Next weekend my husband and I leave with our two small children for a week of sightseeing and camping, which means planning, packing, and getting the taxes done by Friday. I have events on Tuesday and Thursday, homework for a fantastic 8-week course I am taking (NadineNicolson.com), plus the regular work I do for my clients and business. Oh, and none of the camping trip has been reserved. Oh, and my husband is in a crunch time at work.
Officially overwhelmed! Here are my favorite tips for dealing with the times when I feel overwhelmed:
- Take a deep breath. Meditation won’t get the work done. However, it will help manage the anxiety that builds up and gets in the way of clear thought (see Daniel Goleman’s “Emotional Intelligence”). I usually find a quiet time and place, take a few long, deep breaths and visualize something that will guide me. The visual can be “me at my best,” or an element of nature that is calm, or powerful. However it is I want to feel as I take on the situation.
- Perspective Wheel. This is from Coach Training Institute, where I did my training. An add-on to the staying calm bit, this is a way to see different sides of the situation. Write down the situation from as many points of view as you can. You can start with the doom and gloom, but then consider more positive ones. Maybe you are here because all of your hard work has gotten you to a place of increased responsibility. Or maybe the perspective from you, one year from now, calm and accomplished. Then, write your To Do list from the perspective you most want to be in. Taking action from that perspective will help make it the reality.
- Do a time check. Rather than begin with a To Do list, I take a look at the calendar and see how many hours I actually have to dedicate to the tasks. This will help me prioritize. It will also help me say no to requests that may come up this week and eat into the time I do have. Here is more on the Time Capsule method.
- Prioritize. There is a great tool from Stephen Covey for helping decide the most critical tasks. It is called the Time Management Matrix and helps articulate the tasks that don’t feel urgent, but are important, from those that are time wasters. I love this tool.
- Cluster tasks. Do like things with like things. Making calls, whatever the purpose, can be done together. Doing research, responding to emails, etc. We use less mental energy when we switch around less. Plus, if you can leave yourself chunks of three to four hours of free time, it allows you wiggle room.
- Schedule Email! Choose two or three times in the day when you will dedicate 15-30 minutes for reading and responding to email. Do not let the email stream in!
- Give Yourself Permission. Do the best you can and give yourself the OK to be happy with whatever outcome happens. Chances are that you are much, much more productive than you realize or typically give yourself credit for.
Good luck!