4 Tips on how to deal with unexpected events at work
In this article on how to deal with unexpected events at work, I share with you tips from my experience as a coach in time management
Find out now my 4 tips on how to better handle emergencies at work.
1 – Schedule time for the unexpected
The first step in managing the unexpected in your work is to stop thinking of them as unexpected events.
If a situation is unexpected, it implies that you are not able to do anything to avoid it.
In fact, most of what we think is unexpected are actually not!
It is our attitude toward what might happen that is the real source of most of our problems.
I am not saying that we can predict or control everything.
However, it is possible to prevent the negative effects of the unexpected by seeing it as something that is likely to happen and not just a possibility.
The best way to anticipate the unexpected is to plan for it on your agenda.
Doing this will allow you to better handle most of the inevitable emergencies that will arise during your workday.
How much time should you plan for the unexpected?
It depends on your job, but in most cases, if you schedule time slots between 15 and 30 minutes between each of your tasks, everything should become easier for you.
What will you do if one of the unexpected things you planned doesn’t happen?
You can use this extra time according to your needs at the moment.
If you are a little tired, you can use this time to take an extra break.
If you have enough energy, then you can use this opportunity to take care of an important and achievable task in the time you have left.
What to do if, despite this advice, you have lost your calm and concentration?
This is precisely the topic of the next tip of this article.
2 – Manage your emotions more effectively
We’re all different when it comes to the unexpected at work.
But we all deal with a range of emotions.
Think of emotions as tools you can use to improve your life at work.
You decide how to use them.
You can either use them to your advantage to take back control of any kind of difficulty you may face, or you can decide to deny them or let them take control of you.
Whenever you are faced with a situation, remember that you have the choice and responsibility for the way you behave.
But what are the factors that influence your emotional intelligence?
There are several things that influence your ability to effectively use your emotions.
Your energy level is one of those factors. If you are tired because you did not sleep well and you are tired in the morning, you will have much less patience than when you had a good night’s sleep.
Your stress level is also an important component in your ability to make the most of your emotions.
If you are too stressed, you will find it more difficult to use your emotions properly.
If you need to reduce your stress level, I recommend reading my article where I share 7 natural tips to relax fast.
Your behavioral habits or routines also affect your ability to use emotions to your advantage. Behaviors that you continue to repeat are more likely to reoccur.
If you need to get rid of unproductive habits, I recommend you read my article where I provide 9 tips to change your habits.
If you’ve had an unexpected setback at work and you can’t focus on your tasks, take a break and try to understand the message the emotion you’re feeling is conveying.
Don’t deny the emotion. If it is there, it is because it has valuable information to provide you.
Be curious about that emotion, and then once you have identified that message, decide what meaning you want to attach to it.
It doesn’t matter what’s going on in your work life.
You cannot control the behavior of others, but you can always have control over the meaning you give to situations and the actions you decide to initiate or not initiate.
Then, take an action that is consistent with the meaning you have chosen and if it does not bring you the desired results, do not blame yourself.
Be gentle with yourself and continue to do your best.
To expand on the topic of emotions, I encourage you to read my article where I discuss 6 tips to better manage your emotions.
What can you do to manage your emotions even better at work?
This is precisely the topic of the next tip.
3 – Manage stress better
Learning how to cope with stress more effectively is essential to your health, well-being, and productivity.
In my article on how to relax quickly, you’ll find several natural ways to reduce stress.
But in order to better manage stress, reducing it is not enough.
This is equivalent to always putting yourself in an emergency position.
You feel stressed and you do something to reduce that stress.
But this strategy is not pleasant to live with and you know it.
In order to better deal with stress at work and in your personal life, you need to spend time on activities that contribute to your well-being.
How much time do you devote to these activities?
One hour a week, two hours, three hours or more?
Answer the questions above.
Then write down a list of activities that contribute to your well-being, including those that you quit doing some years ago.
Finally, start setting out some time to rediscover your passions.
Then make a second list of activities that will enable you to use your inner talents.
If you don’t know how to identify your qualities, you can start with your strengths.
Do the same by scheduling those activities and giving them a more prominent place in your life.
You’ll find that by making time to increase your well-being, you’ll be able to handle stress better and be healthy.
What kind of contingencies should you focus on first?
That’s the topic of the next tip.
4 – Reduce frequent unexpected events
By now you know that you can better manage the unplanned events at work by following the strategies I just described.
Of these contingencies, some occur more often than others and they are the ones that require the most attention from you.
Why?
Because they are the ones that cause you to waste the most time and energy over the course of your workday.
How to put this advice into practice?
First, make a list of the unexpected things that happen periodically.
Then rank them in order of importance, putting the one that causes you to waste the most time in the first place and so on down to the one that causes you to waste the least.
Then think of two or three solutions that will allow you to completely remove this type of problem.
Test your solutions and implement the one that seems to be the most effective.
Do the same for other contingencies.
By using this strategy, you will be able to get rid of most of your contingencies and have more time to become more productive.
To learn more about time management, I encourage you to read my article on the main obstacles of time management.
Conclusion on how to deal with unexpected events at work
In this article, I showed you 4 tips on how to effectively deal with unexpected events at work.
If you are interested in the topic of productivity, I invite you to discover all my articles on productivity.
If you are looking for tools to improve your time management skills, I recommend you read my article on the best time management apps.
If you want to learn how to manage your time, I invite you to find out more about our online time management course.
To take advantage of tailored coaching with a time management coach from our coaching company, write to us now using our contact form, call us at +33 6 69 46 03 79 or contact us on WhatsApp at +33 6 69 46 03 79.
If you are ready to take action, check out our life coaching packages:
- one month life coaching package
- 3-month life coaching package
- 6-month life coaching package
- 1-year life coaching package
This article is also available in other languages
Français : Comment gérer les imprévus au travail et rester productifs
Italiano: Come gestire gli imprevisti sul lavoro e rimanere produttivi