Self-awareness is key to managing heavy workloads and productivity

People are no longer speaking
about their working day as being 'busy'. They are now tending to speak about being 'manic'. It would
seem that being busy implies a heavy workload, whereas being manic brings
a greater degree of work complexity and an increased volume of demand from stakeholders. Would we be as quick to refer to being 'manic' if we remembered that it relates to mental illness and the display of higher-than-healthy levels of energy and excitement?

Reflecting on this has led me to think about the correlation between the ever-increasing demands we are placing on employees, the leaning towards being 'manic' in our workplaces and the impact which learning and development has in developing the coping strategies and preventative skills which individuals
need in this new high-pressure
working environment.

If we are not careful, we could be
in danger of going beyond 'manic' to a place where people are effectively broken. We need to enable all staff and partners
in law firms to work smarter, not harder,
to be resilient and to be aware of their stress triggers.

Individuals may need support in moving towards a culture of continuous improvement, or in enhancing their levels of self-awareness. Many could, no doubt, benefit from becoming more accountable for their behaviour and the impact it has on their colleagues, peers and subordinates through greater levels of self-awareness.

Increasing self-awareness

Mental illness affects many individuals in myriad ways. According to mental health charity Mind, one in four people will suffer from a mental health issue in the UK every year. Much of that will be anxiety related, so it is safe to assume that many people, perhaps us individually or some of our close colleagues, will be experiencing work-related stress at any given time.

Learning how to identify and develop our capabilities is an essential starting point in being able to recognise and address mental health issues. Knowing how to manage ourselves is the next step. Ask yourself, 'what can I do and how do
I go about my work?' Then ask yourself:

• How can I improve the way I go about my work?

• What do I need to learn or develop in order to improve the way I undertake my everyday activities or my project work?

• What can I develop so that I can manage the unexpected calls on
  my time?

Once you've addressed these questions,
it is time to consider what support you need, what training you need and who
can mentor you.

In order to master your delivery of the numerous tasks you have to undertake, it's worth building up your project management core skills, especially your stakeholder management skills. Put your knowledge about organisation and time planning techniques into action.

Tackling your self-awareness and
your approach to communicating with others will reduce breakdowns in communication. This will help you to manage other people's expectations
better. In turn, your confidence will
increase and your feeling of coping
under pressure will improve. You will
find new levels of motivation and energy because you will be more aware of your achievements, whether large or small, and as a result, your resilience will strengthen.

Knowledge in action

All of the numerous components identified here can be trained or developed. It is essential, however, that you put your learning into action; otherwise, it
remains in the realms of 'knowledge'
rather than capability.

Knowing something and doing something are very separate things. Learning how to implement your
knowledge is at the heart of professional development. Learning and development
is all about moving people to a state of action through changes to behaviour, changes to knowledge bases, changes
to perception and changes to skillsets.

These changes do not typically happen in a classroom or in a lecture but, more often than not, actually on the job. With the right conversation with your learning and development colleagues or your line managers, you will be able to find the best way to develop yourself. Developing yourself will help you to be proactive about regaining control and returning to a state
of busyness rather than being 'manic', which can only be a positive step.

Sue Beavil is UK learning and organisational development manager at international law firm Slater & Gordon (www.slatergordon.co.uk)