Carnegie Coach™ - How to Handle Your Busy Season

1) Get over yourself – Lose the “if I want a job done right, I must do it myself” attitude. Delegate or enlist the help of others, and trust them to do the job.

2) Learn to make good decisions quickly – Sometimes making no decision is worse than making the wrong decision. Weigh the costs and benefits, ask another person, check your resources, but do it quickly. More times than not something is on hold while you make your decision.

3) Get it done – Get the “tomorrow I’m going on vacation attitude”. Kick up your productivity on all urgent matters, phone calls, and emails. By tying up loose ends before you leave, you can start with a clean slate of tasks and goals the next day.

4) Profit from mistakes - Everyone makes mistakes, however, not everyone takes the time to profit from them. Determine what went wrong and what can be done differently the next time.

5) Don’t over-commit – If you are already over extended or feel that you’re getting close, just say no, many times you don’t need an explanation.

6) Use your breaks – Use procrastination and breaks to your advantage by getting reenergized and boosting your creativity. Sometimes you just need step back and take a break.