5 Unusual Things To Do When You Are Crazy Busy
"I'd love to hear your thoughts on how to handle my dilemma," John (not his real name) said. "It seems like we just never slow down around here anymore. I thought if I worked longer hours and pushed my team harder, we'd get caught up. Now I'm exhausted and I think everyone on my team hates me."
John's comments on the phone to me mirror what I am hearing too often. We have this mental mirage of a nebulous time in the future when things are going to slow down. So we plow ahead with little thought to how we're getting things done... and just when we think we're close to this oasis of rest... another project, problem, or even opportunity surfaces. We then take a deep breath, release a reflective sigh, and dive in again.
What was my reply to John? I didn't start out by saying, "We're all busy." I think that statement serves to rationalize poor use of our physical, mental, and emotional resources. I know there are times we legitimately have too much on our plate, and I think it's a wise use of time to assess how it all got there. John, however, needed some quick suggestions on how to find the strength to keep moving forward, so here's what I shared with him:
Stop and reflect for 5 minutes.
The more we just race to check off items on our list, the less we focus on the bigger picture and where our time really needs to be spent. I challenged him to get a timer, set it for five minutes, and find the answers to these three questions:
What is something important to me I am in danger of losing or missing if I don't take steps to deal with my crazy busy life?
What is the most draining ________________ (insert relationship, task, or situation) in my world right now, and what's one step I could take this week to reduce the stress it's causing me?
What is one thing I need to be willing to fail at right now to open up some much needed space for more important things?
Do something to improve your physical well-being.
"But I don't have the time, Jones," John retorted. I then reminded him that the ability to handle physical, mental, and emotional stress is directly related to our physical health. I also shared my own personal case study where I was recently looking at a terribly busy week and chose to remove as much sugar as possible from my diet. Both my quality of sleep and ability to focus exponentially improved.
Check in with your people MORE often.
John really pushed back on this one, citing the fact that once again I was asking him to take more time out of his schedule. My reply was, "I think you'll find that a proactive 5 minutes is much better than a reactive 30 minutes." When things are moving so quickly, it is easy to miss details. Staying in closer connection with those you're depending on to get work done helps minimize the chances that something falls through the cracks.
Build a better morning routine.
John had been racing out the door, coffee in hand, for several weeks to try and get into the office early to get more work done. While I applauded his work ethic, I also asked him to consider doing something that would really nourish him mentally or emotionally before leaving for work, even if it was only for 1-2 minutes. Getting in the right frame of mind in the morning sets the tone for the whole day.
Create light at the end of tunnel.
Because John had said that he saw no end in sight for such a crazy schedule, I challenged him to think about some more in-depth actions he could take to improve his situation. That didn't mean quitting his job, but it might entail redesigning how he and his team got work done. We also discussed one team member who he recognized could take a big load off his shoulders if he were to invest more time in training that person.
John's struggle is not an uncommon one. What I think is common, however, is to default to the solution of work harder, neglect self, and hope things get better. As the famous television host and psychologist Dr. Phil McGraw would ask, "How's that workin' for you so far?"
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