Managing the overload

It’s not just information. It’s emotions and overwhelm too. It’s workload, decisions, news, and everything that changes. 

Our ability to make sense of what’s going on is often in overdrive as we juggle complex issues and our reactions to them. 

So there is the information. 
And there is our reaction to it. 

The information can be overwhelming. 
And so can our response. 

Acknowledging there is a load is a good place to start. 

There’s a lot going on. Don’t expect to get your head around everything that’s happening all at once. 

Sense is made by looking back on things. 

And our responses to that can come and go for some time. 

We don’t need to be an automatic victim to overwhelm. 

Make sense of it step by step, piece by piece, scene by scene. 

How to work a little more creatively

Storyboards are powerful thinking and communication tools in films and advertising ... and we can use them too. 

Just as film creatives map out the proposed scenes of a movie, we can be story boarders too!  

A creative tool I use often with teams to think and work more creatively is storyboarding. 

Six cells or scenes are a starting point or a summary of a bigger and deeper story. 

🔲 Capture one point or theme per cell. 
🔲 Use a storyboard to take notes. 
🔲 Deliver your presentation or pitch with a storyboard. 

Boring notes? Nope. 
Boring meeting? Nope. 
Boring presentation? Also nope. 

We love stories! They hook us in and keep us engaged, curious to what’s coming next. 

Our colleagues and clients need us to be a little more creative - not just to hold their engagement and attention but to get to the most creative and effective outcomes we can. 

For something more memorable, practical and sensible... storyboard it.

When everything is important

‘What do I do first - everything is priority one!’, said Wendy. 

‘Have you visualized your work?’, I asked. 

‘I’ve got a to do list. Is that visual enough?’, she said. 

‘Does it include everything... everything you have on your mind?’

Wendy said, ‘Well, no. It’s just got the things I need to do today.’



And there it is ... the thing that makes us feel like everything is important. 

The partial to do list. The list for today only. 

When we only capture some of what we need to do, we capture the immediate and pressing, and it’s all important. 

But if we capture everything we need to do - yes, everything - we create a more realistic collection. 

Looking at everything, it’s clear some of them aren’t as important or don’t need to be done today. 

If we haven’t visualised the work to be done, we are going by what’s in our head or our inbox and that can feel like everything is important. 

Until you truly capture everything, you won’t know. 

We get distracted by the noise of so many tasks bumping into each other, gathering importance and urgency from each other - even when they don’t deserve it! 

Get it all out. 
Visualize it all. 
And then pick a top 3, 5 or 10. They’re the priority. 

Patterns in our thinking

We see patterns in fabrics, in nature and in design and architecture. 

Patterns exist in many other parts of our world: 
The time we wake up. 
How we behave. 
The actions we take. 
The way we tackle and complete tasks. 

Some of the patterns that go unnoticed - or at least under noticed - are the patterns in our thinking. 

How we solve problems. 
How we learn. 
How we make sense of things. 

If we’re unaware of our thinking patterns, were less able to change them to ways that will work for us. 

First we can get better at noticing. It’s turning up our powers of observation, taking note, capturing an insight, connecting the dots. 

This is Sensemaking and it’s a powerful skill in these times of change and uncertainty. 

Where are the patterns in your thinking? What do you see and notice? What dots can you connect?

The better we are at observing and identifying patterns, the easier it becomes to interrupt them, in pursuit of better ways of working. 

Frame the reason

Received an invitation for a meeting recently and there’s nothing but a vague title of the meeting? 

The convener or caller of the meeting may know what the meeting is all about... but those expected to attend may not. 

Fast forward to the actual meeting, and it’s worth explaining some more : why we’re meeting, what we’re going to do and how we’ll do it. 

When you’ve got a room (or zoom) full of people, they need to know what this is about and why they should care. 


FRAME the reason you’re all there, what’s behind, what’s ahead and what you’re expecting or hoping for. 

That frame is a structure, a context and a framework. It supports a system. 

And that meeting is a system. 

Frames are powerful Sensemaking tools, engaging people and switching on their curiosity. 

And they’re too often left out of the work we’re trying to do together. 

Remember, you might understand why ... but they may not. 

Thankfully it’s easy fixed - with a decent frame.