A Spork in the Road

(No posts in many days! A nasty virus, followed by a week of catch-up mode. But I’m back in the saddle.)

I may get the details wrong, but Lil has a saying she developed in the restaurant business to help panicked waiters handle stressful situations. It goes something like this:

1. Stop.
2. Take a deep breath.
3. Assess the situation.
4. Decide what to do next.
5. Move in one direction.

She says she’s seen more than one server literally try to go in two directions at once — torso facing the tables and legs heading for the kitchen — an easy way to lose mental and physical balance.

I’ve found this process invaluable in managing my own projects. When things get hectic, deadlines are looming, multiple clients are calling to ask “how are things going? are you almost done?”… I often find myself trying to do everything at once. It never works.

The deep breath is physically important — my friend Susan told me years ago about the simple importance of getting oxygen to the brain when you are under stress. Most of us take short, shallow breaths when we’re nervous, and oxygen helps the brain to become calmer and more alert.

And of course, “decide what to do next” can be the trickiest part of the process, but taking charge of your own schedule with clear, decisive action is really the only effective way to handle crises.