“As soon as this busy project is over, I will slow down to recover.”
I’m sure you have already heard or said a variation of that.
The problem: it won’t calm down.
Business is a frantic race and speed is at its center. One project immediately follows another and your essential recovery time to perform better doesn’t happen. If you stay too long in the red, you risk burnout.
You can’t change your environment, but you can change yourself.
How to get through an extremely busy time at work?
Photo by Luis Villasmil on Unsplash
While writing these words, I feel that I am in one of the busiest periods of my professional life. (That’s what I believe😀 )
I’m working with the team to close a financial business year in a crisis period (Covid) and build our strategic plan for the next three years.
“As soon as I finish this, I’ll take time for me,” is the recommendation of my inner voice.
There are a lot of things I don’t know, but this one I do: there will be another busy period; it won’t stop.
So the secret is not to expect that my environment will slow down, but to learn to rest and regenerate during these periods.
Reflecting and writing, which are activities I love, are one way for me to do this. But, more generally, here are the two principles I use:
The two principles
1-Connect to your big picture
This will help you keep things in perspective. This project, which you have to deliver at all costs, is only a small part of your life.
Project yourself in 5 years, 10 years, 30 years. How will this project look then?
Read your life plan. It will remind you of what is essential. It will ensure that you spend time with the people you love, that you progress on your personal projects and that you maintain work-life balance.
2-Block time in advance in your agenda.
Make time to progress on your personal projects.
When you incorporate even short phases, where you continue to make progress on your personal projects (learning a new language, playing an instrument, etc), you increase your energy for all the rest.
The reverse is even more real. When you stop taking time for yourself because of a busy period, you end up feeling empty, meaningless, and this can lead you to the wrong places.
Plan your moving sessions.
Intense periods of work often mean less movement. You’re stuck behind a computer all day and sometimes part of the night.
- Block time to move in advance in your calendar.
- After every 1.5 hours of concentration, give yourself 15 minutes of rest. Take the opportunity to walk outside.
- Lunch break: 30 minutes of running, walking, or going to the pool will recharge your battery fully. You’ll start your afternoon like a new person.
Block time for your “Weekly Review.”
The busiest times mean a lot of inputs to process. That’s part of the stress increase.
“Have I thought about XXX?”
“I need to pass this information to XXX.”
“I have to do XXX.”
The Weekly Review allows you to put everything back in order and ensure that the situation is under control. You may be behind on some tasks, but you have the challenges under control.
You know what needs to be done and when. Everything is scheduled for the following weeks. Your weekly review is a mix of your professional and personal projects. The two are intimately linked. I recommend setting aside one slot a week for this review. I do it on Friday afternoons.
Arriving at the end of this process gives me a feeling of satisfaction and control. I may still have many things to do in the upcoming weeks, but I have clarity on the actual situation. This step allows me to attack my weekend serenely. I know exactly where to start on Monday morning.
Conclusion
The workload and the requests will continue to come to you at a frantic pace. Don’t wait to finish a project and then expect to regenerate yourself. Learn how to regenerate yourself continuously while executing the projects.
You can’t change your environment, but you can always change the way you react.
“The big picture” and learning to “block time” are two principles that will allow you to get through your busiest times with pleasure and success.
Ready to tackle your next busy period?
I love doing yoga to find back this quit energy in me. In stressful times I find it difficult to start the yoga session. But the inner self grubbing is worth wile in the end. After every yoga session the (inner) sun is shinning again. Thanks for this post. I learn a lot. about me and about the people around me.
Thank you Jenny for reading and sharing your experience.
It seems that you found your way with the Yoga. Bravo.
Have a great day.
The link to The Weekly Review is broken
Thank you, RJ. Solved.