If you are overwhelmed, working harder is not the answer. You need to change your approach. Sometimes the only answer is to slow down long enough to identify why you keep getting overwhelmed. Do you take on too much? Are you not efficient in what you are working on? Do you not have the best resources for completing your job?

One of the resources that Transforming Leadership uses in working with organizations is assessments and coaching. It is amazing how often we encounter someone that simply does not have the time to slow down and learn how to work better, faster, or smarter. There is a good chance that a year from now they will be just as frantic, because they are doing nothing to change things.

Make some time and take some time to meet with your supervisor or peer group and brainstorm innovative ways of approaching your current responsibilities.

You may currently feel like a firefighter; Constantly running, with barely time to catch your breath. Maybe that’s the answer. Maybe you should actually work more like a firefighter.

Many fire departments follow the simple work schedule of 24 hours on, followed by 48 hours off. Fire departments know that every firefighter must be well-rested and alert to ensure the best decisions when on duty. Additionally, firefighters work out consistently. Every good firefighter knows that they must be in the best possible physical condition to ensure their personal safety and the safety of those who count on them. Fire departments are constantly engaged in continuing education. These departments know that they want their firefighters to be as well prepared as possible for whatever they might encounter. And finally, when was the last time you saw a dirty fire truck? Fire departments know that they must have the best resources possible, and that they must constantly lobby for better resources, and constantly train to best utilize the available resources.

Slow down for a minute. With your current approach could you handle one more fire?

If you don’t have the time, and the skills to efficiently and effectively get your current job done, what will you do when the next job comes along?