I recently took a phone call from a distraught colleague. Her supervisor had taken leave and, in their absence, Claire would be taking up the slack.

After two days, Claire was feeling overwhelmed and drowning in the volume of work. So much so that she had not taken the time to have lunch, and actually didn’t even look at the time until 2 pm, when she stopped to have a bite to eat.Which was when the flood caught up with her. During the call, I urged her to pause, and write down the major tasks she needed to complete before 6 pm. I told her to be specific about that time, and not say ‘before going home’, as that was vague and could always be moved.

I advised her to be specific about what she needed to do (clarity). To limit the time frame to 6 pm (scarcity). This way she created a sense of focus and action (urgency). She sent me the following text at 6.05 on her way home from work: ‘Smashed it out this afternoon. Totally got on top of things’. Isn’t it amazing when you reduce the time and give yourself some constraints, how much you can achieve?