By Carey Nieuwhof: I’m guessing you probably feel busier than ever.

Almost every leader I talk to does.

Dealing with an overwhelming, never-ending list of responsibilities was a problem long before the global disruption of 2020-2021. The disruption made it even more complicated and intense.

The pandemic introduced a strange paradox into our lives. As Adam Grant points out in this widely-circulated article, the pandemic gave us more time as the world shut down, but left us feeling overwhelmed, dealing with grief and this feeling he identifies as ‘languishing’.

Often I find if I can identify why I’m feeling a certain way, it can help alleviate the problem.

After all, it’s hard to solve a problem you don’t understand.

Naming a problem is the first step toward fixing it.

So, here’s the question: why do you feel so busy?

Here are some non-obvious reasons.

It’s hard to solve a problem you don’t understand.

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1.  The Crisis Destroyed Your Methods 

The first thing to die in a crisis is your methods. The mission continues, but the methods got destroyed.

You couldn’t open for in-person gatherings.
Suddenly you’re leading a remote team.
You’re not just a parent, you’re now a teacher.
Live events suddenly became a thing of the past.

And even as things reopen, it’s not the same. Live events are still wobbly. Some people are raring to go, others are more reticent.

Pre-pandemic, most of us had rhythms and methods that, while perhaps not ideal, gave us a sense of security and predictability.

Even if they weren’t perfect, you knew what to do.

The pandemic blew those methods up overnight.

The pain of the moment we’re in is that it’s not what it was and isn’t yet what it will be.

The in-between creates chaos that’s beyond your control.

The pain of the moment we’re in is that it’s not what it was and isn’t yet what it will be.

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2. Your Mind Doesn’t Really Turn Off Anymore

Adding to the chaos is that the future is still unknown and uncertain.

Of course, it’s always been that way (does anyone really know the future?). But in a more stable period, there was a predictability to life and leadership that’s just absent now.

The unknownness of tomorrow forces leaders into a state of constant mental chaos,  asking questions for which there are no clear answers and having to change plans regularly.

The mental load you carry as a result means it’s hard to turn off your brain or get away from the crisis.

Even if you’re not working as many hours as you were a year ago, your mind is always working. And when you’re mind is always working, you’re working.

Even if you’re not working as many hours as you were a year ago, your mind is always working. And when you’re mind is always working, you’re working.

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3. Your Home And Pocket Are Also Your Office

The working from home shift disrupted the boundaries between work and life in a profound way.

But long before the pandemic, your home and pocket were increasingly becoming your office anyway.

You used to go to the office, but thanks to technology, the office goes to you.

You used to go to the office, but thanks to technology, the office goes to you.

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Between your laptop, tablet, and phone, work follows you everywhere.

If you’re a knowledge worker, you know that your work is never really done anyway. When have you done enough customer service, team development, product improvement, pastoral care? Correct…never. These are all infinite games.

So your work is never really done.

Add to that the fact that you can now do your work anywhere and you have a toxic cocktail indeed.

The ability to work from anywhere at any time leaves a lot of people feeling like they’re never really on and never really off. You’re taking breaks mid-day to make lunch for the kids or sweep the floor, and answering email at 10 p.m.

No wonder you feel like you’re never done, because you aren’t.

The ability to work from anywhere at any time leaves a lot of people feeling like they’re never really on and never really off.

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4. Inbound Messages Are At An All-Time High

I’m old enough to remember when you had one inbox.

At first, it was snail mail, and maybe you got a few pieces of mail a day. Or not.

In the 90s, email arrived and added a new inbox. In 1996, I think I got about 4-10 emails a day. Rather manageable.

Last year I counted up my inboxes. I have 11. Between social media inboxes, text messages, and a few email accounts, I have over 11 different channels people can use to message me.

Which means pretty much every time I look at my phone, someone is messaging me.

The thing about technology is that messages are always sent at the convenience of the sender, not at the convenience of the recipient, which deepens the sense of overwhelm you have because there’s rarely a time when someone isn’t trying to get your attention or ask you about something.

For me, that’s meant choosing a few inboxes in which I’ll be active while ignoring others (I realize that’s not for everyone).

It’s also meant deciding that I won’t always respond when the message comes in but instead when I’m ready and focused to respond.

Obviously, for a few people, I do respond right away.

Here’s my rule: the depth of relationship should determine the depth and speed of your response.

What does that mean? It means my family, team, and perhaps very closest friends get a near-immediate response. Others get a response later when I’m out of my most productive zone or finished down time.

The depth of relationship should determine the depth and speed of your response.

The depth of relationship should determine the depth and speed of your response.

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5. Too Much Task-Switching

Cal Newport argues, persuasively in my view, that our minds were not designed to switch constantly between tasks.

Constantly checking email, toggling between Slack and the project you’re working on, and pausing to answer texts and take phone calls distracts you to the point where you can’t really focus enough to accomplish deep work.

Or as Cal Newport put it, “Slack built the right tool for the wrong way to work’ (he explains why here).

I know on days where I’m toggling many things, I can often put in eight or ten hours and feel like I’ve accomplished nothing at all.

The antidote to constant task-switching is to create deep periods of uninterrupted focus in your work.

Your brain needs to focus to produce quality work and, ultimately, a good quantity of work over time.

For me, that’s mean almost all notifications have been off on all my devices for years, and hours of time-blocked space most days with no or very few interruptions.

6. You’ve Forgotten That Busyness Is a Choice

This is a hard one for me, but the truth is that busyness is a choice.

You’re as busy as you want to be. No more, no less.

Most days this is hard to remember. The vortex of busyness draws you in deeply and regularly.

