Mastering Your Time: A (Realistic) Guide to Beating 'Support Guilt'
It's easy to feel guilty when you're engaging with "your" tasks, but you can crush your to-do list while still being a team player (that other people actually love).
Ever feel like you're constantly putting out fires instead of building something meaningful? Welcome to the club! We've got t-s hirts, but we're too busy responding to Slack messages to hand them out.
The 'Support Guilt' Syndrome
Picture this: You sit down to work on that big project you've been putting off for weeks. You crack your knuckles, open your laptop, and... ding! A message from a coworker. "Quick question," it says. (Narrator: It was not quick.)
Two hours later, you've answered seventeen "quick questions," joined an impromptu Zoom call, and somehow agreed to bring cupcakes to next week's virtual office party (is that even a thing?). Your big project? Still untouched.
If this sounds familiar, you might be suffering from what I like to call "support guilt." It's that nagging feeling that you're not doing enough unless you're directly helping someone else. It's like being a superhero, except instead of saving the world, you're saving your colleagues from the pressures of the day-to-day work—or from having to Google things themselves.
Breaking Free from the Guilt Trip
Now, don't get me wrong. Being helpful is great. But if you're constantly reacting to others' needs, when do you get to do your own work? It's time to break free from this cycle, and I've got a few tricks up my sleeve (that I’m still trying to master) that might just help.
1. Embrace the "What's Best Next?" Mindset
Instead of trying to do everything (spoiler alert: you can't), ask yourself, "What's the best thing I can do right now?" It's like being the director of your own life movie. Sometimes the best scene is helping a coworker, and sometimes it's dramatically turning off notifications and diving into focused work. “What’s best next?” is a fluid question—keep asking it!
2. Give Yourself Permission Slips
Remember in school when you needed a permission slip to go on field trips? Well, it's time to become your own teacher (minus the unfortunate fashion choices). Use your calendar as a bunch of permission slips. Block out time for important tasks, and when that time comes, consider it your official permission to ignore everything else—assuming it’s still “what’s best next.”
3. The Magic of Timeboxing
Timeboxing is just a fancy way of saying, "I'm going to do this thing for this amount of time, and then I'm going to stop." It's like a game show, but instead of winning money, you win... well, time to do other stuff.
If you’re feeling overwhelmed, just start: Set a timer for 25 minutes and focus on one task (Google: Pomodoro technique). When the timer goes off, take a break. Maybe use that break to answer some of those burning "quick questions" that have been piling up—or keep pushing ahead if you’re in the groove. Then rinse and repeat.
Putting It All Together
Now, you might be thinking, "This all sounds great, but how do I actually do it?" Fear not, intrepid reader! Here's a step-by-step guide:
Get yourself a task manager: Whether it's a fancy app or a notebook with more stickers than a kindergartener's lunchbox, find a system to keep track of your to-dos. I’ve tried all (read: most) of them, and I love Todoist.
Befriend your calendar: Start blocking out time for important tasks. Remember, these are your permission slips! Todoist (and others) offer an integration to put your task directly on your calendar.
Prioritize like a pro: At the start of each day, pick 2-3 "must-do" tasks. Everything else is gravy. Remember, “What’s best next?”
Embrace the power of "No": It's a complete sentence, and it's your new best friend. Use it wisely, but use it often. Every “yes” is a “no” to something else.
Communicate your focus time: Let your team know when you're going into "deep work mode," then silence notifications. Maybe even create a silly hat to wear that signals "Do not disturb unless the building is literally on fire."
The Road to Productivity... and Beyond!
Remember, changing habits takes time. You might fall off the wagon occasionally, and that's okay. The important thing is to keep trying—and to have an ideal state you’re trying to reach. Eventually, you'll find a balance between being a supportive team player and getting your own stuff done (which always helps the team!).
And who knows? Maybe one day you'll look up from your perfectly timeboxed schedule and realize you've become a productivity ninja. Just don't let it go to your head – nobody likes a smug ninja.
As always,
Stay humble. Hang tough.
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