Hey you all
I apologize for the radio silence. The last three weeks kept me very busy. Short weeks, changing scope at work, kids not sleeping, etc. Nothing I complain about. These periods in life happen and I think that you need to pick your battles.
In the last 20 years, I tried a lot of different tactics and had my fair share of self-reflection of what works for me and what does not. Today I am sharing with you a very short management summary on how to get some space to breathe again.
TLDR; what to do when there are too many things you should be doing
The moment you start feeling overwhelmed there are too many things happening simultaneously. Furthermore, you will probably feel that you can’t fit everything in your day. Adding extra hours to your day can be a tactic but it should only be a short term solution. Working over hours is never a sustainable way of working. So stop what you are doing and get yourself organized.
I make an inventory of everything that is happening. All the meetings, all the tasks, and all the requests. Using the Eisenhower method is a good way to start. But there are more elaborate methods. These days I go with my gut and my experience in picking what I really need to work on.
Pick your battles: What are the few things you really need to get done? What is urgent and important and what creates the most impact? Less is more. Focus always wins.
Lastly, I make sure that I block enough time to get these few things done; meaning to cancel and stop other things. Most importantly. I do one thing at a time; no multitasking.
And what about all the stuff that did not make the cut? What about all the meetings I should be attending to? I try to be very mindful. I get in touch with people and explain why I cancel a meeting. I give people a heads up that things have been put on hold, will come later or just won’t ever happen. You will be amazed how much pressure you put on yourself and that humans around you fully understand if not everything can be done. I just make sure that I am upfront, honest and transparent.
So I try to not miss out on another MEMO this week and to finish some of the articles I am writing.
I wish you all a great start to the week.
Best,
Niklaus