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Many of my clients report feeling scattered as they navigate their day in the role of CEO/firefighter. Their to-do lists are never-ending.

Will better priority management and more effective organizational systems improve productivity? Probably. The deeper transformation, however, comes from the spirit one brings to work. That鈥檚 why this column explores how you might de-stress in the chaos, not at some magical moment when you catch up.

Slow down to get ahead

Consider the very act of being present, doing the work, as an exercise in honing your craft. Bring your attention to the task at hand, and you鈥檒l find that your productivity explodes! You create a space of being in the 鈥渇low.鈥� I invite you to actually enjoy the work; fall in love with the process, and not just the reward of getting things accomplished.

Our frustrations stem from wanting more control than we need or can possibly have. Perhaps you find yourself annoyed or anxious when something goes awry. Staying curious can turn an obstacle on its head, making it an opportunity to exercise your problem-solving skills as well as to learn and teach.

Time management experts suggest carving out 25 minutes of focused work (the Pomodoro Technique). It鈥檚 enough time to get some traction, but not an overwhelming amount of time where your attention and discipline might slip. The feeling of being focused, on top of things and getting traction on the right things will unequivocally propel you forward. Try 25; you鈥檒l be amazed at what you can accomplish.

Stress is ubiquitous

Where does yours spike? Is it when you鈥檙e not clear about what to do next, or feel you have too many balls in the air, irons in the fire and people to please? In your attempt to be responsive to your customers or your colleagues, do you treat everything as if it needs to get done now? Knowing the source of your stress 鈥� whether it鈥檚 internal or external, real or fabricated 鈥� is vital in coming up with a strategy to tame the chaos.

Now to go from chaos to clarity, consider the following:

Remember your why

Tap into what you鈥檙e good at, what fuels your passion, and why you are doing what you鈥檙e doing. Simon Sinek鈥檚 provocative TED Talk, 鈥淗ow Great Leaders Inspire Action,鈥� tells us that we need to think, act and communicate from the inside out. He provides biological reasons for what drives our human behavior. Motivation is not necessarily in what you do or how you do it, but why. What鈥檚 your why?

Prioritize

This is not new advice, yet we are resistant to clarifying our top priorities. I suspect that鈥檚 because in truly saying 鈥測es鈥� to certain things, we have to say 鈥渘o鈥� to others. When I perform organizational assessments I interview team members and ask the questions, 鈥淲hat do you see as the organization鈥檚 top priorities? Your department鈥檚 priorities? Your priorities?鈥� The responses are highly illuminating, and rarely congruent.

When there is lack of alignment about priorities, resources cannot possibly be efficiently or effectively channeled. Check out Stephen Covey鈥檚 鈥�4 Principles of Execution鈥� in the 鈥淲hirlwind鈥� video. It provides good guidance on having clear, definable goals to unify the team amid daily distractions.

Declutter and develop routines

From a clean desk to a well-structured system of information and project management, decluttering and organizing can clear away resistance to starting a project. As for the tools you use, the 鈥渕agic鈥� is in actually using them! Structure your day in a new way 鈥� define your daily priorities, time block, use your systems, and at the end of the day review your accomplishments, update your project management tools and clean your desk. These new rituals can reduce the sense of being overwhelmed, making a more serene environment in which to get things done.

Give up the pursuit of perfectionism

It鈥檚 unachievable and unhealthy. It limits your productivity, creativity, freedom and your willingness to experiment with new ideas. You can still strive for excellence, but let go of the impossible. Perfectionism is a common crutch that perpetuates procrastination and stress while stealing from the fun! If, as a leader, you are not willing to make mistakes, you will sabotage your culture. People will be overly cautious and not take initiative if they interpret that mistakes are not tolerated.

Develop a mantra

A mantra guides your thinking and drives how you show up in your world. How we choose to interact with stress greatly affects our state of mind and our ability to be effective. I have a client, a lover of roller coasters, who when times get tough, smiles, throws her hands in the air and exclaims, 鈥淎rms Up!鈥� It is her way of saying 鈥測es鈥� to the challenges in front of her. She knows how to channel inevitable intensity into an attitude of excitement and possibility.

Movement

Exercise can be the best anecdote to cut through the mounting chaos. Just like a good night鈥檚 sleep, a good workout can infuse your day with renewed energy and new perspective. Even when things feel urgent, you鈥檒l find if you create time for movement (a walk, run, bike ride, workout), you create more space and clearer thinking to produce even better results.

Take the K Challenge:

Are you ready to tame the chaos? Take one thing from this column that resonates with you. Start practicing today. Make a choice for a saner, more productive and more enjoyable experience of your professional world. Function from the 鈥渨hy鈥� and bring back the fun!

Karen Natzel is a business therapist who helps leaders create healthy, vibrant and high-performing organizations. Contact her at 503-806-4361 or [email protected].