5 Ways to Deal with Productivity Curveballs

You’re on an organised roll, you’ve taken the cellophane off a brand-new planner and actually populated it, you’re sticking to your to-do list, you’ve cleared your inbox…but then, BANG, a curveball has just come hurtling into your inbox. What now??

Curveballs have the power to completely undo all best-intentioned productivity, sending us into a spin of anxiety and stress that can quickly overwhelm unless nipped in the bud. Having experienced a few curveballs of our own over the years, we’ve learnt (sometimes the hard way!) how to avoid getting sucked into a productivity vacuum. Here’s our tips for coping and getting back on track:

1. Stop and breathe

Our number one tip is not to freak out as the overwhelming feelings of panic start to set in. Before you cancel all meetings, ping off emails, and ring your Mum to try and persuade her to move in with you for a month…STOP! Make a cup of tea, take a walk, give yourself some space to break down what it is that needs to be done. After a little, calm reflection, you may find this curveball isn’t as big a deal as you thought it was. And if it is, you’ll be much calmer when it comes to making a plan!

2. Do an Urgency Check

Does the curveball need your attention right now or can it wait until you have ticked off some of the tasks you had assigned for the day? It is so easy to get sucked into answering emails the minute they arrive, but more often than not, it is better to stay on track and come back to the issue when you have the headspace and time to deal with it.

3. Re-write Your List

If there’s no doubt you need to deal with the curveball, and immediately, then it is vital to re-frame your day. Dealing with a crisis is not an excuse to abandon organisation! You may need to re-prioritise, push some tasks into the next day or next week, or even delay a meeting.

It is so important that you don’t try to do everything you had already planned to do. This is the quickest way to feeling like a failure, as the goalposts have changed. Attempting to do everything on your list as well as dealing with your curveball is going to be virtually impossible. Ensure you still feel like a winner at the end of the day by setting realistic expectations of yourself.

4. Delegate

Before you start trying to deal with everything on your own, ask yourself who can help? Who can support you? If it is a case of spreading the workload, speak to a member of your team or perhaps put in a call to a trusted freelancer. We ‘Bees’ have a special ability to zoom in and help in this situation! Providing you with the tools, head space or even practical support to bat that curveball aside and get you buzzing about your business again. Or maybe it is time to call in cavalry in the form of mum/neighbour/friend! Giving you a bit more time before the children get home from school to deal with an issue in a calm way.

5. Recognise What You CAN Control

Although curveballs are an inevitable part of life that you nobody can predict or control, there are so many other things that are within your power. You CAN control what you wear, when to arrange a meeting or having a positive attitude. You CAN’T control that snag in your tights, the traffic being awful or how other people react.

When you accept what you CAN and CAN’T control, it is so much easier to focus your energy on solving a problem. So, rather than fretting about what is out of your control, think about what you can change, I promise the result will be a calmer, collected, and more positive way to deal with the inescapable curveballs that get thrown our way.

We really hope our advice will help you take stock before a curveball completely overwhelms, and your amazing planning and organisation goes out the window. Panic is most people’s go to reaction to something unexpected, after all, we’re only human! The most important thing you can do is to think like a ‘Bee’ – get back to your hive, get support from your other bees, and put a plan into action before taking flight. However, if you need some support to get you to this place, we’re only a phone call away, ready to bat that pesky curveball aside for you, so you and your business can get back on track.