1. Get up fifteen minutes earlier in the
morning. The inevitable morning mishaps will be less stressful.
2. Prepare for the morning the evening before. Set the breakfast
table. Make lunches. Put out the clothes you plan to wear, etc.
3. Don't rely on your memory. Write down appointment times, when
to pick up the laundry, when library books are due, etc. ("The palest
ink is better than the most retentive memory."- Old Chinese Proverb)
4. Do nothing you have to lie about later.
5. Make copies of all keys. Bury a house key in a secret spot in
the garden. Carry a duplicate car key in your wallet, apart from your key
ring.
6. Practice preventive maintenance. Your car, appliances, home and
relationships will be less likely to break down "at the worst possible
moment."
7. Be prepared to wait. A paperback book can make a wait in a post
office line almost pleasant.
8. Procrastination is stressful. Whatever you want to do tomorrow,
do today; whatever you want to do today, do it now.
9. Plan ahead. Don't let the gas tank get below onequarter full,
keep a well- stocked "emergency shelf'' of home staples, don't wait
until you're down to your last bus token or postage stamp to buy more, etc.
10. Don't put up with something that doesn't work right. If your
alarm clock wallet, shoe laces, windshield wipers-whatever-are a constant
aggravation, get them fixed or get new ones.