Yikes! It feels like a Fire Hose Again! Typical Day?

My wonderful client Laurie is a senior level project manager with a major construction company in the Chicago area. She has been working for the same company , virtually doing this work for almost 15 years now. She finds herself lately sometimes working until 2 or 3AM ( seriously) to attempt to keep up in one way , shape or form to stay on top of the tsunami. Her days feel like the fire hose aimed directly at her gains more velocity . Here is an email I got from her earlier this week:

I am leaving work. I spent 4 hours in meetings today and 8-9 hours mostly working on two large change orders, two budget updates - all for the same big project.....one of five huge ones going on at the moment. I hate to say it but after being in the office for 15 hours ( email arrived at 11PM) I don't feel like I accomplished much. Pretty insane....huh?

I am going to have to postpone a meeting I have scheduled on Thursday that is also important because I simply have to get two more of the big deliverables done.

I have been tired all week. I can't work another 13 hour day - at least this week.

And on and on it goes. The sad truth is that so many of us can identify with Laurie these days.

Where are the answers? What can we do about it?

We discovered that some of this feels like an addiction to her inasmuch as a sense of accomplishment is such a driver that she will risk her very health for it. She also recognizes that she doesn't have systems in place which impacts how inefficiently she works sometimes. This is something she wants to address immediately and sees the benefit of taking the time to create simple systems.

One of the first things we did was to clear away a space on her desk where her calendar lives. Just taking the action and clearing off that space gave her a great sense of comfort and hope. She knows that she will have to do it routinely and that is OK with her because she now truly has experienced the value.

She also is embracing the idea of "slowing down to go faster" ( are you nuts?????) which is enabling her to actually get more done by pausing to think and think through before impulsively just taking action after action.

It all starts with the willingness to recognize that this type of work regimen- without boundaries- is not sustainable and that her very health and sanity are at risk and she is the only one who can make the necessary changes. Fortunately for Laurie, she does.

Pause – You Really Can Take A Moment And Breathe… In Fact, You Must!

No matter what issues busy and distracted executives are facing, from office interruptions and procrastination, to an overwhelming to-do list or needing to plan a multiphase project, pausing is always the first step. Pause gives us the opportunity to literally stop and think, to halt the frenzy and regain control before impulsively taking action. Pause is a chance to capture on paper the bazillion things we know we “have to” do: dangling loose ends, floating ideas that can immobilize us if we don’t know where to start, and dreams we’d like to accomplish at some point. The key to efficiency is to take hold of one knot in a seemingly tangled skein of yarn that is our workload on any given day and begin to unravel it. I always use a wonderful tool that I call a brain dump. It’s as useful a technique in planning a project as in confronting chaos and overwhelm.

A brain dump is a low-tech solution to a high tech problem that works every time: grabbing a pad and pen, and in no particular order, writing down everything that needs to be done. The point is to synthesize information, simplifying and demystifying whatever’s on our mind, so we’re able to focus on the tasks at hand. Capturing everything cleanly on paper and in one place establishes a consolidated central command post. The brain dump helps us to answer the question: “What is the first thing I have to do right now?” The act of pausing and taking inventory slows us down enough to begin to think, and to logically think it through.

In essence, this is a big STOP sign. Think about how we are running around all the time, we're impulsive, we're overwhelmed. We're also busy and get a false sense of satisfaction and confidence because we are accomplishing something-anything. Just because we are in action. Trouble however, is we're very often not purposeful or mindful of what we are doing and therefore not always doing the things that need to get done.

Pausing in the middle of all this activity and giving ourselves time to slow down, breathe and collect our thoughts will allow us to access the part of our brains that can plan and prioritize. This will allow us to think more clearly, stop procrastinating, address that sense of being overwhelmed and make good decisions all around.

This works....it really does. In fact it is one of the strategies the majority of my clients have come to rely on for getting things done.

Have a productive day!

Coach Nancy

What Might True ADHD look like at work?

I want to tell you a story about someone named John. John has an impressive résumé. He graduated from Michigan in 2002 and finished business school at Wharton in 2005. Since then, he’s worked in two different divisions of a Fortune 500 company and enjoyed a modicum of success.

