WEBVTT - Stay afloat when life is overwhelming

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<v Speaker 1>Good morning, This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast.

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<v Speaker 1>Today's tip is about how to stay afloat when life

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<v Speaker 1>is overwhelming. I recently got a letter from a listener

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<v Speaker 1>named Katie. She's a psychologist who works in private practice.

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<v Speaker 1>She writes that she's realized she has a pretty intense

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<v Speaker 1>tendency to overschedule. She's usually good about getting all the

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<v Speaker 1>things on her list done, but when life happens, such

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<v Speaker 1>as our entire family getting the flu, something that usually

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<v Speaker 1>can work just does not. I'm in that exact situation

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<v Speaker 1>right now, with about twenty one outstanding reports to write

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<v Speaker 1>and a scheduled ten hours of writing time before I

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<v Speaker 1>start billing again next week. The math doesn't work there. Basically,

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<v Speaker 1>she writes, I'm really trying to manage my time better

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<v Speaker 1>and set firmer boundaries, but Katie from two months ago

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<v Speaker 1>definitely did not. So I'm facing a seemingly insurmount norble

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<v Speaker 1>amount of work to catch up on with not enough

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<v Speaker 1>time to do it. Do you have any tips or

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<v Speaker 1>resources for catching up after a time management slip up

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<v Speaker 1>on the excessively busy weeks? What are the best ways

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<v Speaker 1>to prioritize tasks that all need to be done now

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<v Speaker 1>and somehow manage life, parenting, and self care. Also, I'm

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<v Speaker 1>sure a lot of people can relate to Katie's situation.

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<v Speaker 1>Many of us go through really intense times at work.

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<v Speaker 1>Sometimes this is structural think accountants during busy season. Sometimes

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<v Speaker 1>we've over committed in the past, and now we're stuck

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<v Speaker 1>with these obligations. When something like illness or car trouble strikes,

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<v Speaker 1>life can feel like a frantic negotiation with the clock.

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<v Speaker 1>We've all been there, so I want to share what

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<v Speaker 1>works for me when life and my workload seems overwhelming.

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<v Speaker 1>I do these five things. First. I prioritize sleep and exercise.

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<v Speaker 1>I know this might sound like a luxury if you're swamped,

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<v Speaker 1>but I have found that skimping on either of these

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<v Speaker 1>just ruins me in terms of ability to focus. If

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<v Speaker 1>I try to stay up until one am to get

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<v Speaker 1>something done, it will take me three hours to do

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<v Speaker 1>what would have taken me one hour at eight am

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<v Speaker 1>after a full night's sleep, So I forced myself to

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<v Speaker 1>shut it down. I aim to be in my bed

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<v Speaker 1>for at least seven hours. I also make time to

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<v Speaker 1>run for at least twenty to thirty minutes each day.

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<v Speaker 1>I generally feel better after, and when I feel better,

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<v Speaker 1>life feels more manageable. Second, I make sure I know

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<v Speaker 1>exactly what is on my plate. Unknown stuff is scarier

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<v Speaker 1>than known stuff, So I make a list of what

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<v Speaker 1>I have going on and when that stuff needs to

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<v Speaker 1>be done. That way, I can make a wise plan,

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<v Speaker 1>one that keeps me from doing stuff that's due Friday

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<v Speaker 1>before stuff that must be done tomorrow. I can also

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<v Speaker 1>judge what must be done by me and what can

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<v Speaker 1>be passed a law. I can figure out what doesn't

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<v Speaker 1>need to be done at all, or at least not

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<v Speaker 1>before things calmed down. If I've lived with that broken

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<v Speaker 1>bench in my backyard for a year, I can live

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<v Speaker 1>with it for a few more months too. Third, I

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<v Speaker 1>make sure I have enough space to have a fighting

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<v Speaker 1>shot at tackling the backlog. For listeners who don't have

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<v Speaker 1>family obligations, this is probably straightforward. You just work longer

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<v Speaker 1>hours or on the weekend. But if you need to

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<v Speaker 1>make a six pm daycare pickup every day, that's a

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<v Speaker 1>lot harder. For our listener, Katie, I asked if there

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<v Speaker 1>was any time beyond the ten hours she thought she

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<v Speaker 1>had available for writing the reports when I've been swamped.

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<v Speaker 1>I've talked with my husband and come to an agreement

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<v Speaker 1>that he take the kids for four hours on the

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<v Speaker 1>weekend so I can work. Then I then cover for

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<v Speaker 1>him at some other point. Katie likewise told me that

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<v Speaker 1>she worked out a deal with her family. As I

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<v Speaker 1>pointed out, she spent a lot of time with her

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<v Speaker 1>kids when they were sick, so sometimes this time needs

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<v Speaker 1>to be made up. There's really no reason to feel

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<v Speaker 1>guilty about that. Fourth, I resist the urge to get

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<v Speaker 1>on top of email. First. It feels really productive to

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<v Speaker 1>delete and answer emails, but email expands to fill all

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<v Speaker 1>available space. I'm usually better off tackling the big things

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<v Speaker 1>on the list first and then getting to the emails

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<v Speaker 1>later during lower energy times than if I do this

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<v Speaker 1>the other way around. Finally, it also helps to realize

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<v Speaker 1>that busy seasons are generally temporary. Tax and auditing deadlines

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<v Speaker 1>come and go, books and podcasts get launched into the world.

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<v Speaker 1>That conference you're planning happens, and then it's over. Recognizing

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<v Speaker 1>this can be helpful for understanding that there will be

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<v Speaker 1>more time for things like getting together with friends, reading books,

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<v Speaker 1>or catching up on your favorite shows later or at

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<v Speaker 1>least between busy times if you're careful with scheduling. Our listener, Katie,

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<v Speaker 1>was learning to be more careful to leave open space

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<v Speaker 1>in her current schedule so future family illnesses could be

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<v Speaker 1>taken in stride. The good news is that if you

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<v Speaker 1>make wise time choices now going forward, things will get better.

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<v Speaker 1>That little bit of hope can definitely help us stay

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<v Speaker 1>afloat when life seems overwhelming. This is Laura. Thanks for listening,

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<v Speaker 1>and here's to making the most of our time. Hey, everybody,

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<v Speaker 1>I'd love to hear from you. You can send me

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<v Speaker 1>your tips, your questions, or anything else. Just connect with

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<v Speaker 1>me on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram at Before Breakfast pod

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<v Speaker 1>that's b E the number four, then Breakfast p o D.

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<v Speaker 1>You can also shoot me an email at Before Breakfast

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<v Speaker 1>Podcasts at iHeart media dot com. That before breakfas is

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<v Speaker 1>spelled out with all the letters. Thanks so much. Should

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<v Speaker 1>I look forward to staying in touch