Trainers' Library Portal

Stress Management Team Activities


Extra Colour Confusion for Teams


Time required:

15 minutes.

What it does:

A fun activity to explore how individuals within teams respond to stress and how they can work more effectively together.

You will need:

One set of Shape Name Cards per team (you will need to cut them out beforehand) and the PowerPoint showing each of the challenges from the Resources tab.

In a nutshell:

Which team creates the best strategy for success when tasked with matching colours and words?

Introducing the Time Management Matrix


Time required:

10 minutes.

What it does:

Introduces the concept of identifying the level of urgency and the level of importance when prioritising work to be done.

flagThis activity is suitable for remote delivery.


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This team activity can be run on its own, but it works very well if you follow it up with Time Management Matrix - How to Apply It.


You will need:

The PowerPoint provided.

In a nutshell:

Staff learn how to distinguish between urgency and importance when creating to-do lists.

Problems – What Can I Do About Them?


Time required:

30 minutes.

What it does:

A chance to reflect on the importance of addressing the problems/issues that matter and that are within our capacity to resolve, in order to manage personal stress.

flagThis activity is suitable for remote delivery.


You will need:

The Addressing Problems PowerPoint from the Resources tab and a copy of the grid drawn on a flip chart. You'll also need a copy of the Action Plan handout (from the Resources tab), pens and post it notes for each participant.

In a nutshell:

Consider issues/challenges faced by individuals so they can identify which ones to tackle based on the stress it is causing and their capacity to resolve the issue.

Procrastination – A Hot Topic


Time required:

10 minutes.

What it does:

Gives your team members an opportunity to feel for themselves how stressful procrastination can be.

You will need:

Enough identical, plain wrapped chocolates so there's one per team member. These chocolates all need to be simple pieces of plain or milk chocolate, but your team will think something quite different.

Have a glass of water on standby for dramatic effect.


flagChocolate coins will work well for this exercise.


In a nutshell:

What happens when team members are given the opportunity to delay completing a potentially unpleasant task?

Time Management Matrix - How to Apply It


Time required:

30 minutes.

What it does:

An opportunity for the team to explore what types of activities fit into the four Time Management Quadrants before creating their own personal Time Management Matrix.

flag This activity is suitable for remote delivery.


flagThis team activity can be used a stand-alone refresher of the Time Management Matrix. Alternatively, it can be run after Introducing the Time Management Matrix as a way of helping your team to apply their new knowledge.


You will need:

One A3 copy of the Time Management Matrix for every team member, one set of Time Management Matrix Cards per two team members and lots of post-it notes.

In a nutshell:

Practice deciding where tasks fit in the Time Management Matrix, before building one of your own for the next two weeks.