Everyone agrees: the guy is super smart, experienced, business-savvy and brings loads of energy and enthusiasm to the table. But somehow, John is just not living up to his potential.  In fact, if John doesn’t get his act together and start producing better results, you may have to think about letting him go. The problems are increasing and you are getting really frustrated.

John makes a lot of promises but frequently doesn’t follow through. He is disorganized and seems overwhelmed - missing deadlines and arriving late for important meetings. He always has an excuse for his behavior but continues to be unprepared.

His manager can’t figure out what the problem is. After all, John should be a rising star – he has tremendous potential. Everyone wants him to succeed, but there is a gap between expectations and what John has – or hasn’t – been delivering.

Maybe you know someone like John. You may have even had someone just like him working for you. If so, you know how frustrating it is when someone who seems so capable does not deliver consistently and performs below what you believe they are capable of.

It is costly to have an underperforming employee – especially as companies are relying on fewer people to accomplish more. You have already invested in individuals such as John and you don’t want to lose the return.

It is possible that underneath John’s difficulties lies a condition that is largely unrecognized in Corporate America today and wreaking havoc in workplaces everywhere – Adult ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder). Millions of adults may never reach their potential even though they are passionate and intelligent because they are unknowingly dealing with this. In addition to lost potential, unexplained absences, difficulty carrying out assigned tasks, missed deadlines, or out of control schedules, employees with Adult ADHD are costing companies billions. A recent Harvard study reported in BusinessWeek shows that the economic losses due to ADHD are little short of staggering: $77 billion annually.

Targeted, specialized actions designed to tackle the specific issues related to ADHD do exist. Additionally, the problems need not (and SHOULD NOT) be labeled or seen as a "diagnosis." By identifying the correct underlying issue, the recommended actions are more likely to be effective. What John really needs is support and skills necessary for:

• Efficient project management/day to day planning (i.e. tracking/follow up) • Effective execution • Discipline and focus • Prioritizing and organizing an overwhelming workload • Self-management • Sound decision making • Managing tasks and information overload

Hope this gives you a little insight into some of the behaviors that are ever present. The great news is that there are solutions for all! It is just a matter of getting educated. The worst part of ADD is not knowing you have it.

Have a productive day!

Coach Nancy

How to Actually Help an Employee Who is Clearly Distracted and Overwhelmed

Create goals with them that are realistic, attainable and manageable Why? Goals will ease frustration and empower success

Don’t overwhelm them with too many great ideas and requests at every meeting

Why?They won't be intimidated or over stimulated and probably will be able to follow through more easily

Create structure and ongoing accountability.

Why? Easier to stay on track and deliver results

Work in small spurts rather than long hauls

Why?It will help them to stay much more focused on one goal at a time

Introduce the concept of getting help when and where it is needed

Why?They won’t be drained and can use their strengths proactively

Suggest they always have a pad, lots of blank folders and pens around

Why?It minimizes organizational frustration

Help them to identify their strengths that may be buried and focus on jobs that maximize these strengths (once you have identified them accurately)

Why?Greater sense of mastery and accomplishment

Encourage them to communicate with you and create a safe environment to do so

Why? The more they do this, the better it will be for both of you

Treat them with respect and understanding

Why?They are probably accustomed to being criticized and feeling diminished already

Maintain a sense of humor

Why?Why not?

Have a productive day!

Tips to Manage Time Over Time: ADD or Not!

Many of my clients are of the, what I like to call "culturally induced variety" meaning that they don't have a diagnosis and yet behaviorally, deal day in and day out with the same challenges as those who do. What we are all after are simple ways to manage our time and plan more effortlessly to reduce stress and increase our effectiveness. In other words, feel more in control because we know how to tackle everything that has to get done.

Here are a few of my favorite tips:

• STOP/THINK/THINK THROUGH what you need to do every single day until it becomes a habit

• NEVER/EVER leave home without your planner/calendar. Look at it all day every day. It will become your best friend and greatest source of comfort.

• Scheduling time and tasks is like a giant puzzle. Every task has a finite amount of time it will take and must have a specific time allocated to completing it.

• Always reschedule in real time. Don't just let things disappear into the black hole of "later".

• Don't forget the 25% X factor! Tasks usually ( always) take at least 25% longer than you think they will.

Being productive feels great!

Coach Nancy