Whatcha workin’ on?
I’ve gotten this question my entire life and chances are you have too, “Watcha workin’ on?”.
But, have you ever stopped to think about how your work might be keeping you from enjoying your career? Or worse, might be making you actually hate what you do or physically sick?
As a Servant Leader, you need an intimate understanding of what “workflow” actually is and why getting it wrong can kill your career (and maybe you too).
I’ll highlight the tools you already have at your disposal to master workflow and how you can get some help with using these tools to accomplish your goals with less stress.
What Is Workflow And Why Should I Care?
It wasn’t that long ago when I was struggling through being overwhelmed and doubting my abilities. I was confused and unsure of what to do next in my career. I felt like I was trying to survive through a storm that never seemed to end. That’s when the power of coaching entered my life.
I have had excellent teachers all of my life and I am grateful for them all. They seemed to show up at just the right moment to help me identify the “lesson” I was intended to take away from some pretty dire situations.
This time was no exception. I didn’t realize the power of focused coaching and how it would change my life though.
My Coach helped me realize the answers I already had within myself. I had actually become numb to them, because of being overwhelmed. And frankly, I was ashamed to admit I had lost my future vision.
Through this work with my Coach, I realized that my workflow was out of balance. I had this notion that there was so much to do that there was no way to get a grip on it all. It didn’t help that this was happening while others seemed to be on the attack.
Even the world at large seemed to be against me in every aspect of life. I needed to get a grip. I was in full on victim mode, but couldn’t see my way out.
There were projects at work, projects at home, there were commitments that were ongoing. And… what about me? Didn’t I deserve some peace and quiet?
The answer… is yes.
The Power of the Workflow
Turns out I had not taken on too much. Yep. You read that right. I had NOT taken on too much. In fact, I was and am capable of so much more. So why did I feel so overwhelmed?
Organization. My work was not organized. I was basically like the magician spinning plates at a carnival. Starting one thing without having a sense of order to other commitments.
I was doing work that was not actually mine to show I could help others “hold things together”. And… I was doing that at the expense of my own responsibilities.
The other thing I was allowing is a distraction. From social media and exercise to television and job surfing I was looking for an escape to “clear my thoughts”. Escape never seemed to happen though. Finally, I committed to set distractions aside until I was able to regain control.
Motivation WAS there… the motivation to escape. What I needed most, however, was the motivation to solve my business problem, but I didn’t have it. Mostly because I didn’t know what it was.
The bottom line is, I was unorganized, distracted, and unmotivated… but NOT overworked.
I was trying to solve the wrong problem. I was trying to solve the “overworked” problem; not the unorganized problem.
Does that sound familiar?
What’s In YOUR Tool Belt?
Once I recognized what problem I needed to solve, I felt a lift in my energy. A shot of motivation stemming from this thought, “No wonder I was struggling”.
I needed a framework to work in to guide me and keep me on track.
There are many different productivity frameworks. Whether it is people, process, & tools or control, stabilize, and improve a framework helps you understand what you need to be doing and when.
In my situation, I needed to combine these two to help gain control of the situation first. Once I had control it was really about how to get out in front of the work. It was greatly important for me to not feel behind.
Having a person as a guide to help you diagnose the real issue holding you back and be there to co-develop a framework is vital to restoring sanity to your workflow.
How To Optimize Your Workflow
- Reduce distractions
- Get clear on the right problem to solve
- Know what you want
- Get help from a Coach or Mentor to help you diagnose and resolve the issue
- Get to work
Want Help?
- Do you have a business problem to solve?
- Is the lack of clarity keeping you from success?
- Would you like to learn more about how to remove overwhelm from your life?
- Want order out of your chaos?
If you answered yes to any of these use the Contact button below for more information.
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