You never know what you’re going to experience during a typical day in the multifamily housing industry! You may have your plans all laid out on what you’re going to do today-only to have those plans fly out the window with one phone call, email or in-person visit. If you’ve ever felt overwhelmed with all of the things you need to do accomplish in a day, don’t worry, you’re normal! (That’s why I started drinking after I got started in this industry…just kidding.)
I’m going to share with you some very simple things that you can do right now to help overcome overwhelm during your work day!
Tip #1: Set Your Priorities
When I was a community manager one of the things I did that helped me tremendously was to set aside time both once a week and once a day to set my priorities. During my last hour of work on (most) Fridays I’d look at the calendar for the next week and, on a pad of paper, write down all of the things I needed to accomplish during the week.
So, it might look something like this…
- Send marketing report to corporate-by Monday 3pm
- Call Bill in #1456 Tues morning 10:15-lease renewal
- Order office supplies-Monday morning
- Check and submit payroll-by Tuesday 11am
- Code invoices, send to A/P by Friday 12 noon
- Inspect building H storage room
- Train Kathy from Village Green/telephone skills-Thursday 10-1
Then based on what I’ve outlined as my main priorities for the week I would then break this down by priorities for the day. I would usually do this once a day, right before going home. That way I had my to-do list ready to review when I came back to the work the next day. (In case you’re wondering, I would do Monday’s list on Friday afternoon.)
The Benefit
Overwhelm often happens when you’re trying to do to many things at once! Having your priorities pre-determined makes it easier for you to decide where to focus your attention on, especially when new stuff ends up on your plate and you need to pick what to do next.
Let me give you an example…
Your maintenance technician calls and says you’re running out of doggie bags. You still have some, but he just wanted you to know you’re running low. So, do you order those bags now? That depends. If you have no priority situations that need your attention, then, yeah, order the bags.
However, if a resident is about to come in for a scheduled appointment with you then no, don’t order the bags now! Make a note on your to-do list, determine when would be a good time to order those bags, and then once you’ve written it on the list don’t think about it again until you need to.
Tip #2: Don’t Start a New Task Until You’ve Completed the Old One
As I have been writing this post I have been tempted to take my attention away from completing this post by a bunch of other things. I’m getting email and text notifications, thoughts jump in my mind and I want to go down those rabbit trails etc. You know what I’m talking about! However, I have stayed very focused on completing my task, which is writing this blog.
When you’re presented with a new task that isn’t on your list, compare it with your list and determine if the new task is more urgent than what you’re working on now. If it isn’t, write it down to do later and finish what you started first, before starting something new. I know, I know…it seems so obvious, but how many times have you looked at your computer screen only to see five tabs up all representing different things you’re working on now?
It truly is amazing how much more productive (and less stressed) I’ve become by simply finishing what I start before starting something new. Plus, it feels so good to cross things off my to-do list!
Tip #3: Take Control
That feeling of overwhelm is often fueled by the feeling that you’re not in control of the situation. When you feel the overwhelm starting to build take control-here’s how…
- Pause. Take a few breaths. Take a five minute walk. Grab a cup of coffee. Take a break.
- Remind yourself that you’re in control of what you choose to do and not do.
- How do you decide what to do? Look at your priorities and focus on the most urgent situation first. Everything else will need to take a backseat to the most urgent task you have.
- Ask for guidance! If your boss says you need to get a report completed in an hour, but you have another report you’re working on for her, ask her which one she wants you to complete first. She may have forgotten about the first report-so bring her into the decision making process if needed.
- If other people give you “heat” for the choice you’ve made, allow them to have their opinions, and then explain why you’ve chosen what you’ve chosen.
