Simon Tyler

Most of the people I coach, me included, at some time experience overwhelm.  Do you?

There is a lot going on. Even if your company isn’t going through merger, acquisition or other significant strategic change, the chances are everything has become labelled urgent. There are more meetings scheduled that you simply have to attend. There is more information being created that you simply have to absorb. Projects are multiplying. Departments and responsibilities are being merged.

This is where overwhelm becomes overload, and ultimately, over!

A former coaching client asked me to help her adjust her attitude to the overwhelm she is currently experiencing. She was ready to take a different approach to the pointless and ineffective ‘work longer’ approach. The dictionary definition provoked my thinking.

1. Overwhelm is ‘to be submerged’
Being submerged means oxygen can be restricted. You need to breathe. When I experience overwhelm it has led to me shortening my breath, tightening my chest, hunching over the desk and keyboard. I am reducing the flow of air. This seriously changes your physiology and reduces your productivity, your ability to think creatively and freely.

When submerged install breathing apparatus. Set an alarm or some kind of reminder to pause every 15 minutes and take 3 to 5 deep inhalations and slow exhalations (see previous blog post Pause). You WILL notice the difference.

Also consider installing a periscope – when submerged the immediate environment is all you can see, and even then it may be obscured. A periscope gives instant height and long sight.  This will be a regular stop, change your position (stand up), go talk to someone, and take 2 minutes to consider where you are, what you’ve achieved in the day so far and what is now most important.

2. Overwhelm is ‘to be weighed down’
When new weights are added to a system or a person without any change, there is a displacement of energy, or strain. This needs to go somewhere and can manifest itself, ironically, as a ‘snap’.  The weight (or overwhelm items) are still there but no longer supported and have become scattered.  People then go at the scattered pile of tasks in a haphazard way, making no impression on the original volume.

In corporate land there are a number of ways I have been able to help individuals and teams increase their capacity without extending (and sometimes even reducing) the hours they work. It takes guts to pause, step back and simplify the situation. Want to talk to me about simplifying your team?

To support more weight a bar needs to be strengthened. We’re going beyond the obvious needs for delegation, prioritising and elimination here. This means taking some personal care actions, rest, refuelling and relaxation, fitness development. Aligning what needs to be done with those who are naturally more efficient at doing those things. Keep reading and I’ll keep sending you ideas (for starters have a look at my recent blog entry on Mastering email).

In the next newsletter I will talk specifically about the 4 Productivity Drains and 4 ways to fix them.

It’s simple to be effective; it’s very difficult to be simple.
Good luck and keep me informed

Simon