Do you ever have those weeks where your work tasks seem to procreate like bunnies? Piling up no matter how hard you work to Get Shit Done?
No matter how much you do, there’s an unsurmountable amount remaining.
It’s discouraging.
Because you’re doing all the right things: the two-minute rule, planning, prioritizing, time blocking. You’re adjusting your expectations of yourself. You’re making a list of what you’ve DONE, so you have proof of what you accomplished.
And yet… Friday rolls around and your to-do list is taunting you, telling you you’re a failure, you don’t work hard enough, you suck and planning, you’re disorganized. And, you’re letting your clients down and they won’t trust you anymore because you’re unreliable and terrible at your job and maybe you should just quit and work at a restaurant.
You consider working over the weekend, but you’ve promised yourself you wouldn’t. And, you know you need time off. Yet shoving those to-do items into next week doesn’t solve anything; it only guarantees a hellacious repeat of the exact same cycle.
When this happens to me, and if I have the wherewithal, I ask myself these questions: hey Eva, by any chance are you…
- Inventing or imagining urgency?
- Doing the best you can?
- Forgetting Rule #6?
Are you inventing or imagining urgency?
Your integrity – keeping your word, meeting your deadlines, doing what you said you’d do – is important. So important that the word “important” doesn’t describe it.
But how urgent, REALLY, are the tasks on your plate?
Does your client actually need them RIGHT NOW? Or do you want to turn them in now because you think that’s what a responsible professional does?
I find, in myself, my colleagues and my clients, that there’s often perceived urgency where there is no actual urgency. Your client asked for a quote but didn’t’ say when she needs it by. The lack-of-deadline might be your fault for not asking (guilty), but if she didn’t say I need it by THIS FRIDAY, it can wait.
Are you doing the best you can?
If you’re the type of woman with said integrity, the answer is yes.
That’s why I like keeping a list of things I’ve done. Task managers like Asana are amazing for crossing things off, but you’re always left with a dwindling list of tasks that AREN’T crossed off.
Which makes you feel like you suck, even though you’ve already accomplished a ton. Your brain needs to SEE what you’ve done to appreciate it. Give your brain the evidence that you’re doing the best you can.
Are you forgetting Rule #6?
Rule #6 is the only rule, as explained in The Art of Possibility. It goes like this:
“Don’t take yourself so goddamn seriously.”
Ninety-nine percent of the time, nothing will fall apart if you reschedule a few tasks for next week. Your clients aren’t refreshing their email nonstop, waiting to hear from you. They probably aren’t thinking about you at all.
Remember aaaaall the times your clients or former boss or manager didn’t do what she said she would? Didn’t get back to you on time? Maybe it was a little annoying, but it was also fine, right? PROBABLY EVERYTHING IS LESS IMPORTANT AND LESS URGENT THAN YOU THINK IT IS.
Honestly, I kinda love it when I have a call scheduled with someone and they cancel or forget. Because it reminds me… people do this. “Real,” successful grown up adults double-book or get confused or forget. Just like me and you!
You’re in good company.
This post is part of my 100 Blog Posts in 100 Days series. View the rest here.
