Procrastination
Imagine you’re mentoring one of the people in the scenario below who is experiencing a stressful situation in the workplace.
Ashlee and James both work together in accounting and are each responsible for half of an extensive presentation. Ashlee tries to work on the presentation a little each day, while James tends to wait until the last minute to turn in his portions of the project. But, because they rely on each other for certain tasks, Ashlee is often forced to wait for James and then rush to complete her assignments.
Ashlee complains that James’ procrastination is causing her to worry about his work as well as her own and is giving her unnecessary stress. Likewise, James is stressed by Ashlee’s anger and constant hovering. Because of the conflict, James is missing more work, and you suspect it’s because he wants to avoid Ashlee.
Review Queen Latifah’s strategies (either reaching out to others or time management) to help Ashlee or James with their situation.
How can you help either Ashlee or James rise above their stress using one of the two strategies?
Respond to one or more of your classmates’ posts.
Sample Solution
Queen Latifah’s strategies for managing stress in the workplace can be applied to help both Ashlee and James with their current situation. First, Ashlee should reach out to others for assistance. By doing so, she will create a support system that will help her manage her workload more effectively while allowing her to rely less on James. For example, she could ask co-workers or supervisors who are experienced in accounting if they would be willing to review the presentation before it is submitted ( ABC News 2020). This extra set of eyes might catch any potential errors or omissions and give Ashlee a better understanding of how best to approach the project as a whole. In addition, depending on the company’s policy, she could also consider asking if there are any resources available that could provide additional guidance such as an online course or book about effective time management skills(GPS Business Solutions 2020).
At the same time, James should also utilize Queen Latifah’s suggestion of using time management tactics in order to meet deadlines without