In the 20 years I have been serving as an Executive and Team Coach, the topic of client overwhelm has been well, overwhelming!
The human tendency of adding more to our already over-full plate of busy-ness is both seductive and unhealthy. And yet, jamming the brakes on the freight train of overwhelm is frequently overlooked.
Our typical response to overwhelm is mired in the belief that we should work even harder and put in more hours of time ….. instead of pushing the pause button and carefully considering what is not working and how to fix it.
“ … the complexity of our world has surpassed our complexity of mind or our ability to handle that level of complexity and be effective.”
When we consider the range of strategies offered in the accompanying article, the go-to starting point is identifying and challenging our fundamental operating assumption. For example, assumptions like “no one else can do this except me” or “there is no one else to do this job“ is where we need to give ourselves a big and vigorous shake.
Taking yourself out of the equation for a moment and being deliberately provocative with your own operating assumption, is the starting point for dealing with overwhelm. Ask yourself “What am I assuming about myself by working on this task?” and “Who else could learn this task ?” Or how about, “What if I let go of pursuing 100% perfection?”
With discipline, we have the means to at least temporarily take us outside of being in overwhelm and more fully appreciating that good is more than good enough.
https://hbr.org/2019/10/how-to-deal-with-constantly-feeling-overwhelmed
Colin
Please pass this article along to others that will be interested in this or other leadership related information
Added resources;
https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20180219-toxic-perfectionism-is-on-the-rise
https://www.fastcompany.com/3029889/4-reasons-you-shouldnt-try-to-do-everything-yourself
Please pass this article along to others that will be interested in this or other leadership related information
Added resources;
https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20180219-toxic-perfectionism-is-on-the-rise
https://www.fastcompany.com/3029889/4-reasons-you-shouldnt-try-to-do-everything-yourself