5 Tips to Tackle Overwhelm and Take Control of Your Workload
Feeling Overwhelmed? Too many priorities? This time of year is often very busy for Insurers and Insurance Brokers, with resource stretched, holidays to take and it is often a very busy renewal time with 31 December month end. It is something the industry is aware of and Insurance Age reported last month just how pressurised the world of insurance broking can be, with Ida Axling's report, using data collated by Ecclesiastical, stating that one in five brokers have thought about leaving the industry due to stress.
Of the 250 brokers surveyed 78% feel stressed at work, with a third experiencing stress at least once a week.
This is a worrying trend and clearly an area employees and employers need to be mindful of and where possible take action and provide support. We have all experienced that feeling of not knowing where to start first and when Christmas is upon us the pressure can ramp up and magnify the feelings of stress and overwhelm. Here are five tips you can quickly put into action to help manage those feelings.
Firstly it is important to recognise the signs: too much to do, too few hours. What makes you feel overwhelmed? Does demand outweigh resources, once you understand it you can build strategies to cope.
Communicate - Share the bad: talk to your boss. “Are you mad?” try to take the emotion of out of it by writing it down, how long does each activity take, what is involved, resource required, look at your Job Description, what do you find challenging and what could you ditch or make a lower priority?
Say No – push back, if you have got too much on and important deadlines to meet then don't take on anything else. I used to say yes to everyone and everything but quickly worked out that it didn't work for me. Learning to say no is not easy if you have been saying yes for years but start simple with phrases such as “Thanks for coming to me but I’m afraid it’s not convenient right now” or “I’m sorry but I can’t help this week.” and buy yourself some time. using phrases like “I’ll get back to you,” then consider your options. Having thought it through at your own speed, you’ll be able to say no with greater confidence.
Take breaks - I am a firm believer that staff who take a break from their desks are more productive and come back to their desks feeling refreshed. I often take a walk outside for a few minutes to clear my head before I tackle the next activity, withouth time away from my desk I process things more slowly and am more prone to makin mistakes. At times of intense work, it’s more important than ever to look after yourself by eating and sleeping well. Dodge the donuts!
Be Un-interruptible – switch off alerts so you can focus on the tasks in hand without being distracted by incoming emails or social media alerts. Control email and switch off outlook and only check it at set times to avoid distractions.
Accept the fact some things won’t get done at all - it is true that I convince myself that the day before I go on holiday I can complete all the outstanding tasks from the last 6 months, sound familiar? This is never going to and had never happened but as long as I communicate what is and is not going to be done and that this is accepted by all then I can prioritise what needs to be done and what can wait.
It also helps to think What is the best use of my time right now? Don’t be a hero, let other people help and communicate with those around you who can help.
What tips do you use to tackle overwhelm? Please like, share or leave a comment below. You can sign up to receive my blog posts straight to your inbox here - Sign Me up!
