The Thoughtful Leaders Blog
Posted by Lisa Kohn on May 10, 2012
 I am feeling it – that feeling of just too much. Too much to do. Too many deadlines. Too many balls in there air. And while I coach clients and offer keynote sessions on managing overwhelm, I’m feeling too caught in my own stuff to know what I know…so here’s a refresher for me (and perhaps for you). And yes, I did pick up The Power of Thoughtful Leadership to help me remember:
Let the little things slide – Right now, at my house, the bed is unmade, the laundry is unfolded, and there are dishes in the sink. Right now, in my office, there’s a pile of magazines that need to be looked through, a pile of papers that need to be filed, and a pile of expenses that need to be entered. Right now, on my to-do list, are many documents to be edited and a full email inbox to go through…and none of that really matters. These are the little things that I normally do to keep my life calmer and more clutter-free, but there simply isn’t time right now and I have to let them slide. And forgive myself for not keeping up with my own standards.
(Continue reading…)
Related Posts:
Leave a Reply
Posted by Robyn McLeod on March 22, 2012
 As you know by now, Thoughtful Leadership is a concept we feel strongly about and believe to be a key differentiator of great leaders. Often when we are in front of an audience and share our teachings about incorporating more thinking, reflection, and “being present” time into daily work and life, we get push back. “There’s no time to think,” we hear. “Just time to do.” In one recent program, a participant offered, “I don’t have time to breathe.” Wow, no time to breathe? Really?
(Continue reading…)
Related Posts:
Leave a Reply
Posted by Robyn McLeod on December 1, 2011
Over the last several weeks the topic of multitasking has come up multiple times for me in discussions, articles, and television shows. Everyone seems to be talking about the implications and effects of trying to do several things at one time – and the impact of technology on this issue. Most experts and opinion-makers on the subject lament the destructive, stress-inducing effects of multitasking. They cite studies that show how productivity is negatively impacted by trying to complete a task while reading email and participating in a conference call.
(Continue reading…)
Related Posts:
Leave a Reply
Posted by Chatsworth Consulting Group on October 24, 2011
“All glory comes from daring to begin.” Eugene F. Ware
Sometimes starting is simply the hardest part. There’s a project you need to tackle, an article (or book) you want to write, a number of phone calls you need to make, a relationship you want to build…but all you can do is sit at your desk, not starting. The task seems too daunting and a million other urgent issues or immediate tasks at hand seem to appear, as if out of nowhere. So you never begin, and you therefore never finish.
(Continue reading…)
Related Posts:
Leave a Reply
Posted by Chatsworth Consulting Group on October 17, 2011
“Time is a created thing. To say ‘I don’t have time,’ is to say ‘I don’t want to.’” Lao Tzu
Time Management seems to be a current theme for most of my coaching sessions. So many of my clients are focused on finding more time, or managing their time better. So often I hear, “I really want to do that, but I just don’t have time for it.”
(Continue reading…)
Related Posts:
Leave a Reply
Posted by Robyn McLeod on July 28, 2011
Talk to anyone in any workplace and it never fails that the topic of endless, pointless meetings comes up. It seems that the number of meetings – whether face-to-face, conference call, or video/web-based – is on the rise. One executive I worked with shared her calendar with me to demonstrate the point. She had a week full of meetings, many of which overlapped. “How can you be in two places at one time?” I asked. “Well, I’ll start out in this meeting and then leave early to catch the last half of that meeting,” she answered. Sounds awfully stressful and unproductive to me!
(Continue reading…)
Related Posts:
Leave a Reply
Posted by Chatsworth Consulting Group on July 12, 2011
That glowing Check Engine light. The piles of junk mail on your dining room table. The friend who calls you weekly to complain about her life. The colleague who interrupts you, even when your door is closed. The manager who can’t seem to find anything good about what you do. The direct report who incessantly misses deadlines (but always with “good reason.”) What do these things have in common? If any or all of them are a part of your life, they are tolerations – those distracting, annoying occurrences that frustrate you and sap your energy.
(Continue reading…)
Related Posts:
Leave a Reply
Posted by Lisa Kohn on May 26, 2011
I have a client who is in overwhelm. How do I know? She personally told me that she has thousands and thousands of unread emails…that she will never get to. And everyone around her has confidentially told me that my client simply promises too much, overcommits, and just plain old “works too hard.” In essence, she “overpromises” and “underdelivers” – which is the exact opposite of what we coach our clients to do. We strongly suggest that they “underpromise” and “overdeliver” – thereby giving themselves some breathing space and wowing those around them with on-time (and even early) delivery of stellar results.
(Continue reading…)
Related Posts:
Leave a Reply
Posted by Lisa Kohn on March 4, 2011
 I was really, really tired. It was mid-day and I could feel the pressure mounting of everything that had to get done and all there was to cross off my to-do list…but I was really, really tired. I swear it felt as if my head was pulsing and my eyes just wanted to drift close.
(Continue reading…)
Related Posts:
Leave a Reply
Posted by Robyn McLeod on December 3, 2010
Yesterday I was nearly bowled over by a man texting as he walked down a busy street in Manhattan. I hope he looked up long enough to stop at the light at the next corner. I was angry, and yet I also had to admit that I too have looked at messages on my Blackberry while I walked. At times it seems impossible not to – in order to keep up with the constant tide of email. Message overwhelm is a problem I hear about from many people. With email, voicemail, and IMs often coming from multiple accounts, trying to keep focused on your current task at hand can be difficult, even if it is walking down the street. The temptation of the new mail pop-up or IM alert can seem too great to ignore.
(Continue reading…)
Related Posts:
Leave a Reply
Older Posts »
|
|
View Robyn McLeod's profile
by delegating and building the team,
hey if they don’t want to play, I will find someone else interested in doing a good job
Delegating is a great way to stop overwhelm and build your team. Thanks for sharing Tim!
Well, we all have been overwhelmed with the task we need to do. But I focus on small things that can be solve easily and keep that momentum. You will never notice that you already finish your without even bothering to check on it.
Thanks Melisa. I also find it helpful to make myself notice the things I do accomplish, as that helps me feel less in overwhelm and I’m likely not to notice them if I don’t actively try to.