Hi Folks!

I always like to remind myself and others that people are people, and that when you bring people together, it takes a lot more energy and strategy to get things done. Many of us find ourselves in chaotic environments, and many of us find ourselves creating and/or thriving in those same chaotic environments.

We came upon this question recently and wanted to address it: How do you handle chaos as a professional?

Usual disclaimer, talk to career counselors and coaches who can help you bring focus and clarity to your situation! Also, remember that everyone’s experience is different. Hear their stories, listen to what they learned and see how their experiences may help you.

With that, let’s go!

Honestly, after reading this question, I think reframing it as the following can help us figure out a better answer: How do you manage yourself and your stress as a professional when you have to work in chaos? Chaotic environments can (and often do) drive people to leave organizations, even when they love the work. So, if you love the work and don’t want to leave it or if you can’t just up and leave, here are some tips on how to manage.

1. Reinforce your boundaries. For especially chaotic environments, knowing your limits and boundaries is critical to help maintain a semblance of sanity. These boundaries can be around overworking, toxic relationships, and accepting or perpetuating behaviors that are negative and possibly against your own ethics.

‍2. Respect your time and the time of others. This one can be very difficult to do in some situations, but each step counts! Respect your own lunch breaks, your bathroom breaks, and your commute time (like the 3 minutes to go grab your coffee if you work remotely). Also, respect other peoples’ time - schedule meetings for shorter durations and block times when you can. Don’t email or call outside of foundational work hours.

3. Get clarity and address things out of scope. If you’re in a time of layoffs and budget cuts, your workload and scope can easily get out of hand. Fewer people with similar levels of work means that someone is going to be working more. At the first sign of your workload growing, get clarity on your priorities and address competing priorities.

4. Acknowledge your personal priorities. Work is a part of your life, but make sure to always acknowledge and work towards your personal priorities, as well. These may be hobbies, family and friends or other pursuits. The more you bury yourself in work, the more difficult it becomes to make space for yourself outside of it. When your personal priorities are put in perspective, many other aspects of work and life can improve as well.

Sometimes you will encounter pretty difficult barriers and sadly even threats (like not accepting as many overtime hours or not picking up projects that someone else can do). Work on these things slowly and at a pace that’s tolerable for yourself. Practice makes better!

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This was originally posted on Substack.

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Mark A Jamison

Mark has over 15 years of experience in teaching, mentoring, implementing professional training and developing teams for organizational readiness.