Overwhelmed? You don’t have to be.
Lately, many of my clients express feelings of overwhelm and stress. Priorities are flying at them from all directions and the boundaries between work and home have blurred beyond recognition. The solution always seems to be the same – put in more hours and keep slogging away at the never-ending to-do list. Working more hours turns into physical exhaustion, which leaves them falling asleep during family time hours, and then the guilt over not being present with loved ones kicks in. Work more, get tired, less presence, guilt, more work. It feels like you can’t climb the wall, so you keep running at it harder. But what if we have it all wrong? What if the secret to being more productive is to work less?
One of the first items I always encourage my clients to focus on is their starting point. Many individuals don’t even realize what they are doing during the day and how much it can consume their hours without even knowing. For example, are you heading down the black hole of social media or news? Common time wasters include:
Social Media
Email (how many emails are you cc’d on that you simply don’t need to be?)
Unnecessary meetings – ask yourself, “Do I really need to be there?”
Next, what are you NOT spending your time on? These are often items that can rejuvenate and refresh you so you can come back more productive. It’s amazing how little we prioritize self-care at the expense of small tasks.
Taking small breaks. I can’t tell you how many executives I hear exclaim, “I barely had time to pee today.” Seriously, it’s not a badge of honor. It’s ok to take a bathroom break, eat lunch without interruptions, or take a 5-minute mindfulness pause.
The science is proven. Exercise improves your health, your cognitive ability, and your general mood. Just 30 minutes of walking a day can have a tremendous impact on your life and wellbeing. Don’t believe me, check out this video – 23 ½ Hours.
See your friends and loved ones. Do I really have to explain this one? If so, read this article by Clayton M. Christensen in HBR. I’ve kept this article in my desk since I first read it. I break it out from time to time when I need to recalibrate.
Do something. It’s amazing how many people complain about being overwhelmed but refuse to do anything about it. It can come in the form of inertia, unwillingness to do the hard work, excuses. When asked about alternatives, you may say things like: “It won’t work” or “Everyone is relying on me” or “I have no one to delegate it to” or “I don’t have time.” Sound familiar? Luckily, it doesn’t have to be. Start small –conquer small issues one at a time. Over time, your work will add up.
I encourage you to download my free Time Tracker to get started! This will help you:
Start understanding where you are.
Envision where you want to be. Do you know what your ideal day looks like?
Look for time wasters and come up with ways to eliminate them.
Identify actions that are less or more productive. Do you need a meeting when a call will simply do?
Make adjustments. Maybe you want to walk 30 minutes a day but haven’t done any walking in over a month. Start with 2 days of 15 minutes and work up.