Tip of the Week 7/2/08
Last time I posted, over two weeks ago, I mentioned that I had a bunch of deadlines to meet. I'm still trying to meet them. One by one they've started pouncing on me, and one by one I'm scrambling to meet them. This has lead to a rather stressed-out me. The result is that I'm like a lidded pot that's been left on the stove. The pressure is building, and I'm in danger of boiling over.
This is not good.
So, I'm trying to take my own advice, and not let the pressure completely overwhelm me. If I do, I'll become so overwhelmed that I'll no longer be able to function at all, and then nothing will get done. Here are some steps I'm trying to keep myself from caving while under this pressure:
- Make lists. - I know that lists can be daunting. Sometimes seeing everything that needs to be done is worse than just having everything pressing around in my head. But lists are good, even long ones. You can group similar tasks together and prioritize. And there's nothing more satisfying than checking or scratching through an item on a list.
- Keep others updated. -- Let people know where you are on a project. That way if you need help or are running out of time, people know. They are also a lot more understanding about why you're suddenly freaking out about the temperature of your salad if they know that you have 20 pages of catalog copy due in 2 hours and only 7 pages written.
- Do not disappear. - If you're going to miss a deadline, let people know. Don't stop answering the phone or checking email. Just because you're avoiding it does NOT mean the problem has gone away. Sure, no one is going to be happy that you've blown a deadline, but the earlier you let them know, the less upset they'll be. If you don't tell anyone and then become impossible to contact, you'll merely agitate everyone further.
Now, I head off to go back to being (start humming the Queen song now) Under Pressure bah dah bum bum Bum bum bum bah dee dum Under Pressure.
Labels: children's books, children's writing, pitching, stress





