If you find yourself doing a lot of unnecessary overtime or bringing work home more often, then it’s about time you change this routine. There are better ways to manage your time and reduce your stress - ways that don’t involve drinking a lots of coffee and pulling all nighters worthy of the energizer bunny.

Since you’re already neck deep with work, I won’t waste your time with pages of time management theories. In fact, I’ve limited myself to 5 simple ways to better manage your time and reduce your stress!

1. Avoid multi-tasking.

I know multi-tasking can appear to save you a lot of time, but that technique could backfire. A lot of people start out with multiple projects at the same time, and end up not being able to finish half of them.

To be more efficient, it’s best to finish what you have started before moving on to the next one in your to-do-list.

2. Get it right the first time.

Nothing wastes more time than having to do something over again. If you want to manage your time and reduce your stress, you’re going to have to do the project as best as you can the first time. That way, you’ll avoid having to make needless revisions.

3. Focus on your work.

Little things like taking coffee breaks, cigarette breaks, or even chatting with the person in the next cubicle eat away at your time.

If you have a gazillion thing to do, you have to stop taking so many breaks. When these breaks all add up, you’ll be surprised at how much time you have wasted.

However, it is a good idea to take a much-needed short break to recharge yourself, but only after you have fully focused on doing a task non-stop for an allotted time.

4. Get plenty of sleep.

Don’t be so surprised. If you want to manage your time and reduce your stress, you should be taking care of yourself. Your body needs to rest, so give it decent hours of sleep.

Staying up late can contribute to grogginess at work. When you suffer from lack of sleep, it shows in the kind of output you produce. It slows you down and even the easiest tasks can take twice as long to finish.

5. Don’t check your email sporadically.

Checking your email can take up more time than you think. The best way to check your email is to appoint a specific schedule for it.

Many gurus recommend checking your email after you’ve done all other important tasks. But if you find this difficult, you can check your e-mail once in the morning, and again before you finish your workday.

These are the 5 ways you can better manage your time and reduce your stress. I’m pretty sure you still have deadlines to catch, so I hope this article has helped you gain a better perspective on your work habits.