Money and work. Work and money.

For roughly three out of four Americans, money and work are two top sources of stress, according to the American Psychological Association.

Here are tips for reducing stress and recession-proofing your life:

Tip One: Time equals money.

So time wasters equal money wasters. Become aware not only where your money goes, but where your time goes.

Do you spend (over-spend) too much of it on the phone? Instead of having lots of small talk, try having short talk. Limit phone calls to 15 minutes.

Try to be the initiator of calls, not the receiver. This will help you keep focused on the intent of the call.

Never pick up the phone during a business day without asking yourself, “What single goal do I want to result from this phone call?” If you’re the call recipient, pause before picking up the call and ask yourself, “What are the end results I want from this call?”

Tip Two: Avoid time-wasting phone tag.

Set up meetings by email -- offering a few potential times for suggestions.

Tip Three: Bulk your email time so you do it in a state of flow -- for 15 to 30 minutes every few hours -- rather than scattering your attention by emailing every few minutes.

Tip Four: Recognize the time-saving value of “skin time” -- that is, time spent in person with someone.

You can often drill down faster to solve a work problem if you’re sitting with someone -- or brainstorm bigger ideas when you’re both in the same room.

Tip Five: Avoid unnecessary meetings.

Ask yourself: Can this business need be addressed in a faster, smarter way than a big conference meeting?

If you do have a meeting, start the meeting by stating your “end result” goals -- and end by summarizing your “next step” goals.

Tip Six: Know your best alpha-wave brilliant work hours in the day -- and make sure you do your hardest work during these times.

Tip Seven: Kaizen your way to the top.

Kaizen is a Japanese philosophy that “small changes over time create huge change over time.”

If there’s something very difficult you need to do to help your business grow, and you’ve been avoiding doing it because it feels so overwhelming, make the task at hand more “whelming” by breaking it down into small 15- to 30-minute chunks.

After all, it’s far easier to be a saint for 15 to 30 minutes than a few hours.

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