Dear Yogesh,

I am at the managerial level of a small NGO. I love my work, but in recent times my team and I have been struggling to keep up with the work and deliver the tasks on time. We had some discrepancies in the past, which has led to discouragement. I find myself in the middle of a crisis every day. We have hired some new people, but they will take time to learn what is to be done. 

This is just 1% of the problems that I’m facing. This is not only affecting my professional life but my personal life as well. I keep snapping at people leading to further disagreements within the team. I have no clue how other leaders deal with such situations. There needs to be something. Please guide me with a solution so that I can save my life.

Worried, 

Sumit.

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Dear Sumit,

This is a situation that all of us go through at least once in our lifetime. But how you tackle it is what makes you or breaks you as a leader. The mirage that ‘this too shall pass and everything will restore back to normalcy remains in front of our eyes, but there are times when we need to put in conscious efforts. Life doesn’t work the way we plan it.

I have seen people who have retired and live happy-go-lucky life. But you cannot hold your breath till you retire. After all, nobody can survive with the bare minimum and keep working all day and night. I would love to add another thing here. People who want to achieve greater things in life, like you, are going to find themselves up to something every now and then. And, there can be no advice for work-life balance. I believe there is no work-life balance when it comes to achieving greater heights.  

Today I’m not going to give you information on how to make a good timetable to follow in order to include family time, deadlines, daily deliverables, etc. This message will be to introduce a sustainable program for you that you can follow. This includes:

• Start prioritizing things as per deadlines: If you need to delay a few things or shift the deadlines of the work that can be shifted to the next day or next week, do that. It is important that you prioritize your work as per the need and delay work that can be delayed. This might cause inconvenience to some and even disagreement with others. But, this is the time when you start putting things and nagging people at a delay.
   
• Ask for Help: I know that you are competent enough to manage many tasks at the same time, work efficiently, and deliver things as per the timeline, but it is okay to ask for outside support and help. Ask your family to give you time. Hit up a friend to discuss things. A fresh perspective can bring creativity to the flow. Hire a coach, a board member, or any other co-worker that you think is capable enough to help you and sort things out as per your needs. This will not only give you a breather from other tasks but will also help you maintain your mental health.
   
• Put yourself first: This is the time you start putting things and people as secondary things and putting yourself first. Find one thing that you love and have been postponing for some time. Remember, while you drain a lot of energy while working continuously, you also need to rejuvenate yourself with an inflow of energy that you need to keep moving. This may include evening walks, morning gym with a friend, weekend night outs, or anything that gives you happiness. Make it a habit to do it every day or once every two days. This will not only help you bring your focus back but will also help in maintaining your workflow and creativity. 

I am sure that you might have thought about doing at least one of the above-mentioned things. There is nothing new that I’m telling you. But, sometimes, we need gentle reminders in our life to bring it back on track. Start taking one thing at a time and one day at a time. Put yourself first, and this will surely bring positive changes in your life. 

Let me know how it worked. 

Regards,

Yogesh Sood

The above is inspired by a blog written by Madeleine Homan Blanchard on AUGUST 7, 2021: https://resources.kenblanchard.com/blanchard-leaderchat/completely-worn-out-ask-madeleine