Whether it be in our personal or work lives, most of us experience times when we feel overwhelmed. The causes, situations and contributing factors vary widely between us, but I wanted to share some strategies that have proven successful for me, my friends and family, and our clients over the years.
Get it out of your head
First up, get it all out of your head and down as a list on ‘paper’ – tablet, Word doc, Excel – whatever format works best for you. The order is not important, nor is the size of the item; include the big things, those that might seem trivial to others, and everything in between. What matters is capturing a list of those things that are presenting as problems and that combined, are feeling insurmountable.
Assign priority ratings
Next, note beside each whether it’s an A, B or C priority. How important is it to you that you address this or get it done?
Then, consider all the ‘A’s and number them starting with a 1 for the most urgent or important (or what’s worrying you the most), up to whatever number you need, so there’s a number against each ‘A’. Do the same for the ‘B’s and ‘C’s.
The order in which you need to action things to get back on top is now mapped out; start with A1 and work your way through the As, then from B1 etc.
Strategies to help keep your momentum
A combination of the following will help:
Allocate time – daily if necessary
Self-discipline – keep persevering
Break down larger items into doable tasks
Ask for help – family / friends / within your work team / external expertise
Training / coaching / mentoring - to develop skills and knowledge in areas where needed
Recruit a friend or colleague to report to on a regular basis and build your accountability
You might find you need to re-order the priorities as you go and/or that you have a few minutes spare so can knock off some of the smaller or lower priority items whilst you’re working on others. There are no set rules, just keep chipping away at the list.
Celebrate the wins
I like to tick things off as I achieve or complete them and I try to celebrate each achievement, even if only briefly. It helps me keep going and builds momentum.
The process of getting it out of your head helps create ‘space’ in which to work productively on things, and the strategies above provide some structure to guide action and cycle completion.
I hope that you too find these tips of assistance. Good luck, and be kind to yourself - recognise those small wins too!
The team at Augmentum provides a broad range of services, including coaching & mentoring, as well as assistance to business leaders with strategy development and planning, building effective foundations and teams, keeping their finger on the pulse, and driving growth and success. Get in touch to find out more, or check out our website www.augmentum.com.au
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