Each Sunday our goal is to share a piece of gold with you. Some small piece of information that helps you to have a better week and achieve a better outcome.  

Have you been in that place? I’m sure you know the one, where it doesn’t matter how hard you work or how many hours you put in… you simply cannot get everything done that needs to be done? That place can often feel like a pit you can’t climb out of. As a result, you miss deadlines, let people down, or you constantly have to follow up and tell people you haven’t forgotten about that to-do you owe them. 

I’ve been their multiple times over the years. It doesn’t feel good, it creates frustration, and makes it harder to concentrate on anything because you’re always worried about the next thing.  

Here are a few thoughts for you to consider that have helped me navigate these challenging seasons:  

  1. Communicate with those around you so they are aware of the circumstances. Inform your team (who may be able to help), your family (so if you have to put in hours, they understand), and those you owe work to (so you can set yourself up for a timeline that is achievable, even if it is not ideal).  
  2. Give yourself permission to breathe. When I’m in “the pit,” I tend to internalize my stress, tense up, and carry around extra weight with me all the time that impacts my mood and attitude towards others. Recognize that you can only achieve what you can and adding the extra burden and stress to your life only makes it harder to concentrate and be productive.  
  3. Brain-dump. When we are in “the pit,” there are a million things swirling around in our head that we know we need to do (emails, chats, lists, meeting notes, etc.) Give yourself permission to take 1 hour (or whatever the right amount of time is for you) to get it under control. Get all your action items in one place where you can organize and prioritize. For me, just getting everything in a consolidated place helps me feel better about having control.  
  4. Prioritize the list based on urgency and impact. I often have items on my list that need to be done, but the impact of the work is very low. Estimate the time it will take to get the work done and then organize it based on what is required first and what can be pushed off.  
  5. Determine if there are things that can be delegated. When you work with amazing people, they are anxious to step up and help. There are often things that others can do, or get started, so you can focus on other areas.  
  6. Evaluate your calendar. When in “the pit,” your calendar can be your nemesis. Often, meetings can mean you’re focusing on other people’s priorities that are preventing you from doing what is truly most important. Take control of your schedule, cancel non-essential items, move meetings, or simply give yourself permission to bow-out of certain meetings.  
  7. Communicate again. Revise the expectations on the items on your list. If you have determined that some low-priority issues are going to get punted a week or two, let those waiting on you know that you’ve had to shift. Let those who you’ve prioritized know that you have adjusted your schedule to get their action items to them as soon as possible.  
  8. Focus on 3 things at a time. Each day, prioritize the top 3 things that you need to accomplish and mentally set the rest aside. It doesn’t do you or others any favors to try to move 10 things forward one inch at a time and get nothing done. By limiting your focus to 3, you can start completing things and actually removing them from your list.  
  9. Consider a change in scenery. I’ve realized that I do certain types of work more effectively in different places. When I know that I need to plow through a bunch of emails, I enjoy going to a coffee shop or a restaurant, having a coffee (or even a beer), putting in some noise canceling earbuds, playing some music, and plowing through the work. Give yourself the freedom to change your environment as needed. 
  10. Celebrate the successes. As you achieve and get things completed, give yourself room for celebrating those accomplishments. Step outside, take a breath, and feel the success of the moment. Success perpetuates more success so it’s important to realize it and use that positive energy to carry you into the next activity. 

We’ve all found ourselves in “the pit” at different times. When my world feels like it shifts out of control, following these 10 steps allows me to feeling like I’m winning again.  

The goal of AoD is to build better leaders who run better companies and change the world. Getting your schedule right can make all the difference in controlling chaos. If you’d like a copy of our Perfect Week Template, purchase your copy of Adapt or Die here and then go to adaptordie.com/assets to get started. I hope you enjoy it and figure out your perfect week!