Some days I feel like Lucy and Ethel at the conveyor belt making chocolates and then the belt speeds up and I look like a chocolate-eating fool.
The day starts off planned and organized with my calendar all filled with productivity and delight. Then...LIFE HAPPENS. Technology stops working properly, there's an accident on the beltway, I get a call from a friend with bad news, or maybe I ate a bad burrito (aye yai yai). Professional Organizers are human too and sometimes we have to face our demons just like the rest of humanity who doesn't make their living directing people to live life clutter-free and without chaos. Luckily we immerse ourselves in productivity books, blogs, and other media at a much higher rate than most people. Therefore we often know how to gain control of the reigns of chaos and work through the crap. Here's some suggestions on how you can too:
- Relax, Relate, Release
(start video at 1:15)
When your schedule suddenly has an upset the first thing we can start to do is panic or get angry. You have approximately 2-4 minutes to freak out but after that get it together. Relax, relate, release! It's no use crying over spilled milk so look at what you can control and do some triage on your day. Make some phone calls to cancel or reschedule, delegate some duties to family, friends, or colleagues, or don't do some things at all. This is where the importance of prioritizing comes into play.
2. Put email off for a while.
Something that can exacerbate a problem rapidly is allowing more distractions or things you can't control enter into your universe. Even if it's for 30 minutes to an hour, take the time to regroup, re-plan and move forward (it might be a good time to go to lunch). If you don't have that kind of time, or you're on the go, stop checking your phone every 5 minutes. If you are chock full of things to do and you're running out of time, your phone could possibly add "chocolates to your conveyor belt". Take a few minutes to catch your breath and if anyone asks, you were in a very important meeting (because you were -- with a VIP client, yourself!).
3. What's the lesson?
One thing that we could do is ask ourselves how could we have handled the situation better? If we did all we could, but life smacked us down then give yourself a pat on the back! But perhaps there are some hidden gems in how to move forward. For instance, I'm not really a morning person and I've learned from experience I need to give myself a FULL hour from the time my eyes open and my feet hit the floor to the time I walk out the door. Sure, there have been occasions where I can get ready in 30 minutes or less but those are the exceptions not the rule and so when I plan my morning, I plan accordingly. I've learned my lesson.
Could some organizational tool or app help? Could it simply be adding an alert to your calendar? Setting a personal rule like no phone while I'm [fill in the blank]? Or getting up 15 minutes earlier or setting out plans the night before? Often times we could avoid a loaded "conveyor belt" with a little bit more thought and although somethings are unavoidable we can do all we can to put our best foot forward. Although there is no "I" in chaos, sometimes it should be. By taking yourself out of the equation, your odds of having to (okay if you haven't watched the first video yet now would be a good time) "stuff chocolates down your shirt" diminish.
Did anything said resonate with you? What do you do when it all feels like too much is going on for you to handle? I'd love to hear from you. Please comment below. If you liked what you read, please don't be stingy and make sure you share on social media. I've made it easy, just go below.
Until my next confession...
Andrea Hancock is a professional organizer, blogger, and speaker that assists and empowers busy professionals and business owners create and maintain organizational systems that work for them personally. Andrea is also founder of Dexterous Organizing, a results-oriented professional organizing company. To receive free productivity and organizing tools, or to venture into a more organized home, office, and life, click "I'm ready to get started!" at www.DexterousOrganizing.com or by phone at (703) 606-8968.
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