As you plop down in your cubicle you’re greeted with a week-old stack of potential leads. You have a meeting in 30 minutes to discuss the leads that you have yet to go over. You break into the pile of leads without even a sip of your first cup of coffee all the while ignoring voicemails that you know are urgent.

The rest of your day consists of more coffee, dozens of phone calls, and maybe a visit with a client or two before you go home and prepare to do it all over again the next day. Sound about right, salespeople?

A day in sales is consistently full of factors that can cause you stress. Luckily for you, living a stress-free sales lifestyle is possible. You’ll close more deals, crush your quota, and stay on top of your game with stress out of the equation. You can achieve this with:

1. Personal Organization
2. Healthy Lifestyle Choices
3. A Desire to be Happier

1.  Personal Organization  

Sales, much like any other aspect of your life, requires organization. You can’t focus on what you enjoy at home when your room is a mess and there’s a pile of dirty dishes in the kitchen sink. The same rule applies to your day on the job.

Tidy Up

Take a couple minutes to tidy up your desk before ending your day. If you don’t want to stay late, tidy up at the beginning of your day instead.

Order your upcoming tasks from most urgent to least, listen to the voicemails you know require immediate attention, and always, ALWAYS push in your chair. You’ll notice that even these simple steps will make your morning routine empowering and motivating.

Lists Are Your Friends

Obviously, personal organization goes beyond just shifting some papers around and pushing in your chair. A piece of advice: when in doubt, list it out. Making a list of everything you need to do that day allows you to manage your time and avoid procrastination.

Ever get the feeling that you’re forgetting something important? Or, maybe you have a project but can’t remember the deadline? Chances are, the phone in your pocket or the computer you’re reading this article on has a calendar. USE IT.

Similar to the list technique but a bit more long-term, using a calendar allows you to map out your tasks and work on them accordingly. Wave goodbye to the all-nighters spent working on projects you pushed off until the last minute. Or worse, the ones you forgot completely.

Spread Your Time, But Not Too Thin

Everybody works differently. You might prefer to get all of your sales calls done on Mondays/Wednesdays and all your driving done on Tuesdays/Thursdays. No matter what your preference is, it always helps to spread out your time.

Let’s use the example above.

If you plan on doing most of your calls in one or two days, give yourself time between calls to take any notes from the previous and prepare for the next. Scheduling calls one right after another is a guaranteed way to forget which conversations you had on each call.

When it comes to driving, give yourself time between visits to regroup, take notes, and travel safely to the next stop. A rule of thumb: if you’re breaking traffic laws to get from one meeting to another, odds are you’re not planning your time effectively. Believe me, the last thing you want is a speeding ticket added to your already packed schedule.

While planning your week’s worth of tasks you must also remember: time is money. Having too relaxed of a schedule may result in unnecessary downtime that decreases productivity. Finding the balance that works for you may take a while, but it will point you towards the stress-free sales lifestyle you deserve.

If you need help keeping your schedule and tasks in order check out these applications that will help you stay on top of your game:

- Badger Maps is the number one application for field sales. Badger helps sales teams save time and maximize efficiency and is specifically built for field sales reps, managers, and trainers. With unique features like the route optimization function that cuts down reps’ driving time and the check in function that accounts for any customer related notes taken. Badger strives to make your life as a salesperson as organized and stress-free as possible. 

Check out Badger’s short video and see how you can avoid losing 8 hours every week to busy work.  

- Sunrise is a calendar app that can be accessed on your computer, smartphone and tablet. By syncing your contacts and allowing you to view multiple calendars at once you can plan out your schedule with ease. Sunrise also takes time zone differences into account. This way, if you have team members across the globe there will no scheduling confusions.

- Tempo is a calendar app that is not sales-oriented but does provide tools for salespeople to take advantage of. With spreadsheet accessibility, LinkedIn connectivity, and parking suggestions when driving Tempo gives its users a variety of tools to choose from while on the job.

2.  Healthy Lifestyle Choices

As a salesperson, odds are you have a daily routine of some sort. Making healthy choices within your daily routine is crucial for maintaining good health, having a clear and focused mind, and keeping your internal motivation at a constant pace.

Exercise

For some, a morning workout before heading into the office is the perfect opportunity to focus the mind and strengthen the body. For others, an evening jog after a long day’s work is just what it takes to cool down and de-stress.

Try some classes at your local gym, YouTube some popular workout techniques, or maybe even find a partner or friend willing to stay active with you. Similar to many other aspects in life, what may work for others may not work for you so don’t get frustrated when things aren’t progressing quickly right away. Find what works and incorporate it into your routine. Challenge is good!

Eat Well

A healthy diet is among the most important factors of a healthy lifestyle. Good eating habits are proven to keep you awake, focused, and feeling good throughout the workday. Sounds pretty stress-free, right?

We all know the sleepy feeling that comes after a large meal in the middle of the day. This may not be a problem for someone who can lay down and nap, but your fast-paced sales lifestyle tells you “you can nap when you’re home.” To prevent this midday fatigue, spread your meals throughout the day instead of having one big lunch that leaves you feeling groggy and unmotivated. Incorporate healthy snacking as your day goes on and you’ll notice the positive impacts that eating well has on your body and mind.

Meditate

You don’t need to be a master of silence to partake in some healthy meditation. Meditation could be something as simple as finding a quiet place for a few minutes between meetings to clear your head and calm your nerves.

You may be thinking “there’s no way I could sit in silence without my mind going a million different directions.” Fear not. It seems challenging at first, but after a bit of practice, you’ll be a meditation pro. You’ll notice how it trains your body and mind to stay calm and focused in stressful situations.

3.  A Desire to Be Happier

Overall happiness can take many different forms and is unique for everyone. When happiness is one of your top priorities, you’ll begin to notice your stress melting away (yes, even as a salesperson).

Start by figuring out what makes you happy and make a list so you can revisit it as time goes on. Some may have family at the top of their list, while others may have their love for music. In any case, you should actively make time for the things that make you happy throughout your day.

Let’s say for example that playing with your puppy brings you happiness beyond belief. Obviously you can’t spend every waking minute of the day playing with your puppy, however cutting out time during your day/week to do so will allow you relax and focus on something that brings you joy.

By taking what you learned earlier in the article about organization and time management seriously, you will have more time to do the things that bring you genuine happiness throughout your day.

Living a stress-free lifestyle is achievable for everyone in sales. While it may not come naturally right away, those who are able to try these techniques are guaranteed to lighten their stress load significantly. 

So, next time you’re about to leave the office, try tidying up a bit. Take a break or two throughout the day to spend time gathering yourself and clearing your head through meditation. And please, PLEASE don’t lose sight of what makes you truly happy. After all, that happiness may just be the driving factor behind a more fulfilling, less stressful life.