00:01 - Dr. Angela Buckley (None)
Are you an aspiring leader who knows you have more to offer but you can't seem to get ahead? Do you frequently feel overwhelmed and under-supported? Listen to the Overcome to Become podcast as we talk about actionable tasks and mindsets that you can apply to begin leading yourself. Hi, I'm Dr Angela Buckley, your host and author of the Strength in Nature Leadership Series and Likeable Leadership Reflection Journals. I'm a mother, consultant, triathlete and coach In Overcome to Become. I share with you the science-backed and experienced proven lessons I've learned in my own leadership journey to beat burnout.
00:37
Welcome back to Overcome to Become, the podcast that empowers you to transform challenges into opportunities for growth. I'm your host, dr Angela Buckley, and this season we're diving deep into strategies for overcoming overwhelm with a focused mindset. In our last episodes, we explored the four Ds do, delegate, delay and delete and today we'll be building on these concepts by introducing the Eisenhower Matrix, a powerful tool for prioritization that will help you decide what truly needs your attention. We'll also discuss how emotional, health and cultural factors influence what we deem important. So let's get started. The Eisenhower Matrix basically has two axes. One talks about urgent or not important urgent and the other is importance or not important. So when you take these two matrices, you're going to get four quadrants and what they end up being is urgent and important. These are the tasks that you need to do immediately. Then you have not urgent but important, and these are tasks you should schedule to ensure that they are getting done. Third, you have urgent but not important. These are tasks that you should delegate whenever possible, and not urgent and not important. These are tasks you should consider eliminating. So let's take a look at each one of these tasks you should consider eliminating. So let's take a look at each one of these. If you recognize from the other day we were talking about do delegate, delete, delay, and these are the same quadrants, but we're going to just look at them a little bit differently and how we talk about urgent and important, to kind of define them and help us make some business decisions or life decisions that focus on that.
02:29
So quadrant one most important is your urgent and important. These are the tasks that require immediate attention. They are crises or pressing issues that cannot be ignored. An example might be a deadline-driven project or an unexpected emergency. What would be an example in your day-to-day life? Trying to get out the door, you absolutely have to know where your car keys are. But you can reduce that urgency by making sure that you're always putting your car keys in the right place. It's still urgent and it's still important for you to get to work on time and have those car keys, but you've eliminated all the stress of finding them if they're always in the right place.
03:17
In quadrant two tasks that are important but not urgent. This is where strategic planning happens. Activities here contribute to long-term goals like professional development, relationship building and personal well-being. These tasks are crucial for your success, but can be easily overlooked if you don't schedule time for them. I like to talk about laundry. Laundry is something that needs to be scheduled and it's something that needs to be done. It is definitely important, but if you keep up with it, it is not urgent. It is only when you get behind or you have specific deadlines that it becomes urgent. What are you doing to make sure that you put things in the important but not urgent category? By not procrastinating or by making sure that they get done on a regular basis in order to keep your stress levels under control?
04:12
And then we move on to quadrant three. This one includes tasks that are urgent but not important. There are often interruptions or requests from others that require your immediate attention but don't significantly contribute to your goals. Consider delegating these tasks whenever possible. Let's revisit that conversation about laundry. Do you have to do that? There are occasions where you may be the only person in the area that has that skill set, but what are you doing to make sure you get that into an area where you can delegate it so that the next people do have that skill set? Who are the people that are a part of your community and are on your team that are helping you move things from urgent but not important and making sure that they're staying in the quadrants where they belong right? Understanding how the interaction between these quadrants can help you, help your team, help you overcome this overwhelm, is very, very important, and that's one reason why we talk about coaching.
05:20
When we talk about working through these things, it's not always as simple as putting it on paper. Our goal is to move things from these quadrants that are so urgent and so important that you are the only person that can do them correctly. We're going to give you those skill sets to move things into other categories so that you can, in fact, reduce your overwhelm. And then we have the fourth quadrant, which consists of tasks that are neither urgent nor important, and these are often distractions or time wasters, and minimizing them can free up your time for more meaningful activities. Let's delve deeper into how emotional health and culture can influence our perception of what is important.
