Ways to Build Resilience During Busy Workweeks

We're all familiar with burnout but often, it's the annoying drip, drip, drip of "microstressors" that truly erode our well-being. These are the seemingly minor daily irritations we tend to shrug off: - That colleague whose "quick question" torpedoes your concentration. - The relentless barrage of notifications fracturing your focus. - The extra minutes tacked onto your commute that have now become the unwelcome norm. Individually, these moments might feel insignificant. Yet, like a silent, persistent army, they accumulate, steadily draining our mental and emotional bandwidth. Ignoring them because they seem "not that big of a deal" is a losing strategy. The key lies in proactively designing a life where they have less opportunity to take hold. 1. Master the Art of "No" (and "Not Right Now") Instead of an automatic "yes" to every request, cultivate the awareness to assess your capacity and priorities - and practice saying "Sorry, I'm tied up right now." 2. Carve out Time for Deep Work Resist the urge for immediate responses to every email, message, or ping. Designate specific blocks of time throughout the day to respond to notifications and time to turn them off. 3. Optimize Your Environment Identify and actively address persistent environmental irritants. This goes beyond a tidy desk. Is it distracting noise? Poor lighting? An uncomfortable chair? Small, consistent improvements to your workspace can significantly reduce daily friction and boost your sense of control. 4. Take a Breath Most microstressors arise from our reaction to events rather than the events themselves. When they pop up, take a breath and ask yourself, "Will I be stressed about this next week?" Microstressors are inevitable... Don't ignore them, just build a few systems to minimize their impact.

I Was Drowning In Busy Season! (Then I Found This Mental Hack) Ever felt your brain was being pulled in 8 different directions at once? That was me a few months back. 4 different clients. Long hours workweeks. 1 auditor - Me. And the problem wasn't the amount of work. It was something far more dangerous. My mind was constantly shifting: From Task A to Task B. From Client 1 to Client 3. From urgent email to random ping. Each switch felt like it drained a little more of my mental battery. Until one week, I hit empty. Know that feeling of heaviness in your head? When your thoughts feel like they're wading through mud? That's where I was. But I refused to accept this as "just part of the job." There had to be a better way. And after weeks of experimenting, I found 3 mental hacks that saved my sanity. These aren't your typical productivity tips. These are survival techniques for anyone juggling multiple clients. Here's what worked for me: 1. Your Brain is Not a Storage Device Your mind wasn't designed to remember things. It was designed to GET THINGS DONE. So stop forcing it to be your to-do list. Every time a manager pinged me with a request, I immediately wrote it down in OneNote. Not tomorrow. Not "when I have time." IMMEDIATELY. Then I'd mentally release it. Think of your brain like your smartphone – when too many apps are running in the background, everything slows down. Close those background apps. 2. Treat Client-Facing Tasks Like Hot Potatoes When juggling multiple clients, everything seems urgent. But here's the truth: Not all urgent tasks are created equal. My breakthrough came when I realized this simple rule: Anything that goes directly to a client takes absolute priority. Emails. Deliverables. Meeting preparations. Think of them as hot potatoes – get them off your plate FIRST. Everything else? It can wait for 25 minutes. 3. The 25-Minute Forcefield I started using the Pomodoro Technique – 25 minutes of intense focus, followed by a 5-minute break. During those 25 minutes, I created a mental forcefield around myself. No emails. No Slack pings. No team check-ins. Just me and ONE task. Unless you're in a live client meeting, NOTHING is so urgent it can't wait 25 minutes. The most surprising benefit? This practice didn't just save my work life – it saved my personal life too. Before, even when talking with my parents, my mind would wander to pending tasks. Now, I'm fully present wherever I am. If you're in a client-facing role juggling multiple projects, these techniques aren't optional – they're essential for your mental health. Are you constantly task-switching? What techniques have worked for you? If you enjoyed reading this, it's a snippet from my FREE weekly newsletter where I share everything about my audit lessons and concepts. #audit #productivity #mentalhealth #consulting #clientmanagement

Recovery isn’t a luxury. It’s a leadership skill. 5 steps to build your stack 👇 Don’t wait until you’ve hit a wall to recover. Top performers don’t. They build recovery into the rhythm of their week — not just the weekend. Here’s a 5-layer recovery system to help you do the same: 1️⃣ Physical Reset Recovery starts in the body. When you’re under-slept, dehydrated, or sedentary — everything suffers. Try this: • Drink a tall glass of water upon waking • Stretch between meetings • Treat your bedtime like a flight. You don’t miss it. 2️⃣ Mental Reset Clarity doesn’t come from more thinking. It comes from clearing the clutter so your best thinking can surface. Try this: • Do a 10-minute mindsweep (Google it) • Close unused tabs + windows • Block time for deep work — even 30 mins helps 3️⃣ Emotional Reset Unprocessed stress doesn’t disappear. It hides in your tone, reactions, and relationships. Try this: • Name what you’re feeling (to tame it) • Talk to someone who gets it • Journal one sentence: “Here’s what’s weighing on me” 4️⃣ Social Reset Social energy flows through connection. Not just one-direction meetings. Try this: • Call someone who makes you feel like you • Make plans that have nothing to do with work • Say thank you — with zero expectation 5️⃣ Bonus Reset: Purpose Feeling flat often comes from disconnecting from why you’re doing something. The most resilient leaders reconnect with who they are — not just what they do. Try this: • Reflect on one recent win that mattered • Revisit your bigger “why” • Write this: “At my best, I lead with…” ➡️ Recovery isn’t a reward. It’s a requirement for doing your best work. Build it into your rhythm — before your system demands it. Which layer needs your attention this week? 👉 What would you add? ♻️ Repost to help others protect their energy ➕ Follow Ed Manfre for more like this — 🔋 Want to lead with more energy? 🔋 Get my PDF guide here: https://lnkd.in/dNirAjvG