“I’m completely overwhelmed with emails. I NEED a system that works ASAP. Please help!”
Said the awesome and intelligent executive on the other end.
We chatted for a while about the daily drain of emails and how it was disrupting her career.
She was so behind. Details were falling through the cracks.
She was worried that her new, micromanaging boss wasn’t happy with her performance.
I assured her I could help and that she would start seeing changes immediately.
Except our first call wasn’t about emails.
And our next interaction wasn’t either.
And when she contacted me for support, we ignored the elephant in the room…again.
In fact, it was several weeks in when I told her, “I promise. Next time we’ll tackle email.”
“Don’t worry about that. I’m all set.”
What????
The challenge she agonized over…
The struggle that caused her so much stress and anxiety was “all set?”
Turns out her email problem fixed itself as we focused on developing other skills like:
- Prioritizing
- Avoiding distractions
- Creating systems
The first thing I usually tell people who want to improve email management is,
“You don’t have an email problem. It’s just a symptom of a larger productivity problem.”
This is an important concept to embrace.
What often feels like your biggest challenge is actually the result of other smaller issues.
When you don’t effectively resolve the small issues they compound into big challenges.
Another sucky bi-product is that stress compounds, which starts to overtake your life.
That’s why getting control can’t be compartmentalized between home-life and work-life. It’s ALL-life!
Learning one small strategy in your junk drawer can be applied to your work files just like one small tool in your work calendar can be applied to your grocery list.
The real issue is rarely the one that’s hitting you smack in the face.
It’s a consequence of the inconspicuous ones that lay just beneath the surface.
So what do you do about it?
You start from the foundation and build your way up.
Just like you did with your house or your career or your relationships.
Start with strong legs and build a body of success from there.
Most accomplished and ambitious people need to re-evaluate their structure from time to time.
Because they realize that “what got me here, won’t get me there.”
So together, we tweak, adjust, and strengthen, and before you know it…
A beautiful, sturdy, and successful powerhouse resurrects.
It’s actually pretty fun to go through the process.
Especially when you’re tired of operating on overdrive.
And are wondering: “is this really what I’m working so hard for? Is this how I want to see myself in ten years?”
If you know your foundation could use a tweak so your big challenges melt away, respond and let me know.
The world needs everything you have to offer.
And that’s not more busyness or anxiety.
…And definitely not more email!
To getting more of the right things done,
Xo,
Mridu
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