Ever have one of those days where things didn’t turn out quite how you’d planned? One where you started out the day with high hopes and then something happens during the day only to throw you off your path? Maybe the school called and says your child is sick so you need to drop everything and pick him or her up right away? Or maybe you hit a pothole on the way to work and have a flat tire. Now you’re late for work, stressed and you’re going to have a hard time meeting the deadline for a project. The immediate reaction is this overwhelming feeling of anxiousness and anxiety. Lot of stress just envelopes you doesn’t it? I know it well, that lovely feeling that’s tremendously familiar. Now I know you already know all of this but I’ve got to remind you that it’s really important to not let the stress pull you down. It’s okay to acknowledge it but not let it take over your body. I’m not perfect but I’ve gotten much better about how I handle stressful situations so let me tell you how I do it.
- Acknowledge It. Okay, what’s happened wasn’t in the plans for the day. It’s not pleasant but if you or no one else was hurt then just acknowledge what happened and move on. Sure it’s an inconvenience but coming to grips with what to do next is what needs to be done. It’s time to get rational and think clearly on what you have to do next.
- Don’t Panic. You probably feel like you’re in a panic right now because you have a list of things you’re supposed to be doing. What ever will happen if I don’t do everything I’m supposed to be doing today? Let me ask you this, is your list maybe a little too long? Could it be possible that maybe there are some things on your list that don’t have to get done today? This might be the perfect excuse you were looking for to only have to do the essentials.
- Do Urgent 1st. You’re behind the 8 ball now and feeling stressed about it. After settling the situation move on to what is most important first. You may have lost a little time but the interesting thing that happens is sometimes this is to your advantage. Now you’re more motivated to get whatever you have to do done and nothing is going to get in your way. Tackle the most pressing project and you’ll feel the stress subside immediately.
- Single Task. This is hard but when you’re suddenly short on time the last thing you’re going to want to do is waste your time. Most people assume that you need to multi task: get more done faster. The problem with that is that you do several things not nearly as well as you’d do one one thing really well. Think clearly, be goal oriented and tackle remember that if you tackled the most urgent project first, through completion then you’re going to know it was done well and there won’t be any repercussions.
The next time something happens that throws off your day maybe you should also think of it as a sign. Maybe you just needed a day to slow down and get focused.
Ever have one of those days where everything goes wrong and you just weren’t planning for any of it?
