One 5-Minute Change that Saved Me Hours
A few weeks ago, I was totally overwhelmed. I had just picked up some new clients, increased hours a LOT for Easton Outdoors, and a lot of life was happening in between the working hours, not to mention the intense amount of training I’ve opted for leading up to the Boston Marathon. As I juggled everything I had to do day in and day out, I knew that I either had to make some changes or offload a few things from my plate. I know myself well enough to realize that cutting back would be a pretty drastic measure if it had to happen, so it wasn’t my first choice. But something had to give.
It was on a Friday morning in March that I felt the weight of the world crushing in on me, and as happy and thankful as I am for the amount of work I have, I never want to drop the ball on one client because I’m simply juggling too much. I turned my iPhone onto Focus mode (thank goodness for that!), sat down with a pen and paper away from my computer, and looked at the week ahead.
Suddenly, the pieces clicked into place. I have always had a structure to my weeks, but I have never planned in advance for them. That might sound crazy, but I have always enjoyed the rhythms of my days without filling them well in advance - at least during working hours. Now, though, I needed something different. I wrote down all that I had to do, plotted it out on a combination of my Calendar app and TeuxDeux, and spread out my duties over the course of the week.
I felt like I could breathe again. I still had the same amount of work as before, but now I knew when it would happen. Not only that, but when the week rolled around, turning off my email to take care of a more urgent task was a step forward instead of a setback. I knew that on Monday, for example, I would be driving all over the area visiting sites and taking pictures. Tuesday would be my processing day. Thursday I would schedule out social media among other things, and on Friday I would be driving again.
Busy, yes, but manageable, too. The next week felt easier, and each week after that has been free from the feeling of complete overwhelm. In fact, I actually look forward to the 5 minutes it takes me each Friday to map out my week in a simple, flexible, but straightforward way to help me keep everything under control. I get more work done because I’m focused on what comes first, and when the laptop is shut I step away guilt-free.
All of this came at the perfect time, as I was peaking in work, my personal life, and running. If you are feeling completely overwhelmed, this is my #1 recommendation to you: carve out just 5-10 minutes one time per week (I like Fridays, but any day will work!), look at what you have to do in the week ahead, and write down when you will do it. Things can and will change, but this becomes as simple as moving a task from one day to the next and tackling it when it comes.
May you feel happy, productive, and completely on top of things in the weeks ahead! I know I will!