Are you overwhelmed?
Having a lot to do in a limited amount of time can cause feelings of panic, and even lead to giving up because there's no way you're going to get it done, so why even try?
Since I wrote a book called "Focus: use the power of targeted thinking to get more done," it's a litle embarrassing to confess that overwhelm (yes, I think it has officially become a noun) sometimes still catches me, too.Then again, the reason I'm interested in productivity and time management is that they don't come naturally to me.
So let me share my prescription--I've written about it before, I think, but perhaps not as succinctly. I've boiled it down into seven simple--if not always easy--steps.
Then I'll tell you why most people fail when they try it (which will also be your guide to NOT failing).
THE SEVEN STEPS
1. Decide the hours you’ll work
2. Decide which are your highest priority tasks
3. Assign them to 45 min. blocks of your working time, highest priority first when possible
4. Build in one unassigned 45 min. block for whatever comes up that needs to be handled & one block for something that’s important but not urgent.
In times of extreme deadline crisis, this latter block may have to be sacrificed, but don't let that happen for very long.
5. For each block, first do a quick alter ego exercise, set a timer to 45 minsutes, and work only on the assigned task.
If you're not familiar with the alter ego strategy that I describe in detail in the book, here's how it works: you decide what type of person would best handle the task at hand. For instance, would it be somebody creative, or somebody ruthless? If your goal is clear your email backlog, go for ruthless. Then take minute to imagine yourself as that type of person, noticing how it feels, and stay in that state until the task is done.
For this step you also need to train the people who are used to interrupting you. Tell them at what time you have scheduled your 45 minute unassigned block and that you'll get back to them then. They will resist at first but stick to your guns.
This includes not answering the phone whenever it rings (unless that's your job, of course). On your voicemail tell callers when you'll return their call. You can use an automatic message to say the same thing in response to emails.
6. Take 15 minutes breaks between working periods.
Get up from the desk, have some water or a healthy snack. Don’t forget to use the timer for breaks, too. Skipping breaks is a false economy. They will give you the mental and physical energy to work well for the entire day.
7. Repeat daily until caught up.
When the crisis is over you can adopt elements of the plan for your normal routine. You'll want to give more blocks of time to the "important but not urgent" things on your list, and you may want to build in one 45 minute block for learning something new or brainstorming or just doing a task that's low on the list but enjoyable.
WHY MOST PEOPLE FAIL AT THIS
There's really only one reason: they don't follow the steps. For example:
They think they don't need to use the timer because they're sure they'll remember when 45 minutes are up. Pretty soon they're back to working at lots of different things at the same time and feeling overwhelmed again. Or they don't use the timer for their breaks and find that instead of 15 minutes they've spent 45 chatting with somebody at the water cooler.
They skip breaks, thinking the longer they work without interruption, the more they'll get done. By mid-afternoon they're exhausted and start making mistakes that create even more work.
They skip the alter ego exercise, thinking it's too strange. So they go into a task that requires an Atilla the Hun mentality with the mindset of a Curious Child. A quarter of an hour in, they're surfing the net, sending emails and checking their Facebook page.
They don't train the people around them to respect their new way of working. Instead, they continue to let others dictate the schedule for them.
Sometimes they think that they can adapt the system to make it better. By all means, give that a try but if it doesn't work, go back to the seven steps.
A BRIEF DIGRESSION ABOUT GAMBLING
This last point reminds me of a successful professional gambler I met in Las Vegas. He had a system that was based on slightly improving the odds in your favor--things like knowing that the slot machines on the ends of aisles are set to pay off more than the others because that way people walking along will see more winners.
He also played poker but waited until after the shows let out and his opponents were more likely to be inebriated and therefore less on top of their game. To make them bolder in their bets, he pretended he'd had a lot to drink, too.
Using these and other strategies, he made about $100,000 a year (actually, quite a bit of that came from gift certificates and other perks the casinos gave him because he played a lot. He sold these on eBay.)
See, you've learned things worth more than the price you're paying to subscribe to this blog...
Anyway, he told me that he taught his methods to his brother-in-law and also a friend of his.
They both were successful for about six months. Then gradually they stopped making a profit. They told him his system wasn't working anymore.
He went along with both of them to see what was going wrong.
They were no longer following his system. They'd independently decided that they'd add a few ideas of their own. These "improvements" undermined what he'd taught them.
SPIN THE WHEEL
So: give the seven steps a try.
Let me know how you do with it ([email protected])--of course, wait until you're past the worst of the overwhelm.
(There are lots of powerful strategies in my book, "Focus: use the power of targeted thinking to get more done," published by Pearson. I know that's true because I have to re-read it occasionally to remind myself to keep using my methods! You can get it from Amazon or your other favorite book seller.)
