"I Feel Behind” :: How to Break the Cycle & Boost Your Productivity

You have more to do than you have time to do it. 

"Feeling behind" gnaws at you. It is a whip at your heels throughout the day and keeps you sprinting at work. It's the ghost that haunts your evenings, robbing you of being fully present with friends or family, and poking at you as you sleep. 

You blame work. You blame your boss. You blame clients.

Here's the harsh truth: "I feel behind" is 100% your responsibility. 

Good news: reality is your friend. If you can take 100% responsibility for feeling behind, you can do something about it. 

We'll explore how to break the cycle of "I feel behind", and boost your productivity in the process. But first let's talk about how you got here. 

Why You “Feel Behind”

Let's start with why you "feel" anything. 

Feelings are downstream of thoughts, or beliefs, about the world. 

If you "think" your house is on fire, you're going to rightfully "feel" fear. 

If you "think" your house is safe and sound, you're going to rightfully "feel" peace. 

If you "think" there is more to do than you have time to do it and you have no plan to deal with this reality, you're going to "feel" behind. And truly "feeling behind" is just a proxy for "stress" "fear" and "anxiety". 

You "feel behind" because you have not done the work to plan for reality. You can trust me on this and keep reading, or feel free to explore this idea in depth here.

The only way to change how you feel is to give yourself evidence that something else actually true. We'll create an action plan for that below, but first let's talk about what "feeling behind" is costing you. 

Feeling Behind Diminishes Your Results at Work

The nagging feeling of being behind diminishes your ability to be fully present for the task at hand.

You sit in meetings where your feedback and context is critical, or you sit down to write or to do creative work, but in the back of your mind you feel your inboxes filling, or you're problem-solving other projects, all while feeling the weight of countless unresolved tasks.

This lack of presence not only compromises the quality of your work, but also leads to frequent task switching. Research is clear here: task switching can cost you up to 40% of your productive time each day, deepening the very hole from which you're trying to escape.

And this says nothing of "buffering", which is any action we take simply to escape the feelings we're feeling. When we constantly "feel behind", we can only grind at this for so long before our brain simply needs to checkout with your drug of choice: YouTube, Instagram, ice cream, gaming, etc. Our time spent buffering only digs the hole deeper. 

If only "feeling behind" could be contained at work. Sadly that's not the case.

Feeling Behind Sucks Your Energy for Friends & Family

You are a whole person, everywhere you go, which means "feeling behind" is coming home with you. 

You may be physically present at the dinner table with friends, sitting by the bathtub with your little ones, or on a date with your significant other. Your unresolved, however, tasks are clawing at your emotions, constantly reminding you of unfinished work, and keeping you from being fully present to those you love.  

Sleep doesn't bring much relief here. Sadly your subconscious also thinks you're behind, and can often bring this into your dreams. When I was lost in stress and anxiety and always felt behind, I would often have project management dreams, trying to manage nonsensical tasks and impossible projects. This robbed me of good sleep.  

We feel behind at work.  We feel behind at home.  We feel behind when we sleep. 

Sounds like hell. 

Are you ready to experiment with a different approach? 

How to Break the Cycle of Feeling Behind

Step #1:: Get Clear on your Actual Capacity & Make a Realistic Plan

Full transparency: this is the hard part.

Your current habits related to planning are at least a decade old at this point, and will require you to do the work to upgrade your habits. 

If you're not sure how to do this, the Time Boss Weekly Operating System Masterclass is a great (and free!) place to start. In 90 minutes, you’ll learn the Operating System that is helping so many people understand their actual capacity and make a realistic plan they can commit to week in and week out. 

Step #2 :: Add Buffer to Your Schedule (aka Whirlwind) 

Once you have a realistic sense of your capacity, the temptation is to over-schedule your day because you still "feel" behind, but it's critical that you don't listen to this feeling.

Instead, add a 20% to 40% buffer to your day, which we call  “Whirlwind”.

Whirlwind is for tasks that are unpredictable but necessary for day-to-day operations of your world (more on that below in Step #3). This should be time blocked on your calendar, ensuring you don't over-schedule your day. You can spread it throughout your day if you prefer, you just need to get it to you calendar. This dedicated time ensures that the majority of your workday is protected for focused, strategic work. 

Step #3 :: Use Whirlwind to Deal with Reality

During Whirlwind time, you can handle urgent needs, daily requests from clients or the team, respond to email, etc.

You can also use this time to catch up on any strategic work you calendared that was either interrupted or overestimated, which you and I both know is going to happen. This allows you to stay ahead of the work you prioritized, instead of digging a hole of unfinished work. 

As laid out above, our feelings are downstream of our thoughts.  By dedicating time to address the inevitable in Whirlwind, you safeguard the rest of your schedule for focused, strategic work, meaning you are very effective at getting things done and making an impact at work.  This is incredible evidence for your thoughts, that you have a good plan that is achievable, and you are making the results happen. At a minimum, the thoughts Whirlwind creates help ensure you feel "on schedule", reducing the instances of feeling overwhelmed and behind. 

Step #4: When Whirlwind Isn’t Needed, Grab Tomorrow’s Priorities

Here's the magical moment you've been waiting for. 

You've done the work to understand your actual capacity and make a realistic plan. 

You've added Whirlwind to your schedule to deal with reality and ensure you feel "on schedule". 

GREAT NEWS: There will be days where Whirlwind will save your bacon, but it won't be needed everyday. 

And when you hit your calendared Whirlwind time, and you don't need it, my strong encouragement is to reach into tomorrow's scheduled priorities and get to work on a task. 

Working on tomorrow's tasks today creates evidence for a significant thought: "I am playing from ahead". 

And this significant thought gives rise to the most powerful feeling: peace. 

"Playing from Ahead" Fundamentally Changes Your Work and Home Life 

When we experience peace that comes from playing ahead, we are present to whatever is front of us, because we no longer fear we're missing something. 

Imagine being fully present to each strategic task that will make the difference for your business. 

Imagine being fully present every night with your friends, or spouse, or children, freely loving and caring for each other. 

Imagine laying down to sleep, peacefully, confident you have a realistic plan and there will be enough time. 

All this is possible, you just have to do the work. 

Reminder: you are 100% responsible for feeling behind, and 100% capable of doing something about it. 

Playing from Ahead is a Key Part of Your Weekly Operating System

Leveraging Whirlwind to play from ahead should flow out of a cohesive Weekly Operating System where you create a realistic plan to make massive progress on priorities without impacting your mental health. If you don’t have a Weekly Operating System you trust, check out the recording of the The Time Boss Weekly Operating System Masterclass. In 90 minutes, you’ll learn the Operating System that is helping so many people make massive progress without impacting their mental health.

One more thing: If you’re ready to dive into the deep end of the pool, jump into the next Time Boss 6 Week Coaching Cohort. You'll learn alongside 4 to 5 other leaders just like you looking to permanently adopt the Time Boss habits, make massive progress on their priorities, all without impacting their mental health. Your employer will likely cover the cost for you, and you can use the Employer Reimbursement Request Template to easily demonstrate the value both you and your business will receive from the Cohort.