06:07
Emotional health plays a significant role in decision making. When we're stressed or overwhelmed, everything can feel urgent and important, making it difficult to prioritize effectively. To combat this, it's essential to maintain a healthy emotional state. Practices such as mindfulness, regular exercise and proper rest can enhance our ability to discern what truly matters. Rest can enhance our ability to discern what truly matters. Being in tune with our emotions, we can help evaluate tasks for their real significance rather than our perceived urgency. This is one reason why you hear me talking so frequently about taking that 20-minute walk in nature. It helps us regulate our emotions. It is a calm activity. It gives us an opportunity to meditate and reflect on what's going on. It is also a regular exercise, so you're getting so many benefits associated with walking that can really help your basic emotional state, and that outdoor time also leads to a reduced stress rate, which will allow you to sleep better. So making sure that we incorporate 20 minutes of walking, preferably in nature and outdoors, into our everyday routine will truly help us find more time for the other activities that can be more stressful.
07:33
The other thing that we want to look at as well is cultural factors, and how do these play a role in what we prioritize and how we prioritize? What might be a top priority in one culture might be less significant in another. Cultural background influences how we view tasks and responsibilities, so it's crucial to consider these perspectives, especially working in diverse teams, and especially when you're trying to figure out where is your fit. Do you fit within your current culture? Is there something else that you want to do? What is something that worked for a previous generation but may not be working for you? By truly taking the time to identify what your current values are not values that have been assigned to you you are going to be able to understand what the source of overwhelm is and that source of busyness is. So take a look at what the cultural factors are that are impacting your decisions. Remember what's important to you may not hold the same value for someone else, and that's okay. The key is to understand your own goals and values clearly. This ensures that your decisions are aligned with your priorities and not dictated by those external pressures.
08:50
As you begin to apply the Eisenhower Matrix in your life, expect to refine and adjust your understanding of urgency and importance continually. The process of prioritization is dynamic, influenced by changes in your goals, responsibilities and circumstances. And before we wrap up, here's an exercise: Take a moment after this episode to list your tasks and place them into the Eisenhower Matrix, notice where you spend most of your time and see if adjustments can help you focus on what truly matters. Thank you for joining me on this journey through the Eisenhower Matrix and understanding how our perceptions of importance can influence our stress levels and productivity. In our next episode, we're going to delve even deeper into the mental strategies for dealing with overwhelm. Please subscribe, leave a review and share this podcast with anyone who may benefit. Remember, effective prioritization is about making thoughtful choices that align with your inner values and goals. Until next time, stay focused, stay balanced and keep moving forward. Tune in next time as we continue to explore actionable strategies for overcoming overwhelm. Hey, it would be really helpful if you subscribed and left a review on Apple, amazon or Spotify. Share this episode with anyone you think may benefit. Remember, small steps lead to big changes and you have the power to turn moments of overwhelm into opportunities for growth. Until next time, take care and keep moving forward.
10:21
Listen, are you a parent, professional or entrepreneur feeling buried under an avalanche of responsibilities? Do you wake up exhausted, wondering how you're going to make it through just another day? Well, you're not alone and I would like to introduce you to our signature course Overcome the Overwhelm. It's a transformational course designed to help you beat burnout and reclaim your life. Imagine trading constant anxiety for calm confidence. Imagine replacing guilt over unfinished tasks with pride in your accomplishments, and imagine what it would feel like to swap those feelings of inadequacy for a strong sense of purpose. Join us and learn the mental mindset and the practical strategies to overcome overwhelm. Don't let burnout rob you of your potential. It's time to overcome and become the person you were meant to be. You can visit us at www.strengthinnature.com or text me directly at area code 614-285-7551. Your transformation journey starts today.
11:29
You've just listened to another episode of Overcome to Become. Thank you for joining me, Angela Buckley, your host, as we explored actions and mindsets to overcome the overwhelm and beat burnout. Did you know that when you learn to lead yourself, you can effectively learn to lead others. You can apply these skills in your home, at work and in the community. If you'd like to learn more, join us in the Strength in Nature Learning Academy. We are currently featuring the Overcome the Overwhelm course with a 20% off coupon code OTB2024. That's valid until the end of 2024. You can join me in my community at www.strengthennature.com and on Instagram at creatively efficient. Thanks for listening. I look forward to hearing from you soon.
