"How can I help my staff, who are experiencing consistent stress, not reach burnout? I need some practical, tangible tools that I can put into place that will be sustainable over time."

You and your team have been in it a while and it’s time to put things in place that can stick and keep that stress down for the long haul. Well, join me in the conversation with Teresa McCloy of The Real Life Process as she answers this leader’s question with some practical strategies to stop the stress that can overwhelm you.

“So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering.” Romans 12:1 (MSG)

Teresa works with leaders and entrepreneurs every day to discover their real self, live their best life and do their best real work.

Let's get started with some practical tools that can help you be purposeful to get out of overwhelm and avoid burnout.

• Review the week the night before the week begins to be intentional about your time
• Look at your calendar and take something out!!
• Remember the power of choosing is YOURS and you can make different choices
• Plan your seasons in 90-day increments to revolve around what matters
• Pre-decide to protect sacred time in your calendar
• Take advantage of cancellations or rescheduled appointments
• Time block your calendar, balancing different blocks, i.e. people, self-care, work
• Trade your “no” for a “not right now” as you shape your seasons intentionally
• Set up a day of renewal or an early release day on Fridays for personal renewal
• Block a time each week where no meetings can be scheduled
• Let the first 2 hours of the day be “off limits” for meetings

“Overwhelm is really saying, ‘I’m not doing the things I really want to do.’”

Therefore, before you look at managing your time with some of these practical tips, you need to identify what matters to you: spiritual life, finances, family, career …

• What are the big rocks that matter?
• How do I want to move that forward in the next 90 days?
• What do you do with competing “rocks” of two things that matter most?

If you want to help others not reach burnout, then you need to discover what matters to them! Show compassion for what they share with you. Consider minor adjustments to their schedule, tasks, roles, etc. that could help them focus on what matters to them with a whole life perspective. Then, work together on competing “rocks” acknowledging that saying “yes” to one thing means saying “no” to something else and let that be a choice you make together.

Check out Teresa’s Needs and Values Assessment available at her website to explore what matters to you AND use it with your team as a springboard.

Links to check out:

• Send your question HERE – in writing or by recording
• Learn more about Teresa
• Get started with the Real Life Process
• Follow Teresa on Instagram, Facebook
• New book coming THIS fall: DO WHAT MATTERS: LIVING FROM REST NOT RUSH
• Learn more about Annie