Looking for an Effective Way to Overcome Overwhelm?
I frequently find my clients are looking for ways to help order their thinking. So, this month I thought I would share an effective technique that I use with many of them, with you.
When work commitments feel overwhelming, one way to help with the overwhelm is to: Write. It. Down. All of your concerns, get them out onto a piece of paper.
But don't stop there with your list, now overlay the following approach, which originates from Stephen R. Covey's book "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People".
This book is a US Best Seller, and I am a big, big fan. This book was introduced to me when I started my corporate career at the ripe old age of 22. So, let's call it a classic.
So how does the approach work?
From your list, consider which concern would fit into one of these three categories: Concern / Influence / Control.
To be more specific:
a) what concerns you, what you can b) influence, and c) what you can control
The Circle of Concern. The Circle of Influence. And The Circle of Control.
To illustrate what I mean, the below graphic gives an example of the three circles, one inside the other. The largest (grey) is for your concerns, the middle circle (blue) is for the concerns on your list where you can exert influence, and the centre (white) is for the concerns you can control. The font will be a tad small especially if you're reading from a phone, but in a nutshell (and disclaimer, these will be different for everyone depending on their circumstances):-
Concern: we have no control over these concerns (i.e. traffic on the way to the office)- Influence: we can somewhat influence these concerns (i.e. your commitments)- Control: we do have control over these concerns (i.e. how you approach the concern / challenge at hand).
Graphic source: www.clairenewton.co.za
What next?
Now, on your piece of paper, draw your own three circles, and allocate your 'list' to each of the circles. Then, stand back, reflect on what you can see, and come up with action points that relate to each of the areas. Where are you going to take action. Ordering your thinking like this can be so helpful with prioritising and giving yourself some agency. It is also a technique you can use with your team members.
As you'd expect, I go into a lot more depth with this technique with my clients in a coaching session, but you'll get the idea here. And if you'd like to learn more, reach out for a call, I'd love to chat about my 1:1 leadership coaching packages.
And to wrap, a famous quote from Viktor E Frankl, concentration camp survivor, who wrote "Man's Search for Meaning"
