Here’s how to refresh your mind when you are stuck.
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If you find yourself overwhelmed by a complex task or unable to prioritize many tasks, it can help to develop perspective. Perspective allows you to gain clarity on your work and, in turn, be a more effective leader at work. Here are five steps you can take to gain perspective:
1. Stop and walk away from what you are doing.
If you find yourself stuck or thinking about the same thing over and over again, stop what you are doing. If possible, physically leave your location to be in a different environment.
You are not abandoning your work. You are giving your mind a break. Leaders take breaks. They allow themselves time to refresh their minds.
2. Fight the inclination to ruminate on what you were doing. Instead, allow yourself to think freely.
Despite removing yourself from the work, you may find yourself still thinking about it. Try to stop thinking about what you were doing. If you are stuck, thinking more about what you were trying to work on will likely only make you more frustrated. All of this time will be unproductive.
Allow yourself to embrace any other thoughts that come to mind. Think about how you enjoyed your last team meeting. Bask in the sun if you are outside. Get excited about the trip to the lake you are going on with your family this upcoming week. Leaders appreciate the world in which they live and recognize that if they get stuck, their world is still okay.
3. Return to the task, and think big picture.
When you remind yourself that everything is okay, you are in a better state of mind to return to the work you are trying to move forward. Instead of starting at the spot where you were, try to think big picture.
For example, if you were trying to create a policy that seemed difficult to operationalize, enforce or defend, go back to asking yourself what you are trying to achieve. Ask yourself, “What is the goal?”
4. Reach out to colleagues.
A great way to gain perspective is when you speak to your teammates. Leadership is not developed in a vacuum. You need to gain insights from others who may see things differently. Differences and diversity of thought will help you to better see the task or the issue.
You don’t have to tackle thorny issues on your own. You can and should get help from your colleagues. Leaders know that they need to collaborate with other people.
5. Refocus on the work.
Use the thoughts and ideas of others to reframe how you are thinking about the work you are doing. These ideas may help you to see things from a different angle. Leaders use new information and knowledge to be better and gain clarity on their work.
To help you gain perspective, stop what you are doing and allow yourself to think about other things. When you return to the task at hand, frame the task in a more general way. Connect with teammates to gain clarity, and then refocus on the task.
What helps you to gain perspective? Share with me your stories and thoughts via Twitter or LinkedIn.