A few days ago I was on my front porch early in the morning while the sun rose and I listened to the birds. They weren’t rushed at all. Nor were the trees, or the grass. Or the sky.

The chaos I feel is, for the most part, internally generated.

I’m as busy as I want to be.

So are you.

Busyness is a choice. You’re as busy as you want to be.

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What Should You Do?

Obviously, this isn’t a state most of us want to live in, but we get drawn into it again and again.

There are some strategies I’ve found that have helped me greatly and helped many others.

If you’re looking for a solution to chronic busyness and stress, let me invite you to sign up for my email list today.

Starting tomorrow, I’m giving some exclusive opportunities on how to become more productive and a chance to join a live coaching call with me to my email subscribers.

You’ll join over 80,000 leaders who will all be focusing on getting more productive all week.

Heres’ the link.

Any Other Non-Obvious Reasons?

What other non-obvious reasons do you see for the chronic busyness that’s invaded most leaders’ lives?

Scroll down and leave a comment!

The post Some Non-Obvious Reasons You Feel Busier Than Ever appeared first on CareyNieuwhof.com.

Source: Some Non-Obvious Reasons You Feel Busier Than Ever

The post Some Non-Obvious Reasons You Feel Busier Than Ever appeared first on Passion for Planting.

by unSeminary: How do you start your morning as a church leader?

What happens in the first hour of your day that sets up where the rest of your day goes?

Have you ever wondered how highly effective ministry leaders begin their mornings?

Today on the unSeminary podcast we dive deep with Carey Nieuwhof, Jenni Catron, Dan Reiland, and Kadi Cole on how they kick off their days, and how you can launch your days more effectively.

Carey Nieuwhof – Pastor, Author and Leadership Expert. // The night before, Carey pays attention to what his upcoming day will look like so he is aware of what he’ll need for the day ahead and how to manage his energy. This starts most importantly with examining how much sleep he’ll need to feel good and have the mental clarity to tackle the tasks ahead. He aims for 2-3 hours of deep sleep each night and pays attention to anything that could disrupt that time from eating a large meal late at night to exercising in the evening or having an early morning flight the next day (which he tries to avoid). Most mornings Carey doesn’t set an alarm, allowing his body to determine when he needs to wake up. Once he’s up, the first thing he does each day is have his devotional time, usually for thirty to sixty minutes. This sets the course for his day. He also does some gratitude journaling as well as writing out things that may be frustrating him at the time, which helps him work through these situations while seeking to be thankful in all things. From here Carey moves into his day to start creative work whether it’s book writing, sermon prep, creating blog posts or so on.Jenni Catron – Leadership Expert and Founder of 4Sight Group. // Jenni’s morning routine is very important to her because she’s an introvert with a very extroverted job. Whether she’s meeting with clients or speaking at an event, her time in the morning sets the tone for the day and gives her the energy she needs for her work. It can be hard to fit everything in that she wants to do to prep for her morning, so Jenni gets up at 5am and spends about an hour and a half having devotional time and reading scripture followed by reading leadership development resources. Next Jenni shifts into her workout routine and finally showering and getting ready for the day, which takes another hour and a half. This three-hour-commitment pours into her so she comes out of it feeling engaged and ready to pour into others.Dan Reiland – Executive Pastor at 12Stone Church and Coach. // Dan is a night owl and so he doesn’t get up at 5am like others may do. The core of his morning is based on exercise and prayer, and even though he’s at a stage of life where he doesn’t have small children at home, these focuses still require intentionality, especially when Dan travels. For exercise, he does the same thing each day and runs 5K seven days a week. Meanwhile for prayer, Dan’s mind runs fast and so when something pops into his head he will write it down on a 3×5 card. This enables him to clear his mind and focus on prayer and the scripture he reads. He doesn’t make it a focus to read through the bible in a year, but rather moves around through the scriptures based on what’s speaking to him at the time and couples that with deeper devotional reading by authors such as Henri Nouwen or A. W. Tozer.Kadi Cole – Writer, Speaker and Consultant. // Kadi has found that the more she works on the predictability of her mornings, the more she can handle the unpredictability of her work life. So she starts working on her morning the night before by wrapping the day up and making sure things are organized. Kadi has her coffee set-up ready to go in the evening and will do a quick clean up of her space the night before so she can enter the morning not distracted by clutter or unfinished tasks. It’s very important to her that her morning starts hopeful and peaceful and so she does what she can to set herself up for that. When morning comes, she wakes up around 4:30am and will grab a coffee and a big drink of water along with spending time praying and focusing on God to get her heart right and relieve her of any anxiety or stress she might be feeling about the day. Quiet time for the first hour connects her with God and often includes reading scripture or journaling. Then she moves into family mode, making sure her teen is up and getting ready for school, and meets with her family for prayer time around 6:15am. After that a stretching program and listening to the morning news helps Kadi move into work for the day.

Thank You for Tuning In!

There are a lot of podcasts you could be tuning into today, but you chose unSeminary, and I’m grateful for that. If you enjoyed today’s show, please share it by using the social media buttons you see at the left hand side of this page. Also, kindly consider taking the 60-seconds it takes to leave an honest review and rating for the podcast on iTunes, they’re extremely helpful when it comes to the ranking of the show and you can bet that I read every single one of them personally!

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Thank You to This Episode’s Sponsor: INJOY Stewardship Solutions

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Source: How High Capacity Church Leaders Start Their Mornings with Carey Nieuwhof, Jenni Catron, Dan Reiland & Kadi Cole

The post How High Capacity Church Leaders Start Their Mornings with Carey Nieuwhof, Jenni Catron, Dan Reiland & Kadi Cole appeared first on Passion for Planting.