Have you experienced those times when you feel:

• Consistently overwhelmed thinking: How am I going to get it all done?

• You have too much to do but feel like you have so little time

• You can’t focus on what needs to be done

• Continuously checking your emails, for the next thing to do

These can all be signs of not implementing a few intentional and savvy strategies that can take you from wondering how to get it all done….to moving your biggest initiatives - and your business - forward.

If this is you or if you’ve dipped in an out of these phases, here’s what you can do about it.

One of the common topics that I notice come up from Founders and Owners is how to manage the multiple priorities they have.

There are so many hats we wear that we often have many similarly prioritized initiatives going on at the same time: from managing a newer member of your team, to pricing your services for next year to planning marketing initiatives. The list can be endless.

And they’re all important.

Sometimes, it feels impossible to chose what to focus on next because it IS nearly impossible. They all have to be done!

While everyone’s situation can be somewhat unique, what I do know is this: when we focus on the many, progress is slow; when we focus on the few, we speed up.

In a world consistent overworking and putting off personal plans to ‘get ahead at work’ is still a badge of honour for some (things are are changing but not fast enough in my opinion), sometimes the idea of taking vacation gets shoved aside.

But the research and benefits of taking time away are quite compelling:

I hope you are well and finding your way at this time.

I had a few people reach out to me, sharing their challenges of trying to get things done.

These were centred around the area of time management and productivity….in the midst of managing other things at home now.

This is aligns so well with the topic of personal productivity that normally comes up in the work and coaching I do with business owners and leaders. And it aligns with the concept of showing up even when it’s a challenge and you don’t feel like it. This is a skill in leadership.

However, that being said, while I love the topic of personal leadership, at this time, I believe we can serve ourselves and others well, if it’s tempered, with more awareness and patience for ourselves and others during this situation we’re facing.

Yet, at the same time, there are still things to be done.

The idea I’m sharing with you today is practical and in the area of productivity & time management.

However, for the next few weeks, I’ll be leaving productivity and moving into other ideas on how we can conduct business at this unusual time.

Tune in here to another idea on how to shape the way you work at this time…

This is the first in a set of videos that I’m going to be sharing with you on the topic of How to Focus When It’s NOT Business as Usual.

Over the coming weeks, I’m going to share an idea or strategy per week to support you in staying motivated, productive and as focussed as you can be in your business and work.

I have so much to share with you, yet I want to keep these videos short! (Today’s video is 7:22)

So, never before have we had to deal with so much going on in our lives as we move through this Global Health situation.

I love the phrase that’s going around now on social media, maybe you’ve seen it. It states:

“You are not working from home….you are at home, during a crisis, trying to work” (- Posted on the Psychiatric Rehabilitation Association and Foundation's Facebook page)

Even if you normally run your business from your home office, you know this is different…

In this time of working from home, with so many distractions and major worldwide issues unfolding AND having others in your home, having a strong morning routine can mean the difference between a great day and an unfocussed one….which can sometimes add up to many unfocussed days.

I wanted to go back to basics here, because this is what we are all facing right now. Our regular routines have been disrupted. Where we work has changed for many. There are others in your space that may not normally be there…..

I will add a disclaimer here as well…sometimes we need time to process, time to adjust, reflect and adapt, with patience, compassion and grace. I am in favour of taking the time to process all the changes and challenges that you’ve been through or are facing. If that means working at slow speed, making space for more family time, I am all for it.

When you are ready…and I know you will be. You’ll be wanting to get some things done. And, feeling like you’re able and capable of getting things accomplished will be a form of carving out your own control in a situation that is very fluid now.

So when you are ready, here are some ideas for you.

If you’re looking to make big changes in your life, career or business and wondering where to begin, you may be thinking too big.

Stay with me here…

I’d like to suggest that it’s the small things or small steps that can make…sometimes….the biggest change of all. It would get you into action.

What would be an example of a small step that you can take that could make a difference to you right now?

Here are some examples to consider, depending on what you’d like to accomplish in your career or business:

Do you listen to podcasts?

I really enjoy podcasts. I love how they can get me thinking about new strategies or different ways to look at things.

One of the topics I enjoy listening to is about productivity. (I know…..but I’m owning it.)

As a business owner, wearing a number of hats can feel overwhelming with all that needs to be done.

I’ve mentioned before that productivity issues can be a symptom of something larger - not keyed into a vision or goals, not focussing on the ‘right’ things, etc.

But at the end of the day sometimes we just need help managing the number of items we have on our plate. So, sometimes a new idea or a strategy is what we need to support our planning and ‘the doing of things’.

If productivity or time management is something that you struggle with or want to learn more about, I thought I would share a list of podcasts that I’ve enjoyed.

I’ve found these podcasts helpful in giving me unique perspectives in how I run my own business, support my clients and apply the concepts to other areas of my life.

Here are 3 to check out:

Oh the challenge of trying to ‘get it all done’. There’s so much isn’t there? Sometimes it feels like there’s too much!

And, you’re only one person - you’re the leader, the business owner, responsible for it all. How can one person get ‘it all done’?

I’m often asked what productivity tips I would recommend for busy business owners. I have several, and often, it depends on the specific circumstances of the person I’m speaking with which ideas or strategies I might share.

There are also underlying elements that may masquerade as ‘productivity’ issues, but lead to deeper reasons why we aren’t moving forward….but that’s not for this post.

Sometimes, what we need are just some good pointers on different ways to work and get inspired, so this is what this post is designed to support you with.

I’ll share one tip here with you, and I have 9 others that I will send to you if you find yourself resonating with this challenge of wearing soooo many hats in your business and not knowing where you’ll find the time.

This isn’t a post about time-blocking or using your out-of-office responder strategically. While these can be effective strategies to put boundaries around your work, what I’m talking about here is a step before all of that.

First off - Is the work you’re doing…. the RIGHT work?

I can hear you saying – yes absolutely!

Before you exit out of this page, I want to challenge you to really think about that.

Are you doing the work that will move you towards your goal?

This is Part I of a two-part article. 

There have been times in my career when I got very close to burnout but was able to re-set myself – even when I started new jobs and dove into each new learning curve and new set of challenges. 

However, one senior role was very hectic.