By Elena Lipson
The beginning of 2018 was a whirlwind for me. By March, I had visited and worked in Palm Springs, Los Angeles, New York, Miami, and San Francisco. During this time, my business and personal life were INSANE! You know what they say, when it rains, it pours.
I’ve had experience at the intersection of Busy + Overwhelmed before though, and this time, I was able to thrive.
Specifically:
- In my consulting business, I expanded contracts with 2 existing clients and closed a new client
- In my coaching business, I started working with 5 new, amazing women
- I facilitated 5 workshops and boot camps at various conferences and meetings and have a 6th one scheduled for next week
- I held a successful networking event for my badass ladies in DC
- I celebrated a number of occasions with family and friends, including my Dad’s birthday, Passover and throwing my best friend a bridal shower
- I even managed to exercise and eat right and I lost 6 lbs!
I’m not telling you this to brag (although I AM proud of myself). I’m sharing this because there have been times in the past where I’ve been this busy and melted down.
There have been times where I’ve been so overwhelmed by deadlines, obligations, meetings and requests for my time that I stood in the way of my own success.
But not anymore.
You can also get results in times of extreme “busyness” with these 4 practices:
- Fiercely Protect Your Time – Figure out what you need to get done and build boundaries to ensure you can execute without distraction. I have a checklist at the start of each week broken down by day and have time blocks in my calendar dedicated to exercise, coaching calls, consulting client work, creative time and personal time.
- Say “No.” A Lot – Get comfortable saying “no.” When something comes up that doesn’t fit into my schedule or near-term strategic objectives, I say “no.” I don’t re-arrange my already packed schedule and try to fit it in. I also don’t shut the door on the opportunity entirely; you may be surprised how much people appreciate your candor when you explain why you are saying “no” or need to postpone something.
- Make Self-Care An Even Higher Priority – When you’re operating at breakneck speed, it’s even more important to take care of yourself. For me, this looks like building in time to exercise and sleep, keeping healthy food at home, seeing family and friends, getting a massage and sometimes just sitting on the couch and doing nothing.
- Re-Prioritize What Must Get Done – In times of extreme “busyness”, business as usual is not always the answer. Re-assess what you absolutely must do to stay afloat and deliver on your commitments. Everything else can wait.
[Related: Healthy Work Life: Take Care of Yours]
Originally published at www.ellevatenetwork.com.
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