Time Management

(^) FREE SAMPLE OF SUCCESS UNDER STRESSSUCCESS UNDER STRESS 109
I could hear the desperation in Stacy’s voice. She had trouble priori-
tizing because of her frenetic pace and the daily changing priorities. She
was operating “in the weeds,” trying to do it all herself. A perfectionist,
she felt personally responsible for getting everything right. Though ex-
hausted, she kept pushing herself.
We cleaned up Stacy’s challenges in a matter of weeks! First, I gave
her a technique to get back to sleep within three minutes so she could
wake up rested. Next, we prioritized the 61 projects on her plate. As she
learned to question herself less and get more done, she felt she had ac-
complished enough at the end of each day to go home. She learned the
tools to push herself when needed and to relax and be present with her
family when desired. As a result, her life became more balanced. After
she learned communication techniques to minimize her assistant’s mis-
takes, Stacy’s relief was visible. As these skills gave her more of a sense
of control, we were able to deal with that self-critical “voice” and go over
how to stop overreacting with her kids. At home, her guilt began to melt
away and, at work, she grew into her potential as a leader. Four months
later, Stacy was promoted.
Dan, who owns a financial planning business, told me, “I have tre-
mendous financial goals, and I’m not reaching them. I’m fed up chasing
the minnows—I want to land the whale clients like the other guys do. I
feel I need to work all the time. I can’t miss out on opportunities to get
clients, so I don’t have the quality of life I work so hard for. Every morning
I come to the office with a plan, but then I get interrupted and my plan
goes down the drain. On top of it all, my former business partner is being
a pain in the neck.”
Because Dan lost sight of the big picture, he wasn’t getting the most
important things done. He’d go home frustrated and come in the next
day only to spin his wheels again. A lack of confidence held him back
from going for the whale clients. He was frustrated, anxious, and finan-
cially stressed.
Dan was ready to break through to the next level of success. We
sculpted his business around his considerable talent and identified his
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American Management Association / http://www.amanet.org