TBD 032: 😳 Out of overwhelm

...and into actio

We stress ourselves out when we commit to doing more than we actually have the capacity to deliver. We’ve all seen articles. We’ve felt the burnout. We see it on our teams and in our families. 

What kind of life is this?

You might think that working for myself gives me the freedom to get away from this issue. My time is my own, right? I wish I could tell you that’s true but unfortunately, stuff piles up. Ideas, commitments, responsibilities. What can I say? I’m creative. ;)

I indulge in magical thinking about how all these things will come together. On a Saturday. Or when I have a free day. Somehow. Since they came together in my brain, how hard could it be to make it all happen? 

Turns out, I don’t have “an extra day” or “spare time” yet the idea lingers and feels pretty stressful. 

My favorite practical remedy to this is to:

1. Be very clear and specific on what I intended to accomplish each day 

2. Choose a maximum of 3 meaningful things (Max. MAX.I.MUM. Three. Only 3.) 

3. Commit time on my calendar. Block it out. 

4. Hold myself accountable by checking in at the end of the day

It works because you're making a specific commitment in the real-honest-to-god-time-space continuum of your life. 

This has worked when I ran a global team at a large corporation. It worked with I was at a scrappy consultancy. It works today. It also works with large ambitious projects by breaking them down into committed steps over time. You'll move forward faster when you're actually booking the time to take even smallest of actions consistently. 

After all, when my list gets too long, I’m overwhelmed. I'm not really committed. I'm in the practice of pleasing other people over making a dependable promise and delivering great results.

Are you ready to commit?

Can we commit this February to three things a day? What's providing the most value for you and your team?

With curiosity and courage,
XO, Courtney
 

P.S. Grief and returning to the office?

I wrote this last July...my timing was off but it still holds up  → Take a Look