When the sky is always falling – fighting catastrophic thinking
May 30, 2024 | George Yang | 1 Comment on When the sky is always falling – fighting catastrophic thinking
A flubbed line during a high-profile presentation, a typo on an email to key stakeholders or a boss’s request for a Monday morning meeting with a subject line of “TBD” can all cause stress, fear and worst-case-scenario thinking, also known as catastrophizing. Dr. Tsasha Awong, an instructor at the G. Raymond Chang School of Continuing […]
Keeping myself organized and having a good understanding of my deadlines definitely help to keep on track in spite of interruptions. Knowing how to diplomatically extricate yourself from an interruption, like a chatty coworker, is helpful as well. Mention an upcoming deadline that you have to get back to or an appointment/meeting that you have to prepare for.
If I have deadline to meet, I will block off in my schedule and even let others know I am not available. Then, I can concentrate on my works without interruptions. I find it works best for me and others.
Thanks for the tip, Maria! 😊
All great ideas. A lot depends on what position you occupy. If your job is straight-up processing, your options for controlling interruptions are different than if you’re a manager, where part of your role is jumping in to assist your team when questions arise. And if you’re ze big boss, it’s that much worse. Here’s a funny take on the general manager’s job description, from my friend Jerry. Two items only: 1) Handles interruptions well, and 2) Other duties as assigned. That is SOOOOOO my life!
I love that job description! My favorite take-away from Leadership Training is the 3 Ds – Delay, Defer and Delegate. I attempt to use the 3 Ds but some issues always require immediate attention.
Oooh, I love yours too! I specialize in Delay & Defer these days. Trying to up my game on Delegate!