Stop Drowning in Your To-Dos: Practical Coaching Tips for Busy Managers

One of the more common coaching questions we get from managers is: “I have no tiiiime! Everyone is asking me all the questions. I’m in meetings constantly. HELP!” Sound familiar?

If you’re constantly swamped with requests, meetings, and a never-ending stream of interruptions, you’re not alone. Managing people, projects, and priorities is tough, but it’s not impossible. Here are six simple yet powerful strategies to help you regain control of your day and reduce that sense of overwhelm:

1. Set Your Calendar to Human Mode

One of the easiest ways to ensure you’re not chained to back-to-back meetings is to set your calendar’s default meeting lengths to be shorter (e.g., 50 minutes instead of the typical hour). If you’re using Microsoft Outlook, you can shorten all your events automatically. This small change can make a big difference.

Why? Well, as humans, we need breaks. It’s not just about time to grab a coffee or take a walk, but also about giving your brain a chance to recharge. Scheduling shorter meetings allows for transition time between sessions, which helps you avoid burnout. You can automate this setting in most calendar systems, so it’s one less thing to think about.

Pro tip: When others see these shorter meeting times, they’ll respect your boundaries, and it’ll set the tone for more efficient conversations.

2. Teach People How to Communicate with You

You can’t be everyone’s go-to answer machine, but you can set expectations about how people should communicate with you. Be clear about the what, the why, and the how when they need to get in touch.

For example, ask them to come to you with a clear purpose, context, and a well-formed question. This isn’t just about being efficient, it’s about respecting each other’s time. If someone comes to you without thinking through these elements, it’s going to be harder for you to give them a meaningful response. And guess what? You’ll probably end up answering the same question multiple times!

The 1:3:1 Rule: If you regularly have staff coming to you with their problems (but no solutions), teach them to first identify the one problem they’re trying to solve, three possible solutions to solving it, and the one that they’d choose. You’ll have more productive discussions around their challenges as a result of this pre-thinking.

3. Designate Communication Channels for Specific Needs

It’s important to set guidelines for how people should reach out to you depending on the nature of the request. Some channels are best for urgent matters, others for ongoing conversations or longer discussions.

For instance:

• Use email to summarize decisions or provide context for future discussion.
• Use phone calls for urgent issues that need real-time discussion.
• Use text messages or Teams for quick, actionable requests.

This allows you to prioritize and quickly assess how to respond based on the communication method. It also helps everyone avoid overwhelming you through the wrong channels at the wrong times. Boundaries make life easier.

4. WIIFM (What’s In It For Me?) – Reframe Your Requests

When you have a request, don’t just focus on how it helps you. Shift the focus to the benefit for the other person.

Instead of saying, “I need you to communicate with me this way because I’m too busy,” try something like: “If you communicate with me this way, I’ll be able to respond more quickly and be less of a bottleneck for you.” When people see how it benefits them, they’ll be more inclined to adopt the changes you need.

This subtle shift in approach fosters collaboration and understanding, rather than making people feel like they’re just another cog in your busy machine.

5. Stop Being the ‘People-Pleasing’ Manager

As a manager, you may have the urge to help everyone by taking tasks off their plates. While it’s natural to want to be helpful, constantly saying “yes” to taking on their work means you’re stealing their opportunities to learn and grow. You’re also potentially setting yourself up for burnout by spreading yourself too thin.

Instead, reframe your thinking. Guide your team members toward finding solutions for themselves: “What resources can help you with this?” “Is there a more efficient way to approach this task?” “What would happen if you just didn’t do it?” By asking questions like these, you’re not only helping them develop their problem-solving skills, but you’re also showing real care for their growth.

This approach allows you to be more effective in your own work while investing in their long-term development.

6. Stay Curious

When an employee comes to you for advice or assistance, resist the urge to immediately give them the answer. Instead, dig deeper with questions that help them clarify their thinking and guide them toward solutions on their own.

For example:

• “What’s the purpose of this task?”
• “What does a successful outcome look like?”
• “What does ‘done’ look like in this case?”
• “What roadblocks might get in the way of completion?”

By asking these questions, you’ll help your team gain a deeper understanding of their work. It also saves you time in the long run by empowering them to think critically and solve problems independently.

It’s tough to manage a busy schedule, but with these strategies in place, you’ll find that you can regain control of your time and create a more empowered, efficient team. Set boundaries, communicate clearly, and remember that not every problem is yours to solve. It’s about leading with intention—and that’s a much more sustainable way to operate as a manager.