How to get the most with the resources you got
You’ve all heard it: “Less is more.” Especially with Ramadan being here, we will have less working hours in the day and if you’re fasting, your body will feel more exhausted quicker. Managing your resources will be vital during the Holy Month but it shouldn’t stop here.
Once the summer is over (or even before that), companies will be pushing full steam ahead and are expecting high productivity. Yet, you’re probably not getting additional team members to support your work project. How many activities will your kids enrol at school and how many will you need and/or want to attend? Your spouse may also want to spend some quality time with you alone? It sounds exhausting just writing about it.
So how do you manage your resource well and avoid being depleted by the end of the day?
- Don’t plan 100% of your time. So many unexpected events can happen which will require your attention. If your calendar is already filled with meetings from morning till evening, how can you handle those important and urgent activities? Chance are this situation will stress you out.
- Start with the most important priority. This will be your biggest frog and will require your most attention. This activity is also the one that will get you closer to achieving your work or personal goal.
- Identify your peak times. When you know when your body and mind are most alert, you can carry out and focus best on these crucial activities. Non-essential activities like filing or mopping the floor don’t need to be performed when you’re at your best.
- Focus on one activity, don’t multitask. We know that working on one topic while attending a meeting on another topic is counter-productive. Be mindful of what you are doing and only focus on that one activity. If being pulled into 2 directions at work, is it possible to delegate one of these 2 activities? Do you really need to attend that meeting or could you receive a summary from one of the other meeting attendees?
- Block time in your calendar for you. These blocks can be for working on a particular project at work, calling back your customers or keeping it free for unexpected meetings and work requests. This not only works at work but also in your personal life. If you and your family is running from one event to another event 7 days a week, you can get exhausted very easily and are reducing your energy resources.
- Identify what can be combined. Especially during Ramadan, many invitations are waiting for you: Iftar with your family, your colleagues and business partners, your friends, your neighbours. Can you combine any of these events? Can you bring a friend to a family party and invite them to your home? Sometimes, this may not be appropriate, however, when combining two group activities, it frees up some of your time and takes less energy.
- Take breaks. To recharge your energy and sharpen your focus, set yourself limits. Your resources cannot go for hours and need some refuelling. A tea break or a walk around the block may be what you have time for. You’ll need to make time! Let your eyes rest by looking away from your computer screen and starring into a faraway object. Give your brain cells an opportunity to re-group and tackle the task under a new light.
- Learn to say “No”. In line with the previous suggestions, review your priorities and if you notice your calendar getting too full or you feeling exhausted, start to decline the requests. At work, you can still help your colleagues, provided you can get your work done, too.
For me, blocking 2 hours of my working day for emergencies has helped reduced my stress level and allowed me to focus on what I needed to achieve that day. That walk after lunch refreshes my eyes and I can concentrate on the small print in the next document. Over the years, my biggest achievement was when I could finally say “No”. My resources can only take me to my professional and personal goals if I find enough downtime to refuel them.
What’s your secret to keeping your resources well stocked and prevent them from running low on empty? What tips will you share with the Organised Life and Mind community? I’m looking forward to reading your comments below.
Until next time,
Agni