Stressing ahead

Omigod, no wonder I just freaked out!

Tuesday morning at 11:45am is the most stressful time of the working week, according to a survey.

Researchers found that nearly half of British workers identified mid-morning on their second working day of the week as the moment when they were most under pressure.

Most workers coast through Monday getting their brain in gear and catching up with gossip from the weekend through social networking sites.

But on Tuesday reality sets in and staff spend the first part of the day going through emails they ignored on Monday before planning the week ahead.

And 11.45am is the point when everything comes to a head.

Actually, I think this as much a crock as most such surveys. Every job is different, and every person is different. My most stressful time tends to be between 3 and 5 p.m. on Thursday. On Fridays, I have to do both the Saturday and Monday editorial pages (to avoid working on the weekend). That means if I don't get at least a little ahead on Thursday afternoons, I'll never get through Fridays with my emotional health intact, and as it gets closer to 5 p.m. on Thursday, I really start feeling rushed.

OK, I didn't want to think about that this early in the week, so now I'm really stressed.