INTRODUCTION

Balancing work, research, and meetings can be overwhelming, leading to burnout and affecting students, faculty members, employees, freelancers, and entrepreneurs. In this article, I’ll share my hands-on approach to productivity and the tools and strategies I’ve successfully applied to my personal and academic life. It’s important to note that dedication, determination, and consistency are key to achieving long-lasting results.

As a management consultant and professor, I’ve shared my insights with thousands of professionals and entrepreneurs worldwide through workshops and training courses on planning, time management, and productivity for organizations and institutions in Canada, America, and the Middle East.

RECOGNIZE AND AVOID SETOFFS

A few years ago, I found myself struggling to balance personal commitments, work commitments, and managing an autoimmune disease. I felt like I was being pulled in multiple directions and stretched too thin. As someone who strives for high achievement, I felt like a failure for not being able to manage everything at once. It was overwhelming, and all my triggers were being hit at the same time.

To overcome this, it’s important to identify the specific triggers that make you feel overwhelmed. These triggers may include procrastination, unrealistic goals, overthinking, or challenges in your personal life. Once you have identified these triggers, you can develop effective strategies to manage them. It’s also important to recognize any skills or abilities you may be lacking that could hinder your progress towards achieving your goals.

OVERCOMMITMENT

Stress and overwhelm are frequently caused by over-commitment, which is the most significant contributor to this issue. Many high-achievers are brimming with ideas and goals, which may drive them to take on more responsibilities than they can realistically handle. Nonetheless, accepting too many personal or professional tasks and commitments can result in burnout and a sense of being unbalanced, leading to reduced productivity and poor performance.

UNDERESTIMATING THE TASK

Stress can also stem from underestimating the time and effort required to complete a task or project and having a false assessment of our knowledge, skills, and abilities. For example, grading students’ assignments involves more than just reading them; it requires thoughtful comments and engaging in a conversation with students. Similarly, synthesizing core ideas from a paper requires a different approach than reading a novel on a subway ride.

To avoid overwhelm, it’s essential to consider the entire life cycle of the project at hand, not just individual tasks, and allocate sufficient time accordingly, develop a prioritization system, learn to say no to non-essential tasks, break down complex projects into manageable tasks, and create a realistic schedule. These are all crucial steps towards achieving success without becoming stressed or overwhelmed.

COUNTERPRODUCTIVE PRACTICES

Self-care is often overlooked, leading to unhealthy boundaries and neglecting essential practices like diet, sleep, and breaks. Managing time, energy, and focus is crucial to combat daily requests, emails, and junk food. Academic overwhelm can result from email overload and open communication channels. Incorporating self-care can be challenging if not practiced earlier in life. Learning to manage emails effectively by checking them at preplanned times and avoiding them in the morning can help. Prioritizing planning and daily yoga instead of social media and email checking can lead to a healthier lifestyle and increased productivity.

YOUR TURN ….

Now, I ask you to identify the root causes of your experience overwhelmed. Is it overcommitment, underestimating the task, competing goals, lack of a support system, physical limitation, or other causes?

Also, consider some strategies to help you deal with these causes. For example, you might need to learn to establish boundaries, create a daily schedule, and prioritize your most critical tasks.

YOUR ‘GOALS LADDER’

As a firm believer in the power of goal setting, I advocate for a holistic goal-setting system that incorporates strategic goals, interim goals, and daily tasks. This approach is especially important for professionals who often have to balance multiple responsibilities and commitments such as work, projects, studying, networking, career development, personal life, and health and well-being. Juggling all of these areas simultaneously can be overwhelming, but mastering them is essential for achieving success both on the personal and professional levels.

One effective tool to help you synchronize long-term goals with short-term goals and gain a bird’s eye view of your life is the ‘Goals Ladder.’ The Goals Ladder allows you to identify priorities and create an action plan to achieve success in all areas of your life, including academic, professional, and personal domains. By breaking down your goals into smaller, actionable steps, you can move closer to achieving your long-term objectives while staying focused on your daily tasks. This way, you will manage your responsibilities and achieve success in all areas of your life, leading to greater fulfillment and satisfaction.

YOUR PERSONAL STRATEGIC PLAN

When I was 13 years old, I wrote down 20-year goals on a piece of paper, which served as my compass in life. As I grew older, I learned more sophisticated approaches borrowed from the business, management, and project management fields. I began writing my Personal Strategic Plan, starting with a five-year plan that later became an annual plan, but I still referred to it as my Personal Strategic Plan.

To create your own Personal Strategic Plan, it’s important to include both a personal vision and mission statement. These statements serve as the overarching direction for your life and provide a sense of purpose.

