Don't Panic! Don't Panic!

Growing up, I watched a sitcom called Dad’s Army, which revolved around a troop of Home Guard soldiers during the Second World War.

One of the characters, Lance Corporal Jones, had a catchphrase, “Don’t panic! Don’t panic.” While at the same time doing just that, panicking. It was hilarious and left its mark on me by demonstrating that panicking is the last thing you should do when faced with a challenge.

How often do you find yourself looking at your task list and feeling a sense of anxiety or even panic wash over you? There’s too much to do and too little time to do it. Then, rushing around, panicking about how you will get everything done before the day ends.

Panicking and worrying, as Corporal Jones’s character illustrated, doesn’t get things done. It does the reverse. It causes you to freeze, and rather than choose what to do calmly and thoughtfully, you choose the easiest or loudest task to do.

When that sense of anxiety or panic sets in, the one thing you should do is likely to be the last thing you want to do. Stop.

Stop, take a deep breath, and look at what’s on your plate. Perhaps get a piece of paper and write out all the things you think you have to do right now and then highlight the ones you need to do in the next hour or two. You’ll instantly get a sense of relief; better than that, you will have something productive to do for the next two hours.

What can you do in the long term?

You will not be able to completely prevent being deluged with tasks from time to time. That is an inevitable part of living and working today. Expectations are high, and we’ve grown used to getting things instantly. However, there are a number of things you can do to help minimise the chances of becoming overwhelmed in the first place.

Do a weekly plan.

It’s surprising the number of people who don’t do this consistently. It’s possibly the best weapon you have against becoming swamped with work. No pilot would go on a flight without a flight plan. No doctor would perform surgery without a plan. Why do you think you are any different?

Having a plan for the week ensures you have sufficient time to work on the things that matter and work proactively instead of reactively.

No plan will ever go exactly as you imagined. Far too many unknowns come up each week. A plan gives you some valuable time to stop, look ahead, and anticipate what needs to be done and what potential issues may arise. It also helps to keep your days realistic.

Be very clear about what you are employed to do.

If you are unclear about your core work, you will end up “volunteering” for work you were not employed to do.

The work you were employed to do must take priority over everything else while at work. If not, you will find yourself doing work that neither enhances your career prospects nor performance reviews.

Salespeople who sell the most get the rewards. Salespeople with the best admin don’t. A salesperson’s core work is to sell, not to have impeccable admin. While admin still needs to be done, it should never be at the expense of selling.

When I was a salesperson, my colleague Claire was brilliant at selling. As soon as the morning meeting was over, she’d rush back to her desk and pick up the phone. For the next two hours, she’d be calling prospects, following up, and arranging appointments.

On the other hand, I would tidy my desk and check the showroom to ensure all the cars were clean and the outside cars were lined up correctly.

Claire sold twice as many cars as I did. I once complained to my boss that Claire never helped keep the showroom clean and tidy, and my boss replied, “I don’t give a s**t. She sells cars!” Okay, lesson learned.

Claire also got more days off and could go home earlier than the rest of the team. She’d reach her weekly target by Wednesday, and the boss was happy for her to take an extra day off if she needed it.

By remaining focused on her core work, Claire never became overwhelmed or felt the need to “volunteer” for other work.

Take the rough with the smooth.

No day or week will ever go smoothly. Things go wrong, mistakes happen, and emergencies crop up. This does not mean you need to panic. Instead, deal with the problem before you and then return to your plan.

If you need to reschedule some of your work for another day, accept that. It may not be ideal, but it’s your only option. Complaining about it will not make it disappear. Complaining will only stop you from getting back on track.

Other factors may slow you down, too. A lack of sleep, an argument with your partner or a sick child. All of these will quickly derail you. You cannot plan for everything. Yet, having a plan does give you a sense of purpose and a way back once whatever is distracting you has been dealt with.

If you want to remain focused on your work and have more time for the things you want time for, never panic when things go wrong, as they inevitably will. Instead, stop, take a few minutes to look at the bigger picture of what you want to accomplish, and get back on track.

Thank you for reading my stories! 😊

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