Your inbox greets you with over 100 emails every morning. Your laptop is flooded with intake and assessment forms that swamp your work schedule and put you behind before your day begins. Clients, case workers, and supervisors have already sent texts with concerns that require your immediate attention. Good morning. Welcome to your anxiety.
Your impulse is to get going and go fast. If you don't clear your emails they'll be at the bottom of a bigger pile tomorrow morning. The goal is to get all this communication taken care of before the end of the day or you'll be sailing a sinking ship come tomorrow. Speed is of the essence. Quality is bound to suffer.
Poor communication results in shoddy service to your clients and doubling back constantly to correct mistakes, clear up misunderstandings, and apologize for missed details. Doing the same work twice and three times increases your workload.
A SOLUTION: Effective communication comes from your inner feelings about the people you work with and serve. Thoughtlessly diving into your emails every morning and whizzing through pro forma reports just to get them off your desk will not reduce your workload. Each interaction, whether it be written, verbal, or face-to-face will only reduce your workload if it comes from deep inside you.
EMPATHY: Begin every communication with a slight pause. Imagine the person you are about to communicate with; what they need; how you can help them. Just a moment to picture the dignity of each person is enough.
HONESTY: Never fill out a report just for the sake of getting it done. Never tell people what you think they want to hear. Always call it as you see it. You will be amazed how this cuts down on your workload.
INTENTION: Take a moment before every communication and ask yourself the "Why" question. What am I trying to communicate with this report or assessment? What is the purpose of this email?
FOCUS: Don't believe in multitasking. Learn to focus on the communication you are attempting and block out all distraction or errant thought. Do only what you are doing.
Start developing these four skills. Your efforts will begin to feel effective. Satisfaction will begin to replace anxiety. You will feel more centered. Your workload will begin to become manageable because you will not be back-pedaling constantly making excuses, offering apologies, and doing everything over.
Finally, everyone around you will begin to notice the difference in YOU. They will hesitate to interrupt, dump problems in your lap, or disregard your valuable time.
Your workload will finally begin to feel manageable.
