Saying ‘no’ to new demands is one way to reduce the pressure and stalling for time by saying ‘let me think about it’ is another.
But is that really enough? How do you decide when to say ‘yes’ and when to say ‘no’?
Here’s one way I’ve found that works.
Focus
Remember you have a job to do, remind yourself of your specific responsibilities and expected outcomes.
Zoom out
Look at your big picture, consider what your role is and what you need to achieve.
Zoom in
Now think about all the things you have to do, do they all fit in with the big picture? Is it all your responsibility? Do you need to pass some of it sideways or delegate it?
If you decide you need to take on something new, zoom out again; what doesn’t fit in your big picture that you are doing, at the moment? Pass that on or delegate it.
Do this for long enough and you’ll be more streamlined and you’ll have a manageable workload and have managed expectations of those above and below you.
I love the zooming process and I use it when I coach. It can reveal all sorts of useful things – maybe you aren’t totally clear of your role, maybe your direct reports or your manager are not clear, maybe your feelings of overwhelm are due to someone else not pulling their weight and you hadn’t realised.
It can be difficult to do the zooming process alone, as you automatically fall into old ways of thinking; I find that my clients are able to break out of old habits and access new possibilities when we work together. This makes them more effective and relieves that feeling of overwhelm quickly and efficiently.
If this resonates with you and you think I might be able to help you or someone you know to shrug off their feelings of being snowed under or overwhelmed, get in touch, or use the booking page to make an appointment with me to talk about it.
photo by Element 5 Digital from Pexels