These last several weeks have been a whirlwind for me.

I’ve been in Palm Springs, Los Angeles, New York, Miami, and San Francisco.

During this time, my business and personal life have been INSANE! You know what they say, when it rains, it pours…

I’ve had experience at the intersection of Busy + Overwhelmed before though, and this time, I was able to thrive.

Specifically:

  • In my consulting business, I expanded contracts with 2 existing clients and closed a new client
  • In my coaching business, I started working with 5 new, amazing women
  • I facilitated 5 workshops and boot camps at various conferences and meetings and have a 6th one scheduled for next week
  • I planned a networking event for my ladies in DC for 4/19 – I WANT TO MEET YOU!
  • I celebrated a number of occasions with family and friends, including my Dad’s birthday, Passover and throwing my best friend a bridal shower
  • I even managed to exercise and eat right and I lost 6 lbs!!

I’m not telling you this to brag (although I AM proud of myself). ?

I’m sharing this because there have been times in the past where I’ve been this busy and melted down.

There have been times where I’ve been so overwhelmed by deadlines, obligations, meetings and requests for my time that I stood in the way of my own success.

But not anymore.

You can also get results in times of extreme “busyness” with these 4 practices:

  1. Fiercely Protect Your Time – Figure out what you need to get done and build boundaries to ensure you can execute without distraction. I have a checklist at the start of each week broken down by day and have time blocks in my calendar dedicated to exercise, coaching calls, consulting client work, creative time and personal time.
  2. Say “No.” A Lot – Get comfortable saying “no.” When something comes up that doesn’t fit into my schedule or near-term strategic objectives, I say “no.” I don’t re-arrange my already packed schedule and try to fit it in. I also don’t shut the door on the opportunity entirely; you may be surprised how much people appreciate your candor when you explain why you are saying “no” or need to postpone something.
  3. Make Self-Care An Even Higher Priority – When you’re operating at breakneck speed, it’s even more important to take care of yourself. For me, this looks like building in time to exercise and sleep, keeping healthy food at home, seeing family and friends, getting a massage and sometimes just sitting on the couch and doing nothing.
  4. Re-Prioritize What Must Get Done – In times of extreme “busyness”, business as usual is not always the answer. Re-assess what you absolutely must do to stay afloat and deliver on your commitments. Everything else can wait.

Can you relate to any of this? If so, I’d love to hear how you kick ass even when it looks like your schedule may run you into the ground.

And if this is something you’re struggling with, let’s talk. I would love to see if I can help you not only come up for air, but also get amazing results during your busiest times.

Wishing you a productive week!

Originally published at www.mosaicgrowth.com

Author(s)

  • Elena Lipson

    Principal and Founder, Mosaic Growth Partners

    My 20 years of consulting and coaching experience has afforded me an inside look at how different organizations operate and what it takes to succeed. I spent the majority of my career as a healthcare strategy and change management consultant, serving federal, commercial and non-profit clients and mentoring emerging companies. I've had the privilege of working with hundreds of companies in the digital health and life sciences industry, supporting projects on consumer and patient engagement; telehealth; health and wellness; caregiving and independent living; and innovations in gene therapy, medical devices, rare disease drug development and AI-driven digital therapeutics and diagnostics. In 2015, I founded Mosaic Growth Partners, a consulting and coaching firm based in Washington, D.C., to help my clients develop new solutions for growth. I support clients in the digital health and life sciences industry with strategic and operational planning, commercializing new products and services, and workshop facilitation. I also coach professional women to take control of their careers and build professional lives that are congruent with their personal aspirations and natural talents. For professional women, I offer digital, group and 1:1 executive coaching programs. Prior to founding Mosaic Growth Partners, I led AARP Services' business development efforts in health and caregiving. At AARP, I was responsible for securing strategic partnerships, developing new business models and serving as an innovation champion. In this role, I built deep market knowledge and a strong industry network by working with hundreds of emerging and established companies. I also spent nearly 10 years as a management consultant, primarily with Deloitte Consulting, where I led strategy, human capital and technology engagements for federal health clients and the Deloitte Center for Health Solutions. I also led sales and capture strategy, teaming, strategic business development and client excellence for the Department of Defense Military Health System account. I'm a Project Management Professional and a certified Agile Scrum Master. I graduated with a Master of Public Policy from American University and a B.A. in Political Science with High Honors from the University of Michigan.