Tactics for Overcoming Overwhelm
EISENHOWER MATRIX
The Eisenhower Matrix is a method of time management to distinguish between important and unimportant, urgent and non-urgent tasks. Whenever I feeling overwhelmed, I create this chart and it truly helps me figure what is the most important thing that I need to be working on right now and what can wait.
How to make the Eisenhower Matrix work for you
- Make to-do lists
Your mind can be decluttered by making to-do lists; however, always identify what needs to be done first. - Don't overfill your quadrants.
You mustn't overwhelm yourself with tasks. Ideally, there should be no more than eight tasks in a quadrant. Complete the most important task before you add a new one. Remember, tasks should be completed, not collected. - Don't separate professional and private tasks.
Although you may wish to separate your professional and private life, inevitably, they will intertwine. Keeping just one comprehensive list will ensure that you keep a good work-life balance and have done something for yourself by the end of the day. - Minimize distractions
Plan your tasks in the morning, and don't let others distract you or define the priority of your task. It isn't just your colleagues who can cause distractions; try not to procrastinate!
Completing the Eisenhower Matrix for your project activities will enable you to manage your time effectively and identify areas in which your time is wasted.
Applying the Matrix to your personal and professional life will increase your effectiveness and efficiency, reducing your tendency to procrastinate and decreasing the stressful feelings of having too many tasks to do at once.
Box 1: Important/urgent
Your ultimate goal is to spend all of your time doing essential tasks. Identify that critical 20 % that will generate maximum returns ( think to yourself, if I accomplish this one thing today, I will have accomplished something important), then put these tasks into the top two quadrants.
All the tasks that are important and urgent need to be dealt with immediately and personally, including essential items you could not foresee. E.g., catastrophes, deadlines, etc.
Box 2: Urgent/not important, meaning they are important but are not due that day or the next. This is the planning quadrant and will become your most productive area of work. If you master this quadrant, you will master how to spend your time more efficiently and prevent the critical task from becoming urgent because you planned appropriately, chunked larger projects into tasks, schedule them into your calendar, and set deadlines.
*This could be the most productive area to spend your time more efficiently. The goal is to learn to manage essential tasks, so they do not become urgent. All tasks in this quadrant get a deadline and are done personally.
Box 3: not important/Urgent
All tasks in this quadrant are important or urgent to someone else. Every time you answer an email from someone else, you are helping them achieve their deadlines, not yours.
Am I saying don't answer emails from your boss? Of course not, but could it probably wait until the afternoon? Absolutely! Because remember, you set a rule to ignore your email until after 11 ( unless, of course, it is a situation that is urgent/important. Delegate as many items as you can in this quadrant or plan them in your most unproductive hours, like when you are on the couch watching tv-brilliant time for booking flights, etc.
2nd- When it comes to emails, it is probably more efficient to pick up the phone and chat if it is a complex problem, instead of the endless back and forth.
Box 4: Unimportant/Not Urgent- Unfortunately, this is where many of us waste our time. We have all been there. Suddenly you open Instagram, and before you know it, 45 minutes have passed; this is where your rules come in. But it is also essential to learn to say no or avoid tasks that fall into this quadrant, but if an assignment is unavoidable, you must complete it quickly and as efficiently as possible.
HOW TO SAY NO
As folks from the Hospitality Industry, we tend to be people-pleasers, and it is hard for us to say NO. But as the industry expert, many people will turn to you first with the most menial task because you're the first person on their list, and they know they can rely on you. Remember, you must postpone or decline something important whenever you say yes to something you shouldn't have.
IT IS OKAY TO SAY NO:
You put your credentials at stake when you say yes to a job you do not have enough time or passion for. Every time you say yes to an unnecessary task, you dilute your focus. You are taking a detour from your important goals.
1. WHEN IT WILL TAKE YOU OFF TASK
We are all paid for our definite jobs. When someone comes up to you asking for a favor, ask yourself if it will affect your work. Your work and targets should be your priority (sometimes, it is necessary to be selfish).
However, If doing the errand of favor does not hamper your work or bolster your relationship with that person ( especially your boss), you can accept the request and help them.
On a Positive Note- Saying No to something that hampers your work directly exhibits your commitment to your tasks.
2. SOMETHING THAT IS NOT IN ALIGNMENT WITH YOUR GOALS OR THE BRANDS GOALS
If in a company meeting you observe some step that is not aligned with the company goals, raise your voice. This will not raise eyes against you but help people understand that their vision has taken a U-turn. It shows that you are aware of the long-term goals and are equally determined to achieve them.
On a Positive Note- This will show that you are concerned about the company's progress and not just yourself. It increases respect for you among your seniors
2nd- If a coworker has asked you to work on a project that has nothing to do with your job or responsibilities, and it will take significant time away from you achieving your goals, this is when it is okay to say no.
A POLITE WAY TO SAY NO IN THIS SITUATION IS TO:
1) OFFER AN ALTERNATIVE SOLUTION OR RESOURCE- I would like to help you with this, but I have another urgent project that I need to complete, but this person or agency can also help you.
2) LAYOUT YOUR CURRENT PRIORITIES: Your boss will often forget about your current projects. They will often realize that they should assign this request to someone else. So a great way to turn down a request is to gently remind them of the tasks you do have going on and if they would like you to make this current request a priority.
OTHER RULES:
- Always remain polite when declining a request in person or via an email message.
- You don't need to frame a whole story for saying no. Keep your reasons to the point.
- Don't always reject things. Balance the whole concept of accepting and declining requests.
- If you are not available at the moment, decline something temporarily. Let the person know when you will be available.