Stay afloat when life is overwhelming

A listener asks how to cope with too much work and too little time.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:01):
Good morning, This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast.
Today's tip is about how to stay afloat when life
is overwhelming. I recently got a letter from a listener
named Katie. She's a psychologist who works in private practice.
She writes that she's realized she has a pretty intense

(00:22):
tendency to overschedule. She's usually good about getting all the
things on her list done, but when life happens, such
as our entire family getting the flu, something that usually
can work just does not. I'm in that exact situation
right now, with about twenty one outstanding reports to write
and a scheduled ten hours of writing time before I

(00:44):
start billing again next week. The math doesn't work there. Basically,
she writes, I'm really trying to manage my time better
and set firmer boundaries, but Katie from two months ago
definitely did not. So I'm facing a seemingly insurmount norble
amount of work to catch up on with not enough
time to do it. Do you have any tips or

(01:05):
resources for catching up after a time management slip up
on the excessively busy weeks? What are the best ways
to prioritize tasks that all need to be done now
and somehow manage life, parenting, and self care. Also, I'm
sure a lot of people can relate to Katie's situation.

(01:26):
Many of us go through really intense times at work.
Sometimes this is structural think accountants during busy season. Sometimes
we've over committed in the past, and now we're stuck
with these obligations. When something like illness or car trouble strikes,
life can feel like a frantic negotiation with the clock.

(01:47):
We've all been there, so I want to share what
works for me when life and my workload seems overwhelming.
I do these five things. First. I prioritize sleep and exercise.
I know this might sound like a luxury if you're swamped,
but I have found that skimping on either of these

(02:09):
just ruins me in terms of ability to focus. If
I try to stay up until one am to get
something done, it will take me three hours to do
what would have taken me one hour at eight am
after a full night's sleep, So I forced myself to
shut it down. I aim to be in my bed
for at least seven hours. I also make time to
run for at least twenty to thirty minutes each day.

(02:31):
I generally feel better after, and when I feel better,
life feels more manageable. Second, I make sure I know
exactly what is on my plate. Unknown stuff is scarier
than known stuff, So I make a list of what
I have going on and when that stuff needs to
be done. That way, I can make a wise plan,

(02:53):
one that keeps me from doing stuff that's due Friday
before stuff that must be done tomorrow. I can also
judge what must be done by me and what can
be passed a law. I can figure out what doesn't
need to be done at all, or at least not
before things calmed down. If I've lived with that broken
bench in my backyard for a year, I can live
with it for a few more months too. Third, I

(03:17):
make sure I have enough space to have a fighting
shot at tackling the backlog. For listeners who don't have
family obligations, this is probably straightforward. You just work longer
hours or on the weekend. But if you need to
make a six pm daycare pickup every day, that's a
lot harder. For our listener, Katie, I asked if there
was any time beyond the ten hours she thought she

(03:38):
had available for writing the reports when I've been swamped.
I've talked with my husband and come to an agreement
that he take the kids for four hours on the
weekend so I can work. Then I then cover for
him at some other point. Katie likewise told me that
she worked out a deal with her family. As I
pointed out, she spent a lot of time with her
kids when they were sick, so sometimes this time needs

(04:01):
to be made up. There's really no reason to feel
guilty about that. Fourth, I resist the urge to get
on top of email. First. It feels really productive to
delete and answer emails, but email expands to fill all
available space. I'm usually better off tackling the big things

(04:22):
on the list first and then getting to the emails
later during lower energy times than if I do this
the other way around. Finally, it also helps to realize
that busy seasons are generally temporary. Tax and auditing deadlines
come and go, books and podcasts get launched into the world.

(04:43):
That conference you're planning happens, and then it's over. Recognizing
this can be helpful for understanding that there will be
more time for things like getting together with friends, reading books,
or catching up on your favorite shows later or at
least between busy times if you're careful with scheduling. Our listener, Katie,
was learning to be more careful to leave open space

(05:05):
in her current schedule so future family illnesses could be
taken in stride. The good news is that if you
make wise time choices now going forward, things will get better.
That little bit of hope can definitely help us stay
afloat when life seems overwhelming. This is Laura. Thanks for listening,

(05:27):
and here's to making the most of our time. Hey, everybody,
I'd love to hear from you. You can send me
your tips, your questions, or anything else. Just connect with
me on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram at Before Breakfast pod

(05:48):
that's b E the number four, then Breakfast p o D.
You can also shoot me an email at Before Breakfast
Podcasts at iHeart media dot com. That before breakfas is
spelled out with all the letters. Thanks so much. Should
I look forward to staying in touch