Taking back time: Finding ways to balance
when dealing with overwhelm - part 1
There's both a personal and systemic aspect to the currently trending themes of Overwhelm and Time Management.
As we face new kinds of disruption, whilst still managing the rather substantial tail of what we've already been through, we need to stop, think and reposition our focus. This involves the ability to raise our eyes to new horizons and to consider the wider picture if we want to avoid self-sabotage.
I'm noticing two kinds of people at the moment. Some found the disruption of the Pandemic to be something that ultimately gave them a sense of peace and empowerment. The different pace, autonomy and flexibility enabled a new rhythm in their daily life and they're finding fresh ways of being with themselves, their family and their world. They prioritize differently and feel present and engaged.
These people have created a sense of meaning and purpose for themselves, even if only in terms of their day to day activities.
The second kind of person has strong feelings of overwhelm and high stress. Fighting crises on multiple fronts, they're struggling with time management, working longer, harder and faster and feeling unable to take a breath - let alone think, strategise or pay attention to that which is not immediately in front of them.
Wide-eyed shock, rigidity and despair is gathering momentum. Compounding this is a sense of helplessness and a fear of losing jobs or making big mistakes. Many people don't know what to do, so they try to do everything. Perhaps they're integrating discomfort, shock, trauma or fear. Or, perhaps they're so used to functioning a certain way, they didn't notice when they passed their limit and now they have no time to develop different approaches. Often they feel they're expected to do all this just to survive. Often their managers or company cultures confirm this.
This plays out in teams. Some people are spinning really fast and others are feeling a strange mix of survivors guilt and imposter syndrome. Some are too busy and stressed to function well and others feel guilty. Neither wants to voice this for fear of judgment or misunderstanding. In extremes, the stressed are seen as unavailable or difficult, the others as a good reason to have everyone back in the office (in case they're just 'being lazy'.)
What do we do? How can we adjust to all of this, learn from those that have found their pace and support those at risk of burnout? Can we redefine roles and tasks, play to strengths, share loads and eliminate time wastage?
We need to start with ourselves. This involves considering our ambitions and vision for the future and then using this to define clear boundaries. I don't mean some stressed assessment of our patterns of overwhelm. I mean giving ourselves the time to remind ourselves of our values as we explore meaning, thinking, strategising, and dreaming. This is a baseline for building resilience and a coach or therapist can help.
Once we're clear on our deeper aspirations and desires, we go to the next step. When we feel clearer about who we are and what we want, we're able to prioritize how we spend our time. We can begin to make decisions about what is most important to us. This means we can separate Urgent from Important with a new lens. It also empowers us to feel more autonomous.
Returning to basics is always a useful tool during change, so clear decisions around Urgent vs Important can help. Delegate, eliminate or time chunk as much Urgent as you can. Always look for alternatives to streamline the tasks. Set an alarm and be diligent about sticking to the time allocated to certain things.
This helps to tame the unwieldy feeling of life running away with us and makes space for the things that we find important.
We have to diarise regular time for the stuff we identify as Important. Diligently. Be strong about turning off your phone, closing your door or going to a different environment. Recognise that you'll struggle at first as you face down your hamster-wheel addiction. Do nothing at all rather than reflexively doing something habitually. Allow your solution-finding, creative or thoughtful self to be present. Do this consistently until it settles. New ways, empowered feelings, insights and solutions always come if you can allow the process.
These practices restore a sense of rhythm and meaning, ease the panic, soothe the fears. However, this may have limited impact as a solo act. Organizations need to make space for deep discussions about what they can eliminate from old business practices, how they can allow more autonomy and how they can create shared meaning.
We tend to underestimate the way people cling to the Known even when we intellectually accept the changes. It's socially acceptable to react by being increasingly busy when uncertain or scared. Change, Covid, job security etc. create unconscious fears. This is added to a new way of working, which is also moving faster and with less comfort-zone certainty.