Additionally, conducting a self-assessment to gauge your satisfaction in various areas of your life is crucial. These assessments can include categories such as health and well-being, relationships, career and professional life, finance and financial freedom, leisure and fun, and spirituality. You can use different tools like questionnaires or the famous Life-Wheel exercise to help you assess your satisfaction levels.

Through this self-assessment, you’ll be able to see the big picture of your life and set long-term goals for your next stage of life. Moreover, it will help you identify the relationship between the triggers or setoffs you have identified earlier and the level of satisfaction you feel in a particular area of your life. Ultimately, by creating a Personal Strategic Plan and conducting regular self-assessments, you can chart your path toward a fulfilling and purposeful life.

SETTING YOUR SHORT-TERM GOALS

After determining the direction and what you desire for your life, represented by the long-term goals related to the different components you included in your personal strategic plan, you can now work on your short-term goals.

THE ‘CSMARTER’ FRAMEWORK

Setting goals is essential for personal and professional growth in today’s fast-paced world. However, setting goals alone isn’t enough. To be successful, goals need to be SMART – Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Time-bound. But what if we told you there’s an even more robust framework for setting goals that I designed? Meet CSMARTER – a goal-setting framework I created that adds additional components to SMART goals – Challenging, Exciting, and Real You.

Let’s dive into each component of the CSMARTER framework in detail:

C: Challenging

A goal that isn’t challenging enough can be uninspiring and unfulfilling. However, it’s crucial to ensure that your goal is achievable. A challenging goal motivates and drives you towards achieving it. It helps you step out of your comfort zone, develop new skills, and grow as an individual.

S: Specific

A specific goal is clear and well-defined. It answers the questions of what, why, and how. A specific goal gives you direction and focus. It helps you determine what actions you need to take to achieve your desired outcome.

M: Measurable

A measurable goal has a specific metric attached to it. It allows you to track progress and determine if you’re on track to achieve your goal. Measuring your goal also helps you identify what’s working and what needs improvement.

A: Attainable

An attainable goal is realistic and achievable. Setting a goal that challenges you but is also attainable is essential. Setting unattainable goals can lead to frustration and disappointment.

R: Relevant

A relevant goal aligns with your values, priorities, and long-term vision. It should be relevant to your personal or professional growth. A relevant goal motivates and inspires you to work towards achieving it.

T: Time-bound

A time-bound goal has a specific deadline attached to it. It creates a sense of urgency and helps you stay focused and on track. A time-bound goal also allows you to break down your goal into smaller, manageable tasks.

E: Exciting

An exciting goal is something that motivates and excites you. It’s a goal that ignites passion and enthusiasm within you. An exciting goal gives you a sense of purpose and fulfilment.

R: Real You

A goal that’s authentic to your true self is a goal that aligns with your core values, strengths, and interests. A goal that’s not authentic to your true self can lead to feelings of dissatisfaction and unfulfillment.

From experience, I find the CSMARTER framework a powerful tool for setting meaningful and fulfilling goals more than the ever-popularized SMART framework. By incorporating the additional components of challenging, exciting and real you, you can ensure that your goals are achievable and authentic to your true self but also pushes you out of your comfort zone. It’s important to remember that setting goals is not enough. It’s equally important to take action towards achieving them and maintain your motivation along the way.

THE 90-DAYS GOALS

We began by understanding your vision for the year and establishing long-term goals. Now, we need to break them down into smaller, achievable short-term goals. The question arises: what should be the timeframe for these short-term goals? In various sectors such as academia, business, and even in the cycles of the universe, time is divided into smaller cycles of years, quarters, and months. To make the goal-setting process more effective, let’s adopt the 90-day goal system, which is widely used across various sectors.

Once you have identified your goals, it’s time to create action plans that break them down into actionable steps. Identify specific tasks that need to be accomplished, and set a deadline for each task. By doing this, you will have a clear roadmap of what needs to be done and by when. This will also help you track your progress towards achieving your goals, which is an essential step in achieving them.

PRIORITIZE … PRIORITIZE … PRIORITIZE!

Prioritizing your goals, projects, and tasks is crucial, ensuring you focus on what matters most. As you work through your action plans, make sure to celebrate your progress and adjust your plans as needed. Make sure that all the tasks in your list connect to your overall goals; this way, you will synchronize your long-term vision and your goals with your daily actions, and it is not just to add more to-do’s or try out a new productivity fad. Prioritizing your tasks allows you to make space for what matters most.

MANAGE YOUR RESOURCES

Now that we know what to do, then we need to think of how we will do it. Consider what and whom you might need to help you. So, think of the resources you will need, human, financial, and physical resources, as well as the skill set and learning you need to acquire to perform the tasks that will eventually lead to achieving your goals.

So, for each task, list the resources you need, such as a reviewer to review your draft, data to collect, software to analyze the data, learn how to use the software, or funds to apply to a certain organization or take an exam.

