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The Busy PT's Guide to Finding Balance

Stop and Get it Right

Published August 13, 2008 2:32 PM by Janey Goude

We were out to eat last week and an experience led to a conversation about chefs. During college and early adult years, my husband waited tables at upscale restaurants, so he has insider insights. He remarked that no chef wants to serve bad food. What happens is something goes wrong, or an unexpected influx of guests comes, to cause them to get backed up. 

"Instead of taking the time to stop and get it right, they keep rushing and compound their misery. Instead of slowing down to get it right, which means making the customer wait a few extra minutes, they just keep going in their frenzy which gets them farther behind. If they would take two minutes to breathe and fix the problem they could get back on track."

When something goes wrong, when you get an influx of clients, when you are in the middle of chaos - can you stop to breathe, assess, and fix the problem? Or do you forge ahead in your frenzy and keep getting further behind? 

Tommie made this comment on last week's blog, "Whenever I sense this tension within, I MAKE time to write a list numbering the tasks according to their importance." 

Your solution may not be a list. It may be something else. Whatever your fix is, are you MAKING time to fix the problem, or are you letting the problem control you? 

When you get behind in your day, how do you respond? Share your plan of attack here so we can all be better prepared to beat the frenzy!

3 comments

Wish I'd read this yesterday!

Bonita August 21, 2008 10:53 AM

In a frenzy I try to find a few moments of quiet.  When I was working it was during lunch hour or a trip to the ladies room.  At home there is a wicker chair on a shady back porch where I sit and calm my mind.  I try to think what really caused a problem .. maybe something simple like I'm really tired today, making me irritable.  Then I start making lists on paper:  what went wrong, the real problem, how and when to make corrections.  I also try to list all the things that are right to put things into perspective.  The carousel needs to slow before we see clearly.

Ruth

Ruth August 14, 2008 6:06 PM

The lowest bid for the construction of a building or an airplane or a highway or for whatever is being built is usually the accepted bid. I think as humans we have the knowledge to be able to rank our tasks, our duties. our reponsibilities but we should go with the highest bid first, the task most needed to complete, and reward ourselves when we have accomplished them The book says "don't sweat the small stuff and everything is a small stuff. Give yourself credit and celebrate all your accomplishments/victories and completing the list will go quicker and smoother, even with the dreaded postponed items/tasks.

Rick Gardner, , Jane's HS Chemistry Teacher Middletown HS OHIO August 13, 2008 11:56 PM
Monroe OH

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