Please don't take on too many competing DEADLINES!

This was me just a few days before Christmas this year, trying to figure out how I was going to get the house clean, get presents wrapped, plan Christmas dinner with my mom, finish up the last few coaching items I needed to do for our tutoring staff...oh and yeah we had a home appraisal scheduled at the last minute because we are refinancing our house. They literally called us on Monday wanting to come and do the appraisal on Tuesday. WHAT?!?! Not even a 24 hour notice? Come on people!!! 

Now if you don't know me that well yet...I am first and foremost definitely a planner. That means when I'm about to solve a problem or take action on something I need to create systems, organize things, and sort things into categories or piles. I thrive on calendars, checklists, and to-do lists. Without them, I would be so lost, stressed out, and totally irritated.

 Sound familiar?

When something pops up out of the blue and throws me off my schedule...This is where I can get massively STRESSED if I don't  operate in my natural instincts!!! Now don't get me wrong, I love when my husband surprises me with flowers, my favorite ice cream from Cold Stone, or a new pair of stud earrings. That's completely different. I LOVE those kinds of surprises. I'm talking about the kind of surprises where I have to figure out at the last minute how to adjust, move things around, change it up after I spent my precious time mapping the exact steps of how I was going to do this.

I am really good at responding quickly to challenges, making adjustments on the fly, and handling last-minute changes. But if I don't map out a plan first, if I don't create that system or checklist first...WATCH OUT...you will not even be able to recognize me. This is when the feeling of overwhelm takes over and those tears...oh all those tears. You might as well go ahead and get a bucket for all the tears I'm about to shed.

If you are dealing with multiple competing deadlines and you are a planner like me, follow these 6 tips so you don't get too stressed out and overwhelmed:

Save your energy by outlining a project before you start it. Start with a checklist or a To-Do list and don't move on to the next thing until you know you have a schedule that works.

Once you create a plan or system, don't deviate from it. What I mean is if change isn't necessary to complete the plan, then don't change it just because you feel like or want to. Only make the change if the plan or system is about to break.

Use charts and graphs whenever you need to organize or map out logistics, thoughts and ideas. Build in a lot of structure into your plan or system.
​

Put things into specific categories...as if you are making a catalog of items in your brain or on paper. I bet you will be really good at itemizing procedures and putting things into a sequence. 

If it's not on your To-Do list, don't let it take up your time.

You need closure. So make sure you finish a task before moving on to the next one.

Now, back to my 3 days before Christmas craziness.
​Here's what I did to lower my stress almost INSTANTLY!
​No tear bucket was needed!

1) I went straight to my google drive and created a new doc and called it "To-Do List for Home Appraisal". Because I knew that I needed to start with a plan...organize this...categorize it...come with the list of things that we need to get done so I could check it off.
​
2) After I looked at the list, I quickly realized there was no way I was going to get this done in 1 day by myself with a 2-year-old running around the house.

I either needed help or we needed to postpone the appraisal.

I was hoping and praying that my husband could take the day off so we can get the house cleaned together. But of course, he had a huge IT project at work and it had be done before Christmas. So that idea was out the window.

OPTION 2: Family...where you at? I need you NOW!!!
My wonderful brother, Mom and Dad came to my rescue... as usually. I can always count on them. I took the day off from teaching my students and coaching our tutoring staff. But even though I took this day off...I still had a To-Do list for coaching that I needed to get done before Christmas. So I knew I would have to make some adjustments to my checklist. But I wasn't going to focus on that right now. I can get very overwhelmed if I have too many competing deadlines. I had to stay focused on the main goal in front of me which was... get the house ready for the appraisal.

I just want you to know that I was able to check EVERYTHING off my list (which is what I need based on my natural instincts), we were ready before the appraisal guy got there, and I felt so good about what we had accomplished. Now that the house is cleaned and organized, appraisal is done...it's going to be easy for me to focus on my next goal which is: Finish my coaching to-do list for our tutors and certified teachers.

This is going to be a whole lot easier to do because I'm NOT taking on competing deadlines anymore. I can just focus on 1 deadline at a time, make a plan, design an efficient system that works for everyone, create a checklist, make sure we have smooth transitions, and bring order out of the chaos.

That's Me...to a T. My husband knows this and that's why he lets me always design a plan or a create a list first whenever we take on a new project, have to make a decision, or when life happens and we have to adjust. 
​
So if something in your life has taken a turn for the worst, you have to make a quick adjustment, or you just have so much to get done, and you are feeling stressed out; I encourage you to find out what your natural instincts are AND how you should take action to solve problems as they come up. ​​

Let me speak some positive LIFE into you right now!!!

If you are like me, a PLANNER at heart, then you are the foundation of so many things being workable. The world, your colleagues, your students, and your family can depend on you, my friend. You can take things from complete CHAOS to highly organized. Oh my goodness...what would the world do without people like you?

​Please hear me on this... Don't continue going against your natural strengths. That is going to keep you frustrated and irritated. And I definitely don't want that for you. I want to see you HAPPY, living your best life. And it starts with you trusting your "instincts" or that "gut feeling" when you're making a decision. You were born with some amazing talents, gifts, and abilities, my friend. I know you want to reduce that stress and overwhelm you are feeling so you can give 100% to your students everyday. 

YOU GOT THIS!!!