Have you ever had a crisis throw your time management efforts out the window? If so, it might have gone a little something like this: You were organized and efficient, moving along at a good pace and getting a lot accomplished. Then suddenly one thing went wrong and threw your whole plan off-track, and you found yourself scrambling to fix the problem before everything else went haywire too. It happens to the best of us!

Three steps to keep your calm in a crisis

Crises will happen no matter what we do, and there is usually no way to plan or prepare for them. However, you don’t have to let them ruin your whole day.
The next time a crisis rears its ugly head and threatens your organized schedule, follow these three steps to stay cool:

Detach

First detach emotionally from the situation. Don’t get carried away by panic, anger, frustration or exasperation. It’s difficult not to, but remember that giving in to turbulent emotions will only make matters worse. Instead, step back mentally and make a conscious decision to stay calm and detached so you can better handle the situation.

Avoid forming conclusions

Avoid forming conclusions about what the crisis “means.” One way we often make things worse is by throwing up our hands and declaring the whole thing a huge disaster just because one little thing went wrong. We make an assumption that just because one thing went wrong, our entire day is shot. Or worse, we decide that we’re destined to be complete failures at time management (or failures in general) because we can’t seem to control the events of our lives. This type of defeatist thinking will only make the crisis seem that much bigger and more intimidating. Instead, learn to see a crisis for exactly what it is: a delay or obstacle that needs to be dealt with.

Yes, it may be challenging and frustrating, but it doesn’t have to be any more horrible than you decide to make it. Simply affirm that you can handle it, and your mind will immediately go to work on finding a solution.

Ask yourself

Ask yourself, “What now?” Rather than focusing on what went wrong, turn your attention to possible solutions. Come up with one step you can take that may help turn the situation around. Even better is if you can come up with several action steps and begin taking them immediately.

Be proactive! The longer you stew and fume about the inconvenience and irritation, the more impact the obstacle will have on your plans. If you simply refuse to be intimidated by it, you’ll probably sidestep it easily and keep moving forward.

Dealing with a crisis may not be fun, but it doesn’t have to be devastating either. It all comes down to your own reactions! If you “flip out” and decide it means your world is coming to an end, that’s very likely what you will experience. If on the other hand, you decide it’s no big deal and do your best to work through it calmly and determinedly, you’ll very likely find a simple solution and get back on track quickly.