31 Aug August Angst

August was probably the single busiest month of my career. Here’s what I learned from it:

DON’T WORRY. My dad was right. You can’t change anything by worrying. And most of the things you worry about will never actually happen. All worrying does is give you wrinkles. So don’t do it.

PRIORITIZE. Make sure you know what’s due first and act accordingly. Take it one project at a time, give it your total attention, and you’ll eventually get it all done and done well.

BELIEVE. You have a lot on your plate. But you always come through. Maintain an unfaltering belief in yourself, your team and your clients and you’ll all rise to the occasion.

DO WHAT YOU DO. Don’t look ahead. Don’t get distracted. Just tow the line each and every day and continue to do what you do best. You were hired because you’re good at what you do. So do it.

DELEGATE. You can’t do everything. You can’t be everywhere. So set some guidelines and trust your team to get the job done. Check in on them. And hold them accountable. But give them the room to do their jobs to the best of their abilities.

MANAGE EXPECTATIONS. Make sure you let your clients know what to expect and when to expect it. Don’t leave them hanging. Give them a schedule of when they’ll see the work. It’s your job to manage their expectations so they know what they’ll be getting and when.

STAY IN THE MOMENT. This project won’t last forever. This is your only chance to do it right. Before you know it, this project will be behind you. So stay optimistic and work your butt off till it’s done. You can sleep when you’re dead.

CALL IT. If things aren’t going well, acknowledge the problem and make a change. When you’re on deadline, you don’t have time to mess around with free-lancers who aren’t working out or team members who aren’t collaborating. You have to keep making progress. So address what’s (or who’s) not working and fix it.

SWEAT. Stress demands to be released. So take an hour or so each day to blow off some steam and work off some calories. Work out! You’ll think more clearly and do better work. And your employees will thank you for it.

BE GRATEFUL. You may be super busy this month, but next month may be slow. So thank your clients. Thank your vendors. Thank your employees. And thank God for the work He has given you.