20 ways to reduce stress and be happier in 2016

21 Jan 20 ways to reduce stress and be happier in 2016

1. Build a fundraising plan – review your plan weekly and quarterly.
2. Use Monday as your launch day for the week – build a weekly to-do list and block off time to complete your tasks.
3. Drink more water – you’ll have to go to the bathroom and take a break from your computer.
4. Leave 20% of your weekly calendar free. You’ll have time to fight the fires when they happen.
5. Talk to your boss – meeting formally or informally once a week will make sure you’re on the same page with priorities.
6. Focus your time on activities that are directly related to bringing money in – donors, grant applications, major gift conversations, appeal letters are great examples.
7. Break large tasks (like build communications plan for appeal letters) into smaller, achievable tasks.
8. Job shadow a programming staff person each quarter – You’ll not only build trust with your team, you’ll also be able to gather your own stories to share with donors.
9. Book holidays. And take them.
10. Schedule Friday lunch dates with a fellow fundraiser.
11. Schedule an administration day with yourself at your desk.
12. Laugh more – especially at yourself!
13. Choose passion over perfection every time.
14. Request half hour meetings with staff rather than 1 hour meetings. Decide together whether the ½ hour meeting was a good use of time or not.
15. Ask to attend a professional conference to learn something new.
16. Buy a book that will teach you something related to fundraising – leadership, communication, and business books are all great. Not a book reader? Try subscribing to a podcast.
17. At the end of each day build your key to-do items for the next day and stick to them!
18. Commit to three “power phone calls” that you will complete each week.
19. Give out gold stars – thank somebody on your team every week.
20. Build process documents for the repeatable tasks you do. It will take 7 minutes to write it, but it will clear those tasks right out of your brain, leaving space for other things.

Stress is a product of not knowing what you’re SUPPOSED to be doing. To get your focus back, join one of my upcoming courses – Major Gifts Mastery, Planned Giving Programs or Fundraising Fundamentals to get your groove back, raise more money and be happier while doing it!