Today, I offer up a guest post from my editor Shelby Sapusek. This piece was written earlier this month as we set out to launch SheHe Media and added a few clients at the same time. It’s stayed just as busy and reading her post as I get it ready for publication has helped me keep it all in perspective. Here’s hoping you find it useful as well.
We have all been there. You just returned from a week-long business trip or vacation and the sight of the work stacked on your desk is discouraging. Maybe you finally landed that big client you’ve been chasing for the past year and now the realization of the work ahead of you is setting in.
I know this feeling. It’s called being overwhelmed with work.
A good problem?
How many times has someone told you that too much work is “a good problem to have?” In theory, that’s true. More work equals more business, which equals more revenue. If the reason I have more work is because a few new clients made their way to my doorstep, that’s fine. However, that’s not always the case.
Sometimes having more work is a direct result of unforeseen circumstances related to your business. A computer or server crash puts you behind several days. A project that you thought would take two weeks ends up taking three. A client changes his or her mind about a project and you have to go back to the drawing board.
Having more work because of situations like these isn’t necessarily a good problem to have. It brings about a sense of losing control.
Lose your control freak
We all like to be in control of what goes on around us. Most of us realize that it’s not possible to be in control all the time. Life is messy, and business is no different.
If you insist on being a control freak about your business, unforeseen situations will drive you absolutely crazy. Problems arise every day in business and you have to maintain the mindset to solve them.
Control freaks focus only on the problems. Those who let go of the freak and practice flexibility will be able to find the solutions.
Big picture vs. small picture
Where do you want to be in five years? What do you want to have done by tomorrow? Sometimes that first question is easier to answer than the last one.
When I’m feeling overwhelmed, I put away the large picture frame and prop up the small one. I take a deep breath and grab my notebook. I make a list of everything I need to do and then prioritize it. I try to be realistic about the time I will need to dedicate to each task. I remind myself that I am one person and I can only do so much.
Here is what needs to get done today. I will worry about tomorrow when it gets here.
Be selfish about your time
Clocks are an evil thing. They shake us awake with a shrill of their alarms. They tick, tick, tick away the minutes and hours throughout the day. They continuously remind us of that 5 p.m. deadline looming.
I don’t wear a watch. I haven’t worn one for years. Even though I can easily check the time on my iPhone and am surrounded by glowing numbers displayed on my kitchen appliances, wearing a watch signifies being a slave to the clock to me.
While I try to give myself realistic time estimates, the truth is that a project will take the time it takes. I’m selfish about the time it takes to do quality work. Do I want it done now or do I want it done right?
I’m also selfish about time in a personal manner. It’s important that I take time to eat, walk my dog and do my exercise routine. When I finally close the lid on my computer some time between 6 and 9 p.m. each night, I allow myself 30 minutes of solitude by soaking in the tub and reading a book.
I’ve found that when I’m selfish with my time both professionally and personally, I feel less overwhelmed day to day.
Take that deep breath
Feeling overwhelmed is based on stress and fear; neither of which are beneficial to productivity.
Yes, I feel overwhelmed sometimes. When I do, I walk away from my laptop and put down my iPhone. I take that deep breath and remind myself that I can’t control everything. I pull out my notebook and focus on flexibility. I avoid the glaring clock and take the time I need.
The work will be there when I’m ready to tackle it without feeling overwhelmed.
Shelby, you know your timing is impeccable, right? I need to remember to take time for me. Being a working mom, volunteer and social media junkie, I often forget to focus on me. Thanks for the reminder that it’s ok NOT to be super woman.
Thanks Jess! I think trying to be superwoman only leads to being overwhelmed which leads to stress. We have enough stress in our respective lives. I wrote this for me honestly; to remind myself of what’s important. I always get the work done. I just stopped letting it overwhelm me.
Perfect thing for me to be reading right now! Back in the office after a “forced day off” (no school for my daughter yesterday) with three deadlines hitting in the next two weeks and school meeting tonight. And did I mention the two blogs I should be writing? Yup…being selfish with my time is going to be my new mantra.
Great post!
I like that. We all need to be more selfish with our time. These days, everything seems like such an emergency. Many times, it’s not.
Love this: take that deep breath. I find that we don’t do that enough. It’s true, the work will be there when we’re ready. So, why not do it when we’re ready and in our best position to do so? That’s the time we are able to do our best work any way. Great post, Shel!
Berni, thanks for the comments! Working for yourself is a double-edged sword sometimes. You can work whenever you want to but the work is always staring you in the face too. I don’t have a time of day that I work better. Sometimes it’s 9 a.m. and others it’s 6 p.m. But I do the best creative work when I am pumped up to do it.