Do you ever feel like you’re flying all day, constantly busy, flipping from one task to the next, and never getting it all done? That’s how Jessica Sinsheimer, 31, a literary agent in New York felt. She was weeks behind, she figured, and even though she worked nights and weekends, she could never seem to catch up.
“Sheer quantity is a huge issue for me,” she said. “I receive texts and notifications [involving her clients] all day, sometimes starting at 7 in the morning.”
Sinsheimer’s dream? To spend more time focusing on what she really loves about her work: being creative.
Sinsheimer worked with coach Carmen Coker, a former Air Force captain who’s based in Alexandria, Va.
Find your spark: Coker worked with Sinsheimer to help her figure out her motivation for change. “No one is perfect all of the time, but those who are connected to their deepest motivator are more likely to stick with a plan, routine or discipline than those who aren’t,” Coker said. Sinsheimer’s spark, she discovered, was reconnecting with the many things that she’d pushed out of her life: seeing friends more often, having time to rest and relax and feed her inner introvert, and spending time outdoors in nature.
She suggested Sinsheimer start by putting 30 minutes a week into her calendar for fun time to reconnect with her spark, and one Saturday or Sunday per month, then add more pockets as she goes.
Nothing is perfect: Sinsheimer hated disappointing people. “I always think that, if I’m a good person, everything will be done perfectly 100 percent of the time,” she said. Coker coached Sinsheimer to let go of the idea of perfect. And the guilt. Coker suggested she write in a journal, to explore why she felt guilty if she didn’t work more, and why she felt guilty if she took time off to enjoy life.
Automate and delegate: Because of her perfectionist tendencies, Sinsheimer was doing everything, even the day-to-day administrative tasks she hated. Coker suggested she enlist the aid of interns, and set up automatic systems — like a Frequently Asked Questions e-mail response to inquiries — for dealing with issues that come up repeatedly.
Batch time: Sinsheimer felt she was always jumping from one tiny task to the next. Coker suggested she “batch” her time, and choose one thing to work on for 30 minutes or an hour at a time.
“Batching allows you to truly focus instead of multitasking, which has been proven over and over again to make you less productive,” Coker said.
Set boundaries: Constantly working, constantly being on e-mail and social media, constantly being available to her clients was making Sinsheimer feel overwhelmed and burned out. “While it’s difficult to change the demands of her job, it is possible to set expectations for potential and active clients — and herself — by establishing boundaries,” Coker said.
