Second Cup: Stay afloat when life is overwhelming

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

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:02):
Good morning, This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast.
Today's tick 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 insurmountable amount
of work to catch up on with not enough time
to do it. Do you have any tips or resources

(01:06):
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. Many
of us go through really intense times at work. Sometimes

(01:30):
this is structural think accountants during busy season. Sometimes we've
overcommitted 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. We've all
been there, so I want to share what works for

(01:51):
me when life and my workload seems overwhelming. I do
these five things first. 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 just
ruins me in terms of ability to focus. If I

(02:12):
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 force 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. I generally feel
better after, and when I feel better, life feels more manageable. Second,

(02:39):
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, one that keeps me from doing
stuff that's due Friday before stuff that must be done tomorrow.

(02:59):
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 calm 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 make sure I have enough space to have a
fighting shot at tackling the backlog. For listeners who don't

(03:23):
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 had available for writing the reports. When I've been swamped.
I've talked with my husband and come to an agreement

(03:45):
that he take the kids for say, four hours on
the weekend so I can work. Then I'd 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 to be made up. There's really no reason to
feel guilty about that. Fourth, I resist the urge to

(04:08):
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 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

(04:32):
realize that busy seasons are generally temporary. Tax and auditing
deadlines come and go, books and podcasts get launched into
the world. 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,

(04:54):
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 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,

(05:16):
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, and here's to making the
most of our time. Hey, everybody, I'd love to hear

(05:38):
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. That's b E the
number four then Breakfast Pod. You can also shoot me
an email at Before Breakfast Podcast. At iHeartMedia dot com

(05:59):
that before breakfas us is spelled out with all the letters.
Thanks so much, I look forward to staying in touch.