{"id":61730,"date":"2026-10-27T02:06:22","date_gmt":"2026-10-27T02:06:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.cos.net.au\/c\/?p=61730"},"modified":"2026-10-27T02:06:24","modified_gmt":"2026-10-27T02:06:24","slug":"avoid-stress-with-planning","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.cos.net.au\/c\/cospedia\/avoid-stress-with-planning","title":{"rendered":"Plan Smarter, Stress Less: Workload Habits for Calmer Teams\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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Calmer teams start with manageable workloads, clear priorities and a shared\u00a0understanding of what needs to\u00a0be done next. Managers can support their teams through\u00a0scalable planning, realistic priority triage and regular conversations about capacity. A diary, planner or desk calendar helps put that planning into practice. <\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

When requests arrive through emails, meetings and quick conversations, it is easy for the working week to become a list of competing deadlines.\u00a0Optimal planning is not about squeezing more tasks into every hour, but rather deciding what matters, allowing enough time to deliver, and making trade-offs or delegating tasks before pressure builds.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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Why workload planning belongs on the agenda <\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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Safe Work Australia\u2019s <\/span>2024 psychological health report announcement<\/span><\/a> states that mental health conditions accounted for 9% of serious workers\u2019 compensation claims in preliminary 2021\/22 data. The number of these claims had increased by 36.9% since 2017\/18. <\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

An <\/span>Australian study published in BMJ Open in 2021<\/span><\/a> followed 1,084 full-time employees over 12 months. Low psychosocial safety climate, meaning a workplace climate that gives insufficient priority to psychological health, was associated with a threefold increase in risk of new major depression symptoms, reinforcing the importance of organisational conditions rather than placing responsibility solely on individuals.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

Safe Work Australia\u2019s <\/span>job demands guidance<\/span><\/a> identifies severe, prolonged or frequent high demands as a psychosocial hazard. For managers,\u00a0a\u00a0practical starting point to mitigate these hazards is to examine the work itself: its volume, complexity, deadlines, available resources and the control people have over how it is completed.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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Protect a weekly planning block <\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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Set aside a recurring planning appointment before the week fills up. A 30-minute block on\u00a0a\u00a0Monday morning is a practical starting point to compare upcoming commitments with the time and resources available.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

  1. Gather commitments.<\/span><\/b> Bring deadlines, recurring tasks, meetings and unfinished work into one view.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/li><\/ol>
    1. Check capacity.<\/span><\/b> Account for leave, training, routine service demands and review time.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/li><\/ol>
      1. Choose achievable outcomes.<\/span><\/b> Agree which results matter most and define what completion looks like.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/li><\/ol>
        1. Reserve working time.<\/span><\/b> Allow for preparation, focused work, handovers and unexpected requests.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/li><\/ol>
          1. Confirm trade-offs.<\/span><\/b> Decide what will move, shrink or stop if capacity is already committed.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/li><\/ol>

            Finish by asking whether the plan fits within agreed working hours. If it only works when people skip breaks or regularly stay late, the problem is capacity, not commitment. Escalate resource gaps rather than transferring them into longer task lists.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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            Triage priorities before everything becomes urgent <\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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            Give incoming work a consistent decision process. Ask what happens if it waits, whether the deadline is fixed and which existing commitment it would displace. A simple three-part triage can help:<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>