Mayhem!

It's been a while since I've had the headspace and time to post on LinkedIn—something I normally do a lot. May and June have been hyper-busy and involved a lot (see the picture above for some photographic evidence).

It got me thinking about the work style of 2024, which is often described as "busy," "busier," and certainly demanding. It is an intricate balance of graft, ingenuity, vigour, and application.

It also feels like an emotional mix of feats, endeavours, and focus. It's also subject to some bumpy and challenging moments and let-downs.

Lately, I've experienced all of this. And some bumpy moments. I've had to rely on others' ingenuity and focus, as well as their kindness and understanding. Because in the midst of all that doing, I've let people down. Not intentionally, but more about being over-committed, imbalanced, and tied up in knots.

LinkedIn (and other social media platforms) tend to be the places where we celebrate the successes, exciting things you're included in or have achieved and sometimes the tougher, rougher things you experience.

We also see posts on exhaustion, handling toxicity and butting up against ineffective systems, practices and tricky personalities.

And occasionally, like this one - the low-drama machinations of finding yourself over-indexed on doing, repeatedly feeling behind the curve and even overwhelmed.

We might tell ourselves it's a temporary peak, and it'll even out in the ebb and flow of things. We might have a lot going on, and it's something we can just ride out. We probably have demands on us that we can't really control and are just doing our best to see them through.

When we're like this we have reactions and sensations we very often keep to ourselves. Sure we might confide in those close to us, and inevitably to others as it then impacts on commitments, challenges and contributions. What is undoubtedly helpful is being open, communicative and sincere. But that's not always easy when trying to work out what you can do in the throes of (what feels like) self-derived chaos. A form of chaos that is pertinent to you and may not be evident to others.

I've felt a sense of self-derived chaos these past four to six weeks. I relish the interesting work with people but find that things have become a rather unwieldy stack of asks/tasks.

I greatly appreciate people's understanding, flexibility, and ingenuity in working out Plan Bs and compromises. And a sense of relief and regard for how supportive people can be. I'm sure people I've let down lately could have shown anger, disappointment and all justifiably so. But they chose grace, understanding and, as I said, kindness. So, if you're one of those people I've caused a bit of anxiety to and you've bailed me out, thanks so much.

So, what's the point of this post, then?

Firstly, thanks to all those I have let down and forced into compromised adaptations, and have still been kind and graceful about it.

Secondly, many of us have a lot going on in life and work that we try to balance out, yet occasionally, like an unexpected challenge or a delayed flight, we just can't control it all. So we have to adapt, and we should thank ourselves when we do so. We should appreciate our flexibility and flow through imposed challenges.

Thirdly, it's too easy to say “plan better”; “choose more wisely” and “slow down”. When you get a potential rush of demands, commitments and requests, they stack up, and before you know it, they become too much to sensibly hold, compute and then do something about. Maybe put in some early warning triggers, and maybe accept that sometimes the swirl becomes too much, so just do something about that.

Finally, when you can declare the challenges and are aware you will let people down, be sincere, open, and offer what you can.?

Yes, sometimes things work out. Someone else cancels something. Somehow, you find the time to deliver. Someone offers help and relieves some of the burden.

Sometimes, not, and you have to face the stark truth that you won't be able to deliver or do something for someone you previously said you would.

We all have a sense of absolutely must-do. I'm sure most of us say yes to something because we believe we can do it and want to do it. We've all been let down and let others down. Being sincere about it, open, still trying to do the right thing and be kind and generous in that is a way of coping and adapting.

May has been somewhat Mayhem. June has joined in with that, but there's already a sense of orderliness coming.

Reflecting on that chaotic, overly accelerated period, it struck me that people show a lot of supportive and adaptive ways that really do offer help and assurance.

So, thank you to those who've put up with the mayhem, contributed to the eventual delivery and impact, and given me more than I deserved at times.

I'm restoring balance to my "force" and preparing for a more planful summer of impact, graft and craft.