ACCOUNTABILITY LASTS, BUT MOTIVATION FADES

It’s important to have accountability for your goals. If you depend on motivation, you will write on sand, but if you focus on accountability and discipline, you are carving on stone.

Whether you share your plan with a friend, have monthly meetings with a mentor, or report your progress to your boss or team, you must think of strategies to establish accountability toward your goals.

Accountability, in fact, could be done in a fun way. Celebrating progress and accomplishments is also a form of establishing accountability. Set milestones, reward yourself, and share the good news with someone who will be excited and happy for you.

RECLAIM YOUR SANITY WITH WEEKLY MINI-PLANNING SESSIONS

Academics often prioritize others’ requests over their own projects, leading to a feeling of unproductivity. To combat this, weekly planning sessions are a powerful tool. It’s important to integrate personal and professional priorities, communicate plans effectively, and schedule time for planning sessions. During these sessions, focus on tasks that align with your 90-day goals, make specific bite-size goals, and check for recurring or non-recurring events. Use your calendar to block specific time slots for tasks and define negotiables and non-negotiables according to your priorities while also prioritizing health and well-being. The aim is to organize your schedule, reclaim your time and energy, and ignite motivation.

STREAMLINE YOUR DAILY ACTIVITIES

To effectively execute your 90-day goals and weekly plan, it’s important to plan your day in advance according to your weekly schedule. Plan your daily tasks the evening before, taking into account your energy levels throughout the day, commitments, and scheduled events. For example, if you are most focused and energized in the mornings, schedule tasks that require more energy and focus at that time, and move other tasks to the evenings. It’s also important to prioritize tasks based on their importance and urgency using tools like the Eisenhower matrix.

Determine and schedule work sessions during the day with frequent breaks. You can also utilize time management techniques like time blocking, Pomodoro technique, or the 2-minute rule can also be helpful. To enhance your concentration and efficiency during work sessions, you can establish a particular routine. My personal routine entails setting intentions, gathering required materials, setting a timer, and reflecting on my progress.

Reflecting on your accomplishments at the end of the day and assessing your progress toward your goals can help you adjust your plans accordingly and keep you motivated. Jotting down your daily tasks and considering any help you may need can also help you be more productive, pace your progress, manage your time and energy effectively, and avoid burning out.

USE A HYBRID TIME MANAGEMENT SYSTEM

While digital tools like project management systems and calendars can help track progress, planning, and decision-making may be easier to do on paper. Using both paper and digital tools can provide the best of both worlds: the ability to see all ideas laid out on paper and make quick decisions, as well as quick and easy access to digital calendars and tracking sources to stay on top of commitments.

BE ACCOUNTABLE

Setting goals is a critical step in avoiding feeling overwhelmed, reducing stress, and achieving success. But it is equally important to have accountability to achieve them. There are three research-based ways to gain accountability: providing incentives, raising the stakes, and finding an accountability partner.

Incentives and rewards can help motivate you to complete your goals. For example, you can set aside some extra money towards a dream vacation as a reward for achieving significant milestones. Creating consequences for yourself can also raise the stakes, but they do not have to be negative. Lastly, having an accountability partner can be very effective. This could be someone who is working towards a similar goal or someone who can check in with you and ensure that you are on track. It could be a family member, a friend, or even a professional coach.

BE REALISTIC

Accountability can be practiced through setting clear boundaries, managing our time effectively, prioritizing our commitments based on our personal goals and objectives, and being realistic when we respond to requests or commitments. You need to evaluate each request carefully and consider whether it aligns with your existing priorities and commitments. Create buffers within your schedule and remove you from non-essential activities that are not central to your job and your life priorities. Saying no to a request does not mean it is unworthy or unimportant, and we can renegotiate our boundaries and needs with our family or colleagues to seek support during busy periods. Declining an offer while taking responsibility and expressing gratitude for the opportunity, acknowledges our current inability to commit without offending other people.

ACHIEVING A FULFILLING WORK-LIFE BALANCE

Achieving a work-life balance can be challenging but not impossible. To achieve balance, one must focus on overall well-being, including physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual needs. Taking breaks and resting when needed is as important as prioritizing work and recreation, allowing energy to ebb and flow. Rewarding oneself for hard work and progress is also crucial in maintaining motivation and preventing burnout.

It is important to track resources, including finances, to support a healthy lifestyle and reflect on what practices maintain well-being. Having a mentor can also help with goal setting and provide support. By viewing rest, work, and recreation as interdependent components of a healthy lifestyle, it is possible to maintain a fulfilling personal life while pursuing a successful career.

LAST WORDS …

It is very important to establish a flexible system that allows making changes and adjustments as needed to achieve goals according to the life stage we are in and allow for what is most important to take precedence.

By Dr. Hanan