Are You Pushing Harder Or Working Differently

Recently, during a coaching session, a coachee said this to me:
“I’m rushing through every day.”

Her days looked like this:
•Multiple portfolios on hand, with new responsibilities still being added
•Back-to-back meetings filling her calendar
•Being part of every discussion and meeting
•Little time to actually get the work done, so work spills into nights and weekends

She used to have a to-do list.
But now the list has grown so long that she’s not able to manage it, so she stopped creating one.

And also because she simply has no time…
No time to plan or prioritize.

During our session, she wanted to explore how she can manage her workload better because some work is slipping.

There is too much work to complete on time. Her day-to-day and strategic work are suffering, and she has to live up to leadership expectations.

She wanted to find ways to complete her work efficiently and effectively.
To be productive.
To finish tasks on time.
And to ensure the quality of her work didn’t suffer because she was rushing through everything.

She found it difficult to tell her boss she was overloaded.
She wanted to go to him with solutions, not just problems.
Because she didn’t want to appear defensive.

Many high performers feel this way.
They care deeply about their work.
So when performance begins to slip, the pressure becomes even heavier.

The reality is, it is not always possible to ask for more resources.
In many organisations today, teams are expected to do more with what they already have.

By the end of our coaching session, she shifted from feeling stuck to identifying several ways forward, including streamlining tasks and processes, and delegating and developing her team to step up.

Resilience is not about pushing harder.
It’s about finding better ways of working within the pressure.

When work becomes a constant race without pause, even the most capable professionals will struggle.

And that’s where resilience becomes critical.
Not just to cope with stress.
But to sustain performance under pressure.

If this resonates with you, take a moment to pause and reflect:

👉 Are you pushing harder… or working differently?

You’re not alone in this.
And you don’t have to figure it out on your own.

If you’re facing similar challenges and want to explore how to move forward with greater clarity and sustainability, feel free to reach out.

With C.A.R.E.®

Founder, Xel Consulting

Contact Xi Ren