I watched fascinated as the guy at the buffet, with surgical precision, carefully loaded a couple more prawns on top of his already overloaded lunch plate. It was like watching a game of Tower Stack. How high could he go before losing some of his hard-won prawns to the carpet?
It’s been shown that being let loose at a buffet table can lead to eating far more than you usually would at a single sitting. It’s hard to resist all those delicious looking dishes.
Like our lunch plates, it’s easy to overload our work plates too.
This is especially true if you love your work, are committed to getting the best outcome for your boss or your clients and… find it hard to say no.
You want to help, so you look for a way to squeeze in that little extra.
It’s only a little.
But that’s the lie you tell yourself.
Then, when you’re feeling overstretched and overwhelmed by everything that is demanding your attention, your brain clicks into preservation mode.
You can no longer think straight.
Your brain is no longer capable of making a decision.
You’re feeling befuddled, frustrated and ready to lash out at whoever is to blame.
This is a common scenario I hear described by my overloaded coaching clients, who are desperate to find respite from their mental and physical fatigue.
They want to know how to fix their situation.
Because they’ve got a lot on and people are waiting on them.
They are afraid of letting people down.
They are scared they are losing control.
They are increasingly anxious and describe feeling panicked or paralysed.
The common mistakes I see them in attempting to overcome their situation include,
Pushing on regardless of the impact on focus, efficiency and accuracy.
Abandoning the safeguards of taking time to eat, rest and sleep.
Justifying their actions as being what is expected of them.
The first question I ask is, “What is enough?”
My coaching framework is designed to help an individual find clarity to what their real challenge is, and then find effective strategies to lighten that load.
That change doesn’t happen overnight, but by regularly applying new positive habits, they notice the positive difference in their energy, mood and happiness.
For Pam, it was about understanding what she could control, and what she couldn’t. This allowed her to let go of the extras she had felt obliged to accept and reclaim time for her own needs.
For Gillian, she thought she wanted to use meditation to control her anxiety but discovered that breathwork worked better for her.
For Peter, it was accepting the need to reconsider his limits and to re-establish his non-negotiable boundaries to protect these.
Successful behaviour change takes time, consistency and self-determination.
You have to really want the outcome and know why it matters to you.
If having too much on your plate is getting you down, I’m opening the door to my next intake of coaching clients in May.
DM me ‘PLATE’ if you’re ready to stop drowning in work.
