When is good enough... good enough

We can often hesitate putting something ‘out there’ because it still doesn’t feel good enough ‘in here’, in our minds, to us. 

But this could be a sign of perfectionism, preventing us taking action, pressing the button. 

It was so good to speak with  
Nina Sunday CSP on her podcast ‘Manage Self, Lead Others’. We had a great conversation!

🎧 Listen here: 
or via podcast apps like Apple, Spotify, Stitcher, IHeartRadio.

Better still, 📺 Watch the video version: 

We explored when is the right time to accept ‘good enough’ ... and had a few laughs talking about my book 'ARGH! Too much information, not enough brain: A practical guide to outsmarting overwhelm.' 

When there’s no space for more to dos

It feels rough when your to do list gets a few more things added to it. 

Particularly when nothing has been ticked off or deleted from it. 

It can feel like there’s just no space. 

So how do tasks end up on your list? 

- Boundaries
Do you let or allow tasks to be added? 

- Requests 
Are they added once you’ve heard about them and accepted a task? 

- Assumptions 
Is it just assumed that it’s your task ... after all, you usually do it? 

- Defaults
Do you step in to pick up a task ... because no one else does? 

Or something else? 

This is not about being unhelpful or rude or not volunteering. It’s about recognizing what’s on your list of responsibilities and actions. 

And it’s even more about being aware of how they got there. 

Check the actions you’re planning on doing: today, tomorrow, next week. 

- Keep a handle on your boundaries. 
- Tune in carefully to requests. 
- Remain aware of assumptions. 
- Challenge the defaults. 

Why something is on your list is important to understand. How it gets there is just as worthy of our attention. 

It could free up a heap of space. 

Control freaks : how is the self control going

Self control may be a hallmark of high levels of emotional intelligence but most of us don’t think we have much... or enough! Self control that is. 

And curiously, there’s a link between self control and productivity. 

Do you recognise the cycle of failing in self control and then berating yourself for failing? I do. It’s a strong circuit indeed! 

How do we break it? What can we do instead? 

These tips from the World Economic Forum are both familiar and new: 

Focus on solutions
Forgive yourself 
Eat. Sleep. Exercise. Meditate. 
Don’t say yes unless you really want to 
Don’t seek perfection 
Stay positive
Avoid asking ‘what if’
Ride the wave - the ebb and flow of control. 

Greater self control can require more of us than a single action... once. And it may be simpler than thinking we have to make dramatic changes or embark on mega habits. 

Choosing these alternatives when there’s a blip in our self control is wiser than berating ourselves. 

Read more about it here

The overwork of remote work

Productivity might be up but the dangers of overworking are right there too. 

With thinner lines between work time and home time, and the office just a virtual click away, the dangers of overworking have been revealed in the Microsoft Work Trends Index. 

It’s not sustainable ... even if it’s easy to work longer hours. 

It’s not healthy ... even if you forget to take a break. 

It’s not truly being productive ... if you’re exhausted. 

Leaders of remote and hybrid teams must engage in ways that uncover the well-being of that team. 

Look at your working day : 
- do you ‘push through’ or take breaks? 
- do you work anywhere anytime or have boundaries? 
- do you keep going and work through what would have been commute time? 

Change to the nature of work requires adaptability from us humans. But take care... the trends of the last year are revealing our tendency to overwork. 

Beware of zombie overload

You know those ‘big days’: back-to-back meetings, little time for a break, lunch disappears and zero quiet time to finish things before the day is done!

Sleep. Wake. Do it again tomorrow. 

A reason for zombie-like feelings is overload. And not just of our diary or schedule, but of our minds too. 

Were these brains of ours ever designed for this huge quantity of information we insist on shoving in there? 

It’s a big black hole; information in different formats, styles, themes and categories, a challenge to process, store and retrieve. Not unlike the junk draw every kitchen has! 

Here’s how to fight the zombie feeling and win: Pre-emptive strikes. 

That’s is, do something BEFORE you feel overloaded. 

This. 
Empty your brain:
- write notes 
- capture thoughts
- jot ideas
- list worries
- catch outcomes 

...and most of all, stop trying to soak it all up. That’s exactly where zombies like to hang out - in damp, crowded, messy corners of the mind - where there’s too much junk and not enough space.

Your cognitive load is your business. That zombie feeling will come if you let it. 

Strike back. Unload as you go. Die zombie die.