In the same way that a common cold gets around an entire kindergarten in the blink of an eye, rushing in the workplace is about as infectious as anything else on this planet – a phenomenon that is taking professionals by storm and dragging productivity down with it. Of course, the reason hurry-worry is so rife is understandable: time is more than money, it’s the most valuable currency any of us hold.
Nonetheless, hurry sickness is a thing. It’s when you experience anxiety regarding the pressures of a deadline (or three) and there not being enough time to get it all done. It’s what brings about a chronic state of panic. The point is: having hurry sickness is bad. Having a team that suffers from hurry sickness is even worse.
Rushing at work just has so many negative impacts. There is the impact it has on your quality of work. There is the perception you give off to others. There is the chance you’ll cause an accident when rushing to a meeting, as the folks at DaveAbels.com can tell you all about. There is the breakdown of useful communication and the eruption of frustration when internal meetings run over. Basically, it’s not good.
Thankfully, we’ve found some very manageable ways to stop hurry-worry habits from developing. Enjoy.
- Stop Saying Yes To Everything
When you want to impress, it is way too tempting to say yes to new projects or accept invites to unnecessary meetings. But this will only add to the rush. Instead, take a step back and know where your time and energy would be best spent.
- Perfect The Art Of Prioritizing
At the start of each day (and week for that matter), make a list of everything you need to do and then put them in order of importance. Once you’ve done this, block out a couple of hours so that you can get your head down and complete the tasks at the top of the pile.
- No More Multitasking
It is an admirable skill to have. There is no denying that. But when you are worried about the ticking clock, multitasking is something you want to throw in the bin because it’s been proved to make you 40% less efficient. That’s a serious chunk of time to be wasting.
- Delegate If You Have To
For some reason or another, we’ve become afraid of delegating, like it is a lost art resigned to those of the generations before. But sometimes you just need to pluck up the courage and ask someone else to take a project off your plate. Letting go of control isn’t easy, but it can be essential.
- Do Away With Distractions
Emails, social media, memes, colleagues not getting to the point, chitter-chatter in the canteen – there are a thousand and one distractions out there. Don’t get sucked into these time-wasting vortexes. Instead, be tough on yourself when it comes to distractions and be tough on your colleagues when dealing with interruptions. It’s the only way.