Strategies To Overcome Overload & Overwhelm
There is a cost for always being ‘on’ and available for business, for not knowing how to say “No” and for getting addicted to busyness. It is not an immediate cost. If the pain followed the action quickly, like putting your hand on a hot stovetop, you would respond accordingly. The signs are more subtle.
My mother is an avid gardener and has taught me to watch out for early signs: little black spots on leaves; leaves going yellow or starting to curl; white dots. All of these things are easy to ignore because the plant looks healthy for the most part. As any gardener will tell you, if you ignore early signs the whole plant can, and usually will, be damaged or destroyed.
Are you self aware enough to notice the early warning signs that your body gives you when you are beginning to get to a point of overload or overwhelm. The overload normally comes first. As you take on more and more ‘stuff’ it gets harder to say no and your outlook can become myopic. This reduces your ability to think creatively. You can fail to see what options are available for you to tackle the work you have to do and all this leads to feeling swamped and overwhelmed. Early warning signs can include things like not sleeping as well as you usually do, getting more irritable or snappy with those around you, particularly those you love, finding that you are sacrificing things you enjoy for the things you feel have to get done, feeling resentful about doing even small tasks, feeling unappreciated and unseen for all the work you are doing. One of the acronyms I like to use is “HALTS” - it is useful for helping you identify the early warning signals and encourages you to be aware of your current state. If you are Hungry, Angry, Lonely, Tired or Stressed it's not the best version of you. (Remember the Snickers advert said you're not you if you're hungry?) When working in a state of busyness the effect can feel like a bee trying to fly through a window pane - expending a lot of effort but not achieving very much that is meaningful and useful.
One of the key strategies used can initially seem counterintuitive. You need to stop (remember that HALTS acronym?). Stopping allows you the opportunity to observe what's going on and to orient yourself with what is actually important. It can be useful to write up a list of all that you have to get done and then prioritise what on that list is actually a necessity. Have a list of questions to ask yourself to ensure you have the right perspective. I used to have these two questions on my desk: “Is this the best use of my time right now? Could anybody else do this task to a good enough level?” Other questions I have seen clients use for themselves and their team are, “Do you have to do everything yourself or is somebody else able to do it to a good enough standard? Are you working in the area where you add the most value? What would be the most helpful action to take now? (I like to use the acronym WIN to remind myself to ask “What’s important now?”). Another strategy is to have boundaries and set clear expectations - “A crisis on your behalf does not constitute an emergency on my behalf” is a sticker I have seen in many workplaces.
Often the pushback from the above strategies is that people need to work as a team. While this is true it is important to remember that you need to bring your best self and in a crisis you have to ensure “your oxygen mask” is on first before you are in a position to help others.
