5 Reasons A Strategic Life Reduces Stress
Living a strategic life reduces stress. However, when you think about developing a strategy for your life, it may seem daunting, leading you to cast the idea aside. This decision can be a huge mistake that haunts you down the road.
When you don’t have a life strategy, you not only risk increasing your stress levels but you also risk damaging your ability to achieve success. Read on to discover five reasons living a more strategic life reduces stress.
Reason #1: Strategic Living Gives You Direction
Without a life strategy, you will probably be wandering around directionless. In all likelihood, you will have spread yourself too thin and will have no idea what to prioritize in your life without a strategy.
According to Steve Rose, PhD, “Losing a sense of purpose and direction can be disorienting for anyone experiencing major life transitions, sometimes even leading to issues with mental health and addiction.”
When you develop a life strategy, this will give you an idea of the direction you need to head and can help you make decisions along the way to keep you on that path. Plus, when you live strategically, you will have already worked out a lot of possible roadblocks you may encounter on your way there. Being prepared means that you will experience less anxiety on a day-to-day basis with strategic living.
Reason #2: Strategic Living Helps You Stay on Track
When you work towards achieving goals, it can be easy to get sidetracked, especially when you encounter something unexpected. When you live your life strategically, you will be planning for things to go wrong, keeping you from getting surprised by complications. You will be ready for them instead.
Strategic planning can also keep you on track even if something from your original plan goes awry. This is because strategic planning helps keep your overall vision in your sights.
Reason #3: Strategic Living Helps You Cope with Change
Change is stressful. If you are following a strategic plan, it can be harrowing when something in your life changes and the plan doesn’t fit anymore. But this is okay. The only way to adequately deal with change is by embracing it so you can deal with it more quickly and get back on the path you were on before.
It’s best if you prepare for possible changes in advance. While you can’t prepare for everything, this is a strategy that will help keep you on top of your goals even when the unexpected happens.
Reason #4: Strategic Living Eliminates Decision Paralysis
Having a life strategy helps you when it comes to making important decisions, as well as making small everyday decisions. When you don’t have a strategy for your life, you may find yourself faced with a decision and you cannot choose an answer. This issue can lead to stress, anxiety, and ultimately, you pick the wrong choice for your situation. So, if you want to make decisions with ease and eliminate the stress associated with decision fatigue, you must develop a life strategy.
Reason #5: Strategic Living Saves You Time and Money
When you have a strategy to accomplish a vision in your life, this can help you save both time and money. You can avoid wasting money when you have a clear idea of everything you need upfront. You also won’t waste your time on side goals that may or may not matter to you and your overall plan. Not wasting time and money will eliminate the stress associated with these behaviors.
In sum, there are many reasons it is critical to have a strategy in life. But the most important reasons include eliminating the stress associated with not having a direction in life, failing to stay on track with your goals, being caught off guard by change, feeling trapped in decision paralysis, and wasting precious time and money. In these ways, living a strategic life reduces stress.
If you don’t have a life strategy yet, it is time to develop one today.
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