Are you currently busier than you have ever been? Feeling over-solicited, overscheduled, and overloaded in every arena? At work? At home? Even at play? Are you hard-pressed just to fit it all in? Do you ever catch up? Do you ever get everything on your to-do list done?
It might be economic drivers complicating your life. It could even be cultural or societal pressures behind your daily juggle. Or, as a leader, it might be the complications of the lives of your people simply bleeding over into yours. Does the reason behind it even matter? What counts is a way out:
- Give yourself an hour. When one of your people brings you a problem; ask for a 60-minute buffer for time to respond (or come to their rescue). Let her know that “immediate” solutions come at a high cost and that you need an hour’s notice. You will be surprised how many problems solve themselves.
- Give yourself 30 minutes. Schedule it; publish it. Whether it’s 7:30 to 8:00 in the morning or the last half hour of the day, put you in your Outlook. Do it 12 months in advance. Do it now. Claim 6 percent of your day for yourself. You’ll be surprised at how much 30 minutes can do.
- Give yourself a rest. Create a “to-stop” list. What can you simply stop doing, delegate, or reconfigure to lighten your load? It’s there. Find it and get rid of it.
About the Author: Don Brown
Don Brown is the developer of ‘The Leader’s Daily’ and author of “Bring Out the Best in Every Employee” (McGraw-Hill), “What Got You Here Won’t Get You There – in Sales” (McGraw-Hill) and “Situational Service® – Customer Care for the Practitioner.”
Don has spent 30 years ‘helping people with people’ for the likes of Anheuser-Busch, Ford Motor Company, United Airlines, Harley-Davidson Motor Company, Jaguar Cars, McLaren Health, and Hilton Hotels. You can email him at Don@DonBrown.Org.