62: The Secret to Staying Overwhelmed in Operations

Catch the full transcript at yourfuturerealized.com/62.

Life in the fast lane. That is leading operations. Your calendar is a marathon of day-to-day firefighting and your to-do list stretches well past the hours in a day. You may not have had real breathing room for months or even years.

You push yourself hard and feel guilty when things slip through the cracks. You think you’re bad at managing your time because you can’t get it all crossed off your list. 

Want to know a secret?  It’s your mindset that really controls your time. Everyone has their own level of busy they’re comfortable with. It’s that ‘just right’ setting on your thermostat. Time management isn’t just what you put on your calendar. It’s how you direct your thoughts about time.

In this episode, you’ll learn what traps you in a perpetual cycle of busyness, and how to break through it.

Transcript

Life in the fast lane. That is leading operations. Your calendar is a marathon of day-to-day firefighting and your to-do list stretches well past the hours in a day. You may not have had real breathing room for months or even years.

You push yourself hard and feel guilty when things slip through the cracks. You think you’re bad at managing your time because you can’t get it all crossed off your list. 

Want to know a secret?  It’s your mindset that really controls your time. Everyone has their own level of busy they’re comfortable with. It’s that ‘just right’ setting on your thermostat. Time management isn’t just what you put on your calendar. It’s how you direct your thoughts about time.

In this episode, you’ll learn what traps you in a perpetual cycle of busyness, and how to break through it. Catch the full transcript at yourfuturerealized.com/62.

Hey Ops Execs...

Common Time Management Pitfalls

I’ve spoken with a lot of leaders in operations, and the theme of time management rears its head consistently. There are some common habits that keep that overwhelm feeling boiling. I’ve captured the top five here, as well as what has helped those leaders solve them.

1. Say ‘yes’ to everything. Opportunities pop up all the time! Saying yes to everything might make you feel and appear indispensable. But overcommitting is your ticket to constant stress. The solution: Learn to discern which commitments align with your goals and decline or delegate the rest. 
2. Embrace endless multitasking and avoid prioritizing. When everything feels equally important, multitasking just spreads you too thin and makes things more chaotic. The solution: Challenge yourself to prioritize ruthlessly and concentrate on one task at a time at least 50% of the day, so you can make the most of the time you have.
3. Focus on how busy you are. Constantly focusing on how busy you are traps you in a cycle of stress and scarcity. This mindset heightens your awareness of activity and what’s lacking, often leading to the neglect of quality work.  It also overshadows your ability to make conscious choices about what truly matters. The solution: Train your thoughts toward what’s most important, as these set the stage for more meaningful progress.
4. Work without breaks. You might think that resting is a sign of weakness, and exhaustion is a badge of honor. Skipping breaks may seem like dedication and resilience, but it leads to burnout so quickly. The solution: Recognize that your body and your mind need and deserve rest and function better with it.
5. Do it all yourself. You know exactly what needs to be done, and with just a few extra hours, you’ll get it all done, right? You might think depending on others makes you weak. Handling everything alone can feel isolating. The solution: Realizing that asking for help shows strength and benefits your team. 

A Real-World Wake-Up Call

Let me tell you about an operations leader who was always busy, juggling meetings, emails, and projects non-stop. One night, as she was hunched over her laptop for the umpteenth night in a row, she felt sharp pain in her neck and arm. Her body was signaling that she was stretched too thin. 

The next day, things got worse when she had to miss her daughter’s school play to go to urgent care. The guilt was overwhelming. She realized her constant hustling was not effective. Her health had to come first, not just for her, but for her family, who deserved her attention as much as her job did. (Actually, more.)

If you want a different experience, you need to change how you work. In the fast-paced playing field of operations, taking personal time might seem impossible. But it's the only way to maintain balance. 

The Path to Sustainable Success 

Before we finish, remember this: You have the power to reshape your time. It's okay to let some chaos exist. You can't do everything, and that's okay. Taking time for yourself and getting the resources to create a better balance doesn't mean you’re losing your edge. It means you're elevating your performance and setting a better example for your team.

Today I’ll leave you with this question: What activities or commitments are most draining your energy?

Looking for more on how to pivot and gain better control of your time? Listen to episode 32, “The Case Against Time Blocking for Operations Executives”. You’ll find it at yourfuturerealized.com/32.

You can’t stop the chaos, but you can change the game.