Productivity for the perpetually overwhelmed
Do I have what it takes to thrive in a fast-paced environment? Well, yeah, sure. As much as the next person. But this [gestures wildly] isn’t fast-paced, this is the road runner on steroids. It’s warp speed.
We’ve been living in constant crisis mode for years now. Environmental crisis, democracy in crisis, the job market in crisis, and a literal plague are everyday experiences now. And yet we’re supposed to hit the ground running, to have a solution-oriented mindset, to proactively challenge ourselves to be resilient life-long learners with a strong work ethic and excellent time management skills.
Now, my head has been in crisis mode for as long as I can remember. The technical term is depression and anxiety disorder. That may make you think I am less equipped than others to deal with [gestures wildly, again], but in fact it doesn’t.
I’m not going to bore you, saying that my anxious brain is my superpower. But I do know a thing or two about getting things done when you feel overwhelmed. This isn’t my first road runner rodeo.
Let me share with you some skills that I’ve picked up, from therapy, time management books and self-help groups: I will speak about eating frogs and the pomodoro method, caffeinating but not over-caffeinating, pushing through and giving yourself a break; about how I apply them when working in agile, and how I use agile practices to manage my mental health.
We may not be able to slow down this crisis ridden world, but maybe our pulse. Let us thrive, together.