Tag: band-aid

Drowning? Make a list!

Once in a while, I get in a place where there is a lot going on and I almost feel like I’m drowning.

I almost feel like I’m drowning.

There’s too much going on for me to even think about my priorities the way I would prefer to and I spend most of my time putting out fires. When I get in a place like this and I’m feeling completely overwhelmed, I have to stop and take time to make a list.

Making a list of what’s in my mind, almost like a brain dump

 

  • What is overwhelming me?
  • What is in the way?
  • What needs to be done?
  • What are the fires?

to do listWrite it all down even if it takes a whole sheet of paper.

Then take the list and pray over it.

Ask God what is most important. What needs doing now? What can use a band-aid (see my post re: band-aids here)? And what should I just plain ignore to move forward in other areas?

Making the list reduces the internal pressure

Even the act of making the list relieves stress because now it’s not swimming in my head, it’s on paper in front of me and I already feel like I’m making progress.

PS. If you try this and you’re still overwhelmed, sleep on it. And pray more the next morning.

Against Band-Aids? A temporary solution may be in order

band-aid

One thing I have the privilege of doing in my role is coaching leaders who are navigating organizational challenges. I sat down a while back and made a list of “one-liners” that commonly come up in those sessions. Here’s one that is often a surprise to those leaders:

“Sometimes a band-aid is the right move.”

Many leaders are facing a long list of challenges and things they feel need work in their organization. And most think that it is necessary to find the strong solution for each and every one of these challenges. But the reality is – you can’t fix everything at once. In fact, you will likely get so overwhelmed that you make little progress anywhere. What should you do?

And this is where the band aid comes in. A band aid is a temporary fix. A short term answer that even the leader knows won’t be the permanent solution.

You can’t fix everything, perfectly, all at the same time

In order to get the best solution for each of your challenges, you may need to band-aid some things while you focus on pieces that can be more thoroughly solved in the near term. Commit to coming back to those things down the road when you can give them the energy necessary. If it helps, make your band-aid list public with your key leaders and invite them to hold you accountable to addressing them AFTER you solve the more pressing challenges.

Be honest about your limitations. Write everything down and then pick the ones you can give your energy to for “now” results. If one of the other projects starts bleeding, “put a band-aid on it” and keep focusing on the areas that you have concluded are more urgent. Long-term success is worth the temporary sacrifice.

worker status links

A resource

Here’s a link to a Harvard Business Review article with similar insights: Ways to Defeat Stress