They’re constantly on-call, stuck in back-to-back meetings, pulled in different directions and many feel like they’re not doing anything very well.
I usually have only a few minutes with them – here are 3 of my go-to questions:
1️⃣ Are you in emergency right now?
If yes, then keep going, get it done and we’ll speak again when it’s over.
(N.b. if everything in your life feels like an emergency, then you need to redefine the word ’emergency’)
2️⃣ Where can you get a win?
Rather than aiming for a grand reset, just identify one small, achievable win you can make today.
One leader I spoke to said she’s protecting bath time and story time with her kids, and maxing out the engagement and fun of that hour. This is an ideal win, because it is tangible, specific and over time it will definitely make a difference.
The mind hates uncertainty, so it suggests something to get rid of it. Usually: “EAT THE PASTRY”.
This hypothetical person then eats the hypothetical pastry, which is why they have been trying to lose half a stone for about 10 years. Hypothetically.
3️⃣ How can you reduce your exposure to social media and the news?
None of us evolved to process all of the world’s crises at once.
Research from the 2013 Boston marathon bombing showed that those who watched a lot of TV coverage of the incident experienced more distress than those who were actually there.
The News is no longer there to inform but to 𝘦𝘯𝘨𝘢𝘨𝘦 us, and these doom loops tend to fill the pockets of space where our brain used to find respite.
Start with taking the news and social media apps off your phone.
Of course, there’s loads more to be said about overwhelm, particularly in terms of how we prepare each day, but this is a start.
I’d love to hear over on my LinkedIn of any simple steps you took to turn an overwhelming situation around?
