“Sorry, I didn’t have time to deliver the article by the agreed deadline. I was too busy…,” said Henk during the management meeting. It wasn’t the first time Henk had failed to meet his commitments. Regularly, he pushed appointments aside, always with an excuse. The hustle and bustle of daily life had Henk in its grip. And it wasn’t just Henk who was affected; the other members of the management team were too, as well as the employees. By consistently failing to meet his commitments, he came across as unreliable and unaccountable. This reflected poorly on the organization.
A Culture You Don’t Want
The culture of the daily grind is something I encounter in many organizations. It’s a culture characterized by constant busyness. The hustle and bustle of daily life can easily consume us, making us feel like we’re always playing catch-up. Everyone is running around, with many tasks needing to be completed today. Firefighting becomes the norm rather than the exception. We chase after every ball. As an individual, it’s incredibly difficult to resist this culture and show willpower. When everyone is running around and struggling to focus and plan, how do you break the cycle? Other characteristics of a culture dominated by the daily grind include:
- Excuse behavior. Often, excuses are made for why certain actions haven’t been taken or why commitments haven’t been met. “Yes, but…” is a common response.
- Managing expectations happens insufficiently. Of course, it can happen that a commitment isn’t met, but if it’s not clearly communicated when follow-up will occur, the situation only worsens.
- There’s a lack of clarity about goals, responsibilities, and performance criteria.
10 Tips to Break Free from the Daily Grind. Here’s How to Escape It!
- Focus on what’s important. In the hustle and bustle of daily life, people jump from one urgency to the next, and eventually, everything becomes urgent. This often forms the basis for burnout. Here are 10 tips for planning and focus, including the Eisenhower Matrix.
- Agenda planning. Make a realistic daily schedule. This means leaving space between appointments. Use this time to finalize meeting notes, grab a coffee, connect with colleagues, stretch your legs, etc. This approach means spending more time organizing rather than misorganizing—and misorganization is the same as working according to the daily grind.
- Take a step back. If we’re constantly running around, working long hours and late into the night, our minds never get a break. It helps to commit to doing nothing for ten minutes each day. Most people find that they regain perspective and can better distinguish between what’s important and what’s not.
- Focus on what you can influence. Direct your energy toward things you can control. If you try to be involved in everything, it leads to inefficiency and energy drain. You can, however, increase your influence by taking on more responsibility.
- Delegate. It will help tremendously if you identify who can take over tasks from you. My experience with many clients is that they can always delegate more than they think. Can your agenda be managed by an assistant? Can you help employees grow by handing over more tasks?
- Take care of yourself. It might sound like stating the obvious, but nothing could be further from the truth. If you’re not feeling well, constantly running on empty, and lacking energy, you’re not the best version of yourself. This is key. It’s no coincidence that the final chapter of my book is titled “KEY,” the key to leadership. Leadership is a top sport, and for top athletes, rest is just as important as performance. See here as well.
- Be proactive and take control. People who operate in the daily grind are reactive. Proactive individuals take charge and responsibility. They no longer blame others or make excuses.
- Positive energy. Complaining is almost deadly and highly contagious. Change what you can. Call out others when their attitude or behavior is negative. Here’s how to give feedback.
- Learn to say no. You’ll feel like life is controlling you if you say yes to every request. Weigh where you spend your time and energy. Focus on what’s important. Also, read these 10 tips for planning and focus.
- Be accountable to yourself. If you don’t have commitments with others, block time in your calendar to work on your own goals and commitments. Let your colleagues know and see this. This is how you hold yourself accountable.
