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Overwhelmed and Overcommitted but not Defeated!
I hate the feeling of being overwhelmed with my work. Unfortunately, it has happened all too often. I have to say it is a state of being which I defined for myself as dysfunctional. Literally. I would get to the point where I was almost paralyzed because there seemed to be too much that needed to be done now. I took firefighting to the next level. I remember one day vividly. It was quite a few years ago. I had agreed to so many commitments, projects, and meetings, I thought I might hyperventilate. So I did what any responsible executive would do…I cancelled everything I could for that day. The definition of “everything I could” was anything that was not a meeting with my boss, the President of the company. After I cancelled everything I locked myself in my office. I didn’t tell anyone I would be there. Most of my team was not in the building so they couldn’t see me.
At first, I just sat there looking at the piles. I wasn't a Christian at this point in my life so I didn't know about Matthew 6:26-34 or the concept of not worrying. Then I somehow came up with this automatic process to get my life and commitment level back in order:
1. I threw away everything that could be thrown away. To do that I had to look through everything. The reason I get so many piles is because I don’t have time to look at it and decide if it can be tossed. Most of it could.
2. Now with my neat piles of important stuff, I made a list of what everything that was left and other things I knew about.
3. With my master list in hand, now I had to prioritize. Say what you want, but 90% of the people I know still today, just make the list and work on everything praying it will all get done. We just move everything along. One thing I have learned is that I would rather only get the most important 5 things complete and off the list then to move ten (10) along and complete none. First, I prioritize by importance and then by date due.
4. Then based upon the date due I would plot my list on my calendar. Sometimes I can work on a less important priority if the more important one is not due yet. Again, DO NOT leave your master priority list in LIST form. You have to put it out on your calendar to determine if you really have a huge problem. One list makes it all seem due NOW. It never is.
5. Once you have plotted it out on the calendar, where are the conflicts? Based on conflicts I follow the next process of dealing with it:
a. Can I delegate it?
b. Can I gravel with whoever is waiting for it and get the due date moved?
c. Do I have to just go to the person and tell them it isn’t going to happen on time and commit to a new date? This is MUCH BETTER than just missing the deadline and hoping they don’t notice. Your integrity is on the line. It is better to confess and step-up to a new firm commitment than to just miss the deadline and keep promising that it is almost done.
6. And lastly, I have to put notes everywhere and tell anyone who can hold me accountable that I won’t commit to new projects, activities, etc. until “the fires are out” or my priority list is under control. You may say, but if I own my own business I have to keep accepting work. Unless you can push the deliverable date way back, I wouldn’t. It is better to be seen as too busy and have a waiting list than to be known as incompetent because the deadline was missed or the quality suffered.
7. Moving forward I need to put in place the above process to do proactively, not reactively, to avoid getting in this predicament. Again, this sounds logical, but most of us let go of process once we can breathe again. I guess it is like childbirth, we forget the pain. (Well actually I had twins and I haven't forgotten!)
By the end of this day of cancelling everything, my work was not done, but I felt more in control. I knew what was most important, I had communicated any conflicts or situations that I couldn’t resolve on my own, and I had a plan to keep from doing this in the future.
This sounds pretty routine, right? Then why don’t we do it? Or better yet, why do we wait until extreme pain to get things back in control? Or maybe you are in the camp of “this is too simple. If this could work for me I would have done it before. “ I only know this:
· If we have a heart attack tomorrow, the work won’t get done anyway.
· If we ruin our marriage and end up with a divorce or marital problems the time taken to work on our broken marriage will take time away from work that wouldn’t have been necessary if we had managed our time and priorities to begin with.
· If we just keep putting out fires, the quality of our work will diminish to the point that we will no longer get the business to be overwhelmed by volume. NO EXCUSE MAKES SENSE.
· If you try it and it works, you will be better off. If you try it and it doesn’t work, you haven’t lost much because at your current rate, things can’t continue for long.
This is a difficult process but unfortunately no one else can do it for you. If you need help learning the skills of delegation, prioritization or time management, our business coaching may help. If you need an accountability vehicle, we have some great programs. But the decision to JUST DO IT is yours. Until you decide, all of the administrative assistants, training or coaching will be just an added expense. Give it a try. This is a no cost, simple process that could significantly assist you in getting your business under control.
Sue J. Miley MBA, MA, LPC is the founder of CrossRoads Professional Coaching helping small businesses create traditional success upon a foundation of biblical values. Sue J. Miley is a Business Coach and a Licensed Professional Counselor with twenty years of experience with starting businesses and divisions with an entrepreneurial approach. . If you enjoyed this article and are interested in more articles by this author and other free resources please visit our website www.crossroadcoach.com.
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