Today is a day of overwhelming responsibility.

I did not officially over-commit myself. I was a little slow to start a project. I ran into technical difficulties on another project. I got sick for three days, exposed because of another project. My computer nuked a necessary program that will take time to get re-authorized. The net result is that I’m out of time.

I, while attempting to do something good, got overwhelmed – by circumstances, by underestimating my own speed and by forgetting that even good things requires time.

So, what do I do about it?

1 – Don’t stop
I can’t let emotional feelings stop progress. I can’t lose the time I have worrying about the time I don’t have.

2 – Prioritize
Sometimes urgent things take precedence over important things for awhile. I have to do them even if I think I have better things to do. I have to trust I will have more time later.

3 – Act
There may actually be a better way to do what I’m doing but I don’t have time to find it. Committed, focused effort works miracles. I’m always amazed later on at how much I got done.

4 – Don’t Make It Worse
While digging out of a hole, I have to remember not to dig a deeper hole. During the few moments I have to rest, I need to resist the impulse to say yes to some future commitment because I think there will be more magical time later. I have to get things done before I agree to more things.

That’s It

Stay calm. Work hard. Don’t add more work. Oh, and one more thing . . .

5 – Smile
Things have been worse. (Much worse.) Things can get better. (Much better.) Life, after all, is good.

That’s all I have time for today. If you have any comments or suggestions about how you get through crunch times, please add your thoughts below in the comments section. Thanks for taking time out of your busy day to read.