especially as the year end pressure builds. But without boundaries, your stress levels never get a chance to drop.
Decide when your workday will finish and stick to it. Switch off your computer, mute your notifications, and let your brain rest.
Graham once tried powering through until midnight… it did not make him more productive, just more exhausted.
5. Swap “I’ll do it all” for “what can I delegate”
Carrying everything yourself is a fast track to burnout. Instead, ask: “Who else can take this on?”
Delegation is not a weakness, it is a strength. It frees up your time for the tasks that really need you, while giving colleagues the chance to step up.
Even small handovers, like asking someone to cover a meeting or keep an eye on a shared inbox, can ease the load.
6. Simplify admin
Some stress is not dramatic, it is the quiet background kind that comes from repetitive tasks.
Manually updating spreadsheets, chasing holiday forms, or working out part time entitlements eats away at your energy. Automating or simplifying this kind of admin does not just save time, it takes away one of those constant low level drains.
Tools like The Holiday Tracker can help by handling the calculations for you and making approvals quick and easy, freeing up your time for work that really matters.
Lightening the load
Learning how to manage stress at work does not mean eliminating it altogether. Stress is part of working life, especially in busy periods like the run up to year end.
But by spotting the signs early and making small, practical changes, and perhaps learning a few lessons from Graham, you can stop stress from snowballing and finish the year on a calmer note.
And while we cannot help you avoid printer-related meltdowns, we can take one source of pressure off your plate. The Holiday Tracker makes managing staff holidays and absences simple, so you spend less time wrestling with spreadsheets and more time focusing on the things that matter.
Lightening the load
Learning how to manage stress at work does not mean eliminating it altogether. Stress is part of working life, especially in busy periods like the run up to year end.
But by spotting the signs early and making small, practical changes, and perhaps learning a few lessons from Graham, you can stop stress from snowballing and finish the year on a calmer note.
And while we cannot help you avoid printer-related meltdowns, we can take one source of pressure off your plate. The Holiday Tracker makes managing staff holidays and absences simple, so you spend less time wrestling with spreadsheets and more time focusing on the things that matter.
Start your free 7-day trial of The Holiday Tracker
