Feeling Overwhelmed during Covid-19? Want to Get out of Reactive Mode and Get Back in the Driver's Seat?

Are you feeling more impatient today than before Covid-19?

Do you feel less ‘in control’ of your time and energy because of the competition on your calendar like homeschooling children, providing resources to your colleagues, responding to your leadership team, moving your own projects forward in a productive way and still being prepared for important discussions and zoom meetings?

While many of us who have no children at home have enjoyed the simplicity of sheltering in place, we do understand some of the challenges and the complexities for most people over the past two months.

Here are a few, fundamental time management habits, described in my e-book, the Respond, Not Reactive Playbook, available on Amazon that could give you some immediate relief.

The first Habit is to arrive early. Many of us are not getting into a vehicle and driving to meetings these days. However, we still need three to fifteen minutes to wrap up our last meeting and prepare for our next discussion. This allows you to note what people have promised you from your earlier meeting or what you’ve promised others in that meeting.

In that next minute or two, try to think about the upcoming meeting.

• What is the purpose of the meeting?
• What outcomes do you need to come out of this meeting?
• Who else will be in this meeting?
• Are you the subject matter expert in the meeting so you need to be prepared brief the decision-maker or answer their questions? 
• Or are you the decision-maker?
• Or are you part of a team that will make a final decision?

If you answer just a few questions, your investment of time for this meeting will be exponentially greater. 

Even if you are not a key person involved in this meeting, you’ll add great value by simply asking at the beginning of the meeting “is it ok if I share my understanding of the purpose of this meeting?” 

The next Habit is to do a ‘brain dump’ each day – preferably in the morning and at the end of your workday. If you already prepare a to-do list, it is likely that you’ll include most of your work commitments. However, when you don’t write down your personal, community, and family tasks and commitments, you put yourself at risk for feeling overwhelmed and dropping balls.   This will impact your confidence and clarity about what's most imporant.

If you give yourself time to think strategically about your to-do list and add every tiny task or commitment you will feel a sense of optimism and accomplishment. 

Even if you have 10,000 to-dos on your brain dump, you will feel less overwhelmed and feel more confident.

To learn about the next four-Habits that will create whitespace on your calendar, even in the midst of Covid-19 and the remaining three-Habits related to Strategic Think Time, check out the Respond, Not React Playbook on Amazon.

About Katharine Halpin

Katharine Halpin left her CPA career in 1995 to focus on the people aspects of corporate growth. She had been so frustrated that most leaders were focused exclusively on the legal and financial aspects of corporate growth. As important as those factors are, the people aspects are far more important.

In the past 25-years, Katharine has developed The Halpin Method that includes:

        Getting the Right People, with the Right Strengths, in the Right Roles

        Narrowing the Corporate Focus to the Necessary Few

        Creating Environments where Everyone Steps Up and Speaks Up

Halpin clients have typically grown their shareholder value, profits and revenue by 2-3x. 

Today The Halpin Companies offers a Readiness Assessment to identify all the “Growth Gaps”TM that must be prioritized and closed in 60-90 days in order to accelerate corporate growth post Covid-19. 

To learn more about The Halpin Method, reach out to Katharine at her mobile 602-617-3913 or via email at [email protected] or visit our website at www.HalpinCompany.com