“I feel like my team is in survival mode. We have long days of meetings, and we barely hang on. We don’t often get to the stuff that really matters to us. Is there a way we can thrive?” I was interviewing a team about the most pressing topics they wanted me to facilitate at their upcoming annual retreat, and this was one person’s response. The others in the meeting solemnly nodded.
How many teams are in this situation? Countless? I’ve written a lot about overwhelm, self-care, time management, alignment checks, and more, but I realized I needed to tackle this topic head-on: What does it mean to go from surviving to thriving?
We know what survival is (and you may be doing it right now) – barely getting through the day, maintaining whatever has to get done, inconsistently addressing priorities, and rarely, if ever, doing creative work. I’ve heard it described as being in a swirling washing machine of meetings and people pulling you in different directions.
Thriving is the opposite. It means you are operating with clear, lean priorities and delegating when needed. You focus on priority goals daily, while sustainably maintaining baseline tasks. You feel aligned with yourself and with your team’s strategic goals. You feel a sense of ownership and empowerment. You can incorporate self-care throughout your day. In contrast to a swirling washing machine, thriving feels strong and grounded. There might be moments or days of swirl, but you can always return to your center.
I want you to thrive. I have many reasons why this is incredibly important to me, including but not limited to:
- I don’t want you to suffer needlessly (!)
- The best creative innovation happens with the right amount of good stress, like a challenge or deadline. It doesn’t happen when we feel like we’re drowning.
- The world needs your best self; your gifts, perspective, insight, capacity, intelligence, and wisdom. It’s really hard to give all that when you can barely get through the day!
You may not fully value all that you have to bring, but I do. I know we need you. So I want to support you to thrive.
How do you make the journey from surviving to thriving? In my experience, there can be a lot of variables in the equation depending on your company, role, and situation. But we can establish some foundational perspectives and practices to help you take the first steps.
Part 1: Four Perspective Shifts
- You have choice. Even when you don’t have control over your meeting schedule or the demands on you, you do have a choice about how you think about it, plan, and organize your day, time, and energy.
- You have ownership. Approach your schedule from a perspective of ownership. Acknowledge what you can’t change, and leverage what you can change.
- Clarity is critical. Be clear about your biggest objectives and priorities; orient your day and week towards those.
- Small steps lead to big change. We underestimate what we can accomplish in a year, and overestimate what we can accomplish in a day/week. Don’t try to tackle everything all at once. Even when everything feels urgent, there are shades of gray of urgency; choose the highest priorities to tackle first, then focus on other priorities in the future.
What other perspective shifts help you thrive?
Part 2: Four Foundational Practices
- Ruthless prioritization: Delegate, delay, or delete. Make time to assess your tasks, review them with your manager as needed, and align them with your priorities and objectives.
- Intentionally plan your day and week. Take time on Monday morning to assess your week and plan your schedule based on your goals/priorities and necessary meetings. Revisit and adjust your plan daily.
- Time blocking. Block off time on your calendar for specific tasks that you can complete with minimal interruption or context switching. Examples: Planning, strategy, creating presentations or reports, or project mapping.
- Periodic Alignment Checks. Schedule regular time to step back, perhaps quarterly, to do an alignment check and ask: Are my priorities and objectives still true? Are my days designed to meet those priorities and objectives?
What other practices help you thrive?
Part 3: Honest Self-Assessment
- What new perspectives and tools do you want to adopt to help you thrive more?
- What are your most important contributions (knowledge you share, actions, leadership, etc.)? What is high impact or value? What is most fulfilling?
- What do you want to focus on more?
- What are the tasks you’re currently doing that feel like the lowest impact or value?
- What would you want to delegate, delay, or delete?
- What are some small ways you can take care of yourself throughout the day to feed your mind and energy?
- What morning practices help give you energy and clarity for your day? (Exercise, meditation, breakfast with loved ones, etc.)
- What evening activities help you reset for the following day?
What other illuminating questions would help you thrive?
Part 4: Identify and Take Small, First Next Steps
Change starts with clarity, followed by immediate and sustainable next steps that you consistently build upon. Choose your first steps, then follow through consistently every day.
I hope this helps you realize your fullest potential and thrive!
Know someone in survival mode who is ready to thrive? Please share this with them.
Want to keep exploring your possibilities for thriving? Schedule a chat with me.
More reading on related topics:
Times of Convergence: What To Do When You Can’t Get It All Done
Making Time to Vision and Strategize