Hassle could be said to mean "an irritating inconvenience - like the hassle involved in travel". I flew to France last week for a working holiday (doing up an apartment) and for the first time outside of a business trip took an offer to upgrade to Club which is British Airways Business class. Yes, it was expensive but it comes with so many pluses.
1 No queue at bag check in. I had decided to take a checked in bag and avoided
an hour’s queue which would have put catching my flight in serious doubt.
2 Fast track through security avoiding another queue and those annoying people who take an age to load 3 trays with computers (to be fair I am often one of them).
3 Access to comfortable airport lounges where you can relax and eat and work away from the madding crowds saving the queues, hassle and indeed expense of airport restaurants.
4 First onto plane avoiding that long trudging queue down to Row 29 with the fight to find luggage space in the overhead lockers.
5 More spacious and comfortable seats not squashed in next to fellow passengers.
6 A meal on board (remember those days in BA economy!) which in my case was a full English breakfast that saved me from stopping to buy lunch on the autoroute.
7 First off the plane and in the passport queue avoiding the fight to drag your luggage out of the overheads.
8 Checked luggage delivered as a priority. I arrived at the baggage belt to find my luggage already there.

I know this seems a bit extravagant not to say elitist. However in addition to all the above benefits the huge and for me key advantage is that travelling in business class ultimately helps reduce aggravation in what let’s face it is a pretty stressful activity however well you plan it.

Which brings me to my theme this week which is about reducing aggravation in our busy working (and personal) lives. This means I suggest first recognising that work as with flying is inevitably stressful however hard we may try to deny it. And in this context, this means additional and preventable hassle which detracts from effective and indeed enjoyable and fulfilling work (and travel). For example, I find travelling and arriving early always helps. I was organising and speaking at a training event we were holding in the offices of a London law firm this week I took a train from our local station well before I needed to. It was worth it – when I arrived there was a long queue at the building reception.

I am not here talking about the well-known ways of reducing stress which we all know – a quick AI search says these include healthy lifestyle, planning, social connection, time management and don’t drink too much coffee! I am more interested in novel or creative solutions. Helping others is a simple example I encountered when I was leaving the law firm offices this week. As anybody who was in central London this week will attest, we have been blessed with some heavy rain showers. One of the receptionists at the law firm of her own volition offered me a free branded umbrella, which saved me from a soaking. A simple act which was also a win win because every time I use the umbrella, I advertise the law firm!

I see reducing hassle at work as a combination of removing the challenges (like queues at check in) and positive creative affirmation encouraging wellbeing – we have a wellbeing champion at work. See, for example, this article 10 Fun Ways to Relieve Stress at Work which include:

• Read a book - take a short break to read a book or magazine or browse some digital content
• Encourage creative side projects - revamping the office layout or holding skill-sharing meeting
• Bring pets to work! – I like this one but know it is hard to do in most offices – it is allowed, for example, in some California companies
• Celebrate milestones - What’s the point of working hard if you don’t pause to celebrate your success
• Host a wellness lunch-and-learn – don’t just run knowledge seminars like ours above but hold lunch-and-learns to foster employee well-being.

In this context see also this Harvard Business Review article 6 Science-Backed Ways to Improve Your Well-Being at Work which recommends amongst other things:

• Take a few short, quality breaks during the day. The key word here is “quality.” This means doing something that helps you disconnect from work, refuel, and recharge. Scrolling social media or reading the news is not a quality break, and neither is catching up on your to-do list.
• Prioritize micro-moments of connection with colleagues. Make it a point to greet your colleagues with genuine enthusiasm when you’re on a call or when you see them for the first time during the day.
• Practice gratitude to counter your brain’s negativity bias. If you don’t have one, create a daily gratitude practice, which can be as simple as writing down three things you appreciate every morning or in the evening.

`it concludes “As the cliche goes: “You are not your job.”

But I have slightly digressed from my theme this week of practical ways to avoid hassle at work into the related topic of well-being. Like the practical advantages of taking a cab versus the tube in London – yes it may be more expensive but you can work and make calls in private in the taxi. Here are some more ideas for improving day to day working practice I have pulled together from various sources.

• Prepare and plan for each day
• Plan travel and keep this to essential journeys – save the planet!
• Don’t let events dictate
• Consider other communication methods than email which tends to flood recipients
• Learn from others – recycle good ideas
• Decide whether you really need to attend a meeting
• Delegate, which can reduce management workload and develop colleagues
• Be prepared to say no occasionally if this is an option
• Reduce tech distractions
• Follow the keep it simple stupid principle – see my blog Keeping it Simple

Here are some pertinent observations relevant to effective management of stress in our professional working lives.

“It’s like driving at night. You never see further than your headlights, but you can make the whole trip that way.” - the American novelist E.L. Doctorow.

“In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity.” – Albert Einstein.

“There is more to life than increasing its speed.” – Mahatma Gandhi.

“There cannot be a stressful crisis next week. My schedule is already full.” - Henry Kissinger.
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“Life is actually really simple, but we insist on making it complicated.” – Confucius.

One of the greatest attributes I have observed in leaders and professionals generally has been the ability to focus on the moment and the immediate challenge. With to do lists as long as your arm, IM’s arriving every few minutes and a week’s worth of unanswered emails it is incredibly easy to get distracted from the present task. So, if you have a meeting with a colleague to discuss what to them represents a crisis it pays not only as a professional courtesy, but because their problem needs solving, to give them your full attention. I recall a new client in private practice meeting with us as his lawyers for the first time who insisted on answering calls while briefing us. He had one of those annoying (to me) Bluetooth headphones and would suddenly hold up his hand and start talking to someone else. By contrast I have observed senior managers brought in to help resolve a red alert crisis drop everything else for the duration of the meeting concerned and really concentrate on the issue at hand bringing all their knowledge and experience to bear.

Doing this is however not easy in our connected world. This article How to be more present in the moment at worksuggests some ways to help.

• Give full attention to the people you’re with.
• Focus on one task at a time
• Switch mindfully between tasks (with a conscious pause in between)
• Limit distractions
• Schedule reminders (rather than jumping to the actual task)

The article also discusses using “Reflection in Action” a term coined by the educational theorist Donald Schon. See this article The Schön Reflection Model: In Action and On Action which says this “is the dynamic capability of evaluating and adapting one's decisions and actions whilst fully engaged in an activity. This aspect of Schon's model illuminates the critical skill of mental agility—the ability to think, reassess, and modify one's approach in real-time. It represents the very essence of 'thinking on your feet', a vital skill in fast-paced or unpredictable environments.”

Some practical techniques that help do this and concentrate on the moment that I think work include, for in person meetings, finding a room or meeting space away from your hotdesk, leaving your laptop and phone behind (or at least shut down or in do not disturb mode) unless you need to refer to something. In extremis go out to a coffee bar where you won’t be disturbed. For online meetings this is so much harder as you see the IM’s and emails pop up whilst the meeting progresses. Using chat for that meeting can of course help, but not trying to multitask. Maybe just close or minimise all tasks not relevant to the meeting concerned. It is ultimately just about being sufficiently disciplined to concentrate on the one current person or issue and avoid being distracted.

I think this does come down to organisation and planning as well frankly as a personal choice (not to be like my Bluetooth client). I like this Harvard Business Review article To Control Your Life, Control What You Pay Attention Towhich commences “One of the best insights on what true productivity means in the 21st century dates back to 1890. In his book The Principles of Psychology, Vol.1, William James wrote a simple statement that’s packed with meaning: “My experience is what I agree to attend to.”
“Your attention determines the experiences you have, and the experiences you have determine the life you live. Or said another way: you must control your attention to control your life.” 

It then proposes “Deliberately Choosing What You Attend To” which means, echoing my advice above, first, control external factors:

• Control your technology – turn off email, phone on silent.
• Control your environment – go to a different part of your office

And then control internal factors:
Control your behavior - give your full attention to one task until it’s complete, or until a designated stopping point.
Control your thoughts – minds are made to wander!

I know this links to more psychological topics like the concept of Mindfulness described in Wikepedia as  “the cognitive skill, usually developed through meditation, of sustaining meta-attention towards the contents of one's own mind in the present moment” which derives from Hindu and Buddhist traditions. However, I am more interested in the practical application of this ability to truly focus in the professional business world with all its current demands on our attention. This Forbes piece  Stop Your Search For Work/Life Balance! What You Need Is To Be Present puts an interesting spin on this topic; “How much precious time is wasted worrying that you have not found the optimal combination of work time and non-work time? You do not need to even think about work/life balance. What’s important is that you be present for each moment of your life, wherever you are. If you are fully present for the moments of your life, you will see clearly what, if anything, needs to be done.”

My point is that in our connected and sometimes frenetic working world we have the option to  make conscious choices to manage these precious moments and be more effective in the office (virtual or real) and in our home lives (where similar pressures apply). All it takes is some conscious effort and techniques to focus on what is actually in front of us, forgetting for that time our past and future business challenges.

“The next point — that’s all you must think about.” Rod Laver, Australian tennis player.

“Even if I knew that the world would go to pieces, I would still plant my apple tree.” The theologian Martin Luther.
“Balance is not something you find. It’s something you create.” The author Jana Kingsford.

“The best possible way to prepare for tomorrow is to concentrate with all your intelligence, all your enthusiasm, on doing today’s work superbly today. That is the only possible way you can prepare for the future.” Dale Carnegie.

"My thoughts before a big race are usually pretty simple. I tell myself: Get out of the blocks, run your race, stay relaxed. If you run your race, you'll win... channel your energy. Focus." Carl Lewis.
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“Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment.” — Buddha.