Helping Diverse Professionals and Learners Embrace Organisational Skills After Setbacks
In an online article, I once came across a surprising statement: ‘There is no such thing as time management.’ This bold sentence sparked reflection within me. I’ve been working to improve my time management and organisational skills for years. I’ve read countless books on the topic, all promising foolproof results.
‘Follow my method,’ they said, ‘and success will be yours.’ Eager to unlock the mystery, I tried everything they recommended, from prioritising activities based on importance and urgency to retrospectively monitoring my actions. Yet, only a small fraction of their advice proved effective. You’ll find the tips that worked for me at the end of this article, but first, let me share the insights gained on this journey and how they changed the game.
I always believed that to get things done, I had to do more, perhaps faster. The issue was that the only way I could sustain this approach was by constantly putting pressure on myself. To make a long story short, at one point, my body said ‘no’ to the constant stress and it shut down, teaching me a valuable lesson.
The key insight I gained was that I needed to take the opposite approach! I’m not advocating for doing the bare minimum. Instead, I discovered a less tempting but more effective way to accomplish tasks, based on the following three principles:
Realistic self-assessment
Assessing the environment
Creating a meaningful routine
Realistic self-assessment lays the foundation for the following points, so the latter part of this article will primarily explore this aspect.
Tracking progress through realistic self-assessment.
While there may be some people who are yet to look at themselves and take action to change their destinies, many of us have always worked hard and tried to self-improve. For us, accepting we’ve done enough and being able to appreciate the results in the wider context can be very freeing. We tend to be harsh on ourselves and take responsibility for too much even in adverse circumstances. My coach, who advocated for radical self-acceptance, was perplexed when I told her that I needed to do much more. ‘Haven’t you done enough? It sounds like you did all that was possible at that time’. I couldn’t comprehend the concept fully until much later. No self-blame? Where is she coming from?
This viewpoint acknowledges the individual’s efforts and limitations within their circumstances, promoting a sense of peace. That doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t strive for improvement. It emphasises understanding and self-compassion rather than guilt. This helps release stress and emotional burdens, which paradoxically allows progress, including business progress.
Looking at it from the standpoint of executive functioning, achieving organisation requires considerable effort. However, self-blame and the presence of individuals who trigger this feeling in us can act as barriers even before we begin. Addressing these factors is crucial for laying the groundwork for healthy organisational dynamics.
Ways to overcome feeling stuck and overwhelmed while advancing your projects after a significant setback:
1. Consider taking the smallest step possible to kickstart your progress or move forward.
2. Establish a simple routine. For instance, allocate x minutes every Tuesday to work on something that will help you progress, on top of your daily business responsibilities – choose something you enjoy to turn it into a small success story.
3. Choose your companions wisely. If someone’s vibes seem off, observe patterns.
4. Keep track of your actions. You don’t need to monitor everything, but occasionally list your accomplishments, noting what they reveal about you. For example, posting a blog shows your proactivity (you can find lists of positive qualities online for reference).
5. When monitoring your actions, check if you have addressed your priorities.
6. Focus on improving one aspect at a time and celebrate small victories along the way.
Contact details to get in touch:
Katerina Latalova, info@outoftheboxteaching.co.uk, 07786628820
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