is no room in their life for procrastination.
They are disciplined in doing first things
first. Every day. Unless it’s your job,
social media can wait until later in the
day. Creatives often find routine boring,
but this is what will help you get on top
of things. Start on your priorities early
in the day and systematically work at
them until you clear them. Avoid getting
distracted as this will needlessly delay
your achievement.
Completing tasks will give you a sense
of satisfaction and keep you motivated as
you minimize overwhelm. Review your
plan regularly to assess your progress
and fine-tune it. During your review,
close out each day, week, month, quarter,
year, celebrate your successes, learn your
lessons and make plans for the next
period – it’s a cycle.
Delegate
Stop trying to do everything yourself.
Enlist help sooner, rather than later.
Resist thoughts that you are the only
one who can do a task to the standard
required. You’re not. Most leaders don’t
delegate enough and by delegating you
enhance your leadership and grow your
people, while freeing yourself to focus on
tasks that require your personal attention.
Decide early what needs to be delegated
and meet early with your delegatee.
Regularly have check-ins with your
delegatee to monitor progress and avoid
last-minute surprises, which increase your
sense of overwhelm.
Chill Out
Despite all the rigors of discipline and
taking action, we owe it to ourselves to
regularly slow down and re-charge our
batteries. Intentionally and proactively
create time to fill your tank, connecting
with yourself through scheduling daily
mini-vacations that you use to read, reflect,
take walks, pray, listen to music, savor a
meal or simply enjoy a cup of tea, coffee
or other beverage for 15-20 minutes a day.
Take longer periodic breaks as well. Each
week do something special – watch a
good movie, connect with positive friends,
family or your significant other and from
time to time escape from the city to a
totally different environment – not to
farm or build a house, but to really rest.
Doing so does not have to be expensive,
but it will serve you in the long run, in
terms of helping you recuperate before
getting back into work-mode.
We arrive on earth alone. Due to the
pressure of time, and trying to meet
our own and others’ expectations, we
sometimes find ourselves overwhelmed
and stuck, unable to operate effectively.
Getting out of overwhelm takes a simple
decision followed by focused, intentional
actions.
Use the ideas shared to understand why
you are overwhelmed and take the right
actions to deal with it. Remember to
remain consistent, and within a short time,
you will find yourself on top of things,
earning the respect of others, and liking
yourself so much better. All the best!
Caroline Mwazi is Chief Change
Catalyst at Huru Consult Limited, a
Nairobi based management and training
consulting company focusing on Strategy
&
Organizational
Development,
Financial Management, Sales & Client
Retention, Leadership & Personal
Development. She can be reached at:
[email protected] or Twitter
@cmwazi
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