What To Do When You Get Off Track
Per last week, I am feeling a bit off track. For example, I’m releasing this on a Thursday afternoon instead of Wednesday morning like I normally do because I’m behind schedule. I’m barely keeping up with work, my personal projects are all taking a backseat, and my routine is messed up. PLUS my site decided to freak on me a bit yesterday so that was yet another unforeseen thing to throw me off track. It’s just a hectic week. I have more social, work, and project commitments than normal so I feel like I am all over the place. I feel like I don’t have enough focus time with any one thing so I end up behind on all of them. But if I step back for a second, I’m actually not doing too bad because of a few techniques I employ to get everything done relatively calmly, even if I’m feeling behind.
It’s not all or nothing. If you miss a couple things in your day, like a meeting runs long, or you oversleep and miss your morning workout class, you don’t have to give up. Get as much as possible as is reasonable done, and then move whatever you didn’t get done to the next day. Don’t let the sheer amount of things to do overwhelm you to the point where you don’t do any of it. For example - I missed my workout on Tuesday. I didn’t like it, but I didn’t let it ruin my whole week. I just worked out like normal today.
Prioritize. Prioritize. Prioritize. When you don’t have enough time in a day for everything, you need to be quick at figuring out what things absolutely must get done in a given time period. The task of prioritizing itself also needs to be done quickly so you don’t waste time figuring out what’s important as opposed to working on what’s important. For me - I very easily determine what is important because I’ve been honing my list for years, check below if you want to see it*
Small chunks. When your to do list is a mile long it can feel overwhelming just to look at it. So chunk it out. Find small ways you can start, check little tasks off easily, or delegate as you go. For example, yesterday my to do list was so long so I started with making my waxing appointment. It was tiny but it was something small that was easily done and gave me the momentum to keep going.
Block your time. This is something I sometimes struggle with, but if you’re at work and you need some uninterrupted time to work on a document or problem, don’t feel bad putting your headphones in or going to a different space so you’re not distracted. If you need to isolate yourself, be proactive and tell your boss, your co workers, even your MOM, that you need some heads down time, and then get it done. Don’t be afraid to ask for your focus time if that’s what it takes.
Zoom out. Day to day might feel hectic, but if you zoom out and take a look at all the things you needed to do in a week, you may see that you’re actually not doing so bad even if you miss a couple things each day. In the grand scheme of things, there might only be a few things that have actually fallen off, and you’re doing a good job of getting the majority of it done. Don’t beat yourself up over the small picture.
Have a plan to get back ON track. It sucks to be off track and it’s not sustainable long term because eventually more and more things will be compromised. It’s important to figure out when you can get your plate cleared and start fresh. For me, I usually block a whole day on the weekend where I have no commitments except to myself, and just check off anything that had fallen by the wayside during the week. I feel so much better afterwards, and am usually able to regain my sense of routine.
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I don’t get overwhelmed easily. I literally made it my job to plan, so I love to structure and organize my life, but sometimes it just can’t be helped. Things happen at work, things happen in life, and sometimes (like this week for me), you simply bite off more than you can chew. The most important thing to remember is to not panic. Then you can break everything down, prioritize, and ultimately get back on track. *If I have planned on attending anything that affects others whether that’s a work event, or a dinner date with a friend, I’ve committed to them and I will do everything I can to keep that commitment. Next comes work stuff - like my actual job that pays the bills. I make sure all of that work gets done before working on anything else. Next comes health - I will make sure I get a workout and an adequate amount of food and water. Next comes personal projects. These don’t pay the bills, these don’t provide anything really other than a personal sense of accomplishment so in especially busy times, they often take the back burner and I just fit them in where I can.