Less Stress, More Joy In Life

How the military prepare and train people for highly stressful working engagements.

When someone joins the military, they quickly have to learn the art of what is called “good admin”. This is about keeping equipment, clothing, and everything else clean and in good working order. It is also about having everything ready at a moment’s notice, so if they're called to parade in three minutes, they know where everything is, it will be clean, and they will be on parade presenting themselves ready for action.

This is common sense, yet most non-military people, never do anything like this. Most of us are, in effect living by the seat of our pants every day. Most people have no idea what they will wear that day when they wake up or where their project files are.

How much time do you waste each week trying to find a file, a project note or an email? It all adds up. If you have to spend even five minutes looking for the correct files every time you sit down to begin a focused work session, you will lose at least an hour each week. Wouldn’t you be more productive if you knew where everything was?

This means rather than having notes littered all over the place in multiple different apps, you have a single place where your notes are; they have clear titles and are tagged correctly. If you need to access a note quickly, you can do so in less than ten seconds.

I remember many years ago, before the advent of smartphones and tablets, we would keep a simple notepad and pen next to the phone on our desk, so we would always be ready if we took a call. Today, how fast can you create a new note on your computer? Do you know how to open your notes app while talking on your phone? This is all about being ready for anything.

Rather than wasting time looking for shiny new apps to play with, you would be better served if you were to use that time to learn how to properly use the apps you currently use.

A Special Forces soldier will never enter a combat zone with an untested weapon or piece of kit. Neither would they dream of going out on a mission without ensuring the batteries in their torches (flashlights) and communications equipment were fully charged.

Yet, I’m continually amazed at how many people turn up to meetings, and the first thing they have to do is find a power outlet to plug in their laptops. They knew about the meeting beforehand, yet, they didn’t even think of making sure their computer was sufficiently charged for the meeting was a good idea.

The second lesson we can learn from the military is to be “squared off” at the end of the day. This means being ready for the next day before you end the day.

Like having “good admin,” it’s all geared towards being ready for anything. This means anything you need for the next day is prepared. That could be your car keys being in their rightful place, your car has enough fuel to get you to where you need to be, and your bag is packed with the right things you will need for the next day.

Nothing is left to chance. While it’s unlikely you will be rudely awakened but a loud sergeant major at 4:30 am telling you to be on the parade ground in five minutes, you or your kids might oversleep, and you have to rush to get to work on time.

It also means you need to look at the day ahead and ensure anything you require is ready. You also know when your appointments are, where you have to be first thing in the morning, and if any documents or files you will require are ready and accessible. Essentially, you are doing your daily planning.

All of these lessons are easy to implement and are all common sense. The sad thing is so few people do it. It’s one of the reasons why when a recruit joins the military, their first few months are dedicated to instilling these simple habits in the most brutal fashion. Recruits quickly learn that having good admin and being squared off at the end of the day will make their military career easier, less demanding and more beneficial. It also makes them better soldiers.

It’s all about being ready for anything. Rather than reacting to everything around you, you put yourself on the front foot, can control the situation, and are effectively proactive.

And all this reduces stress and overwhelm because you can make deliberate decisions about what you will do that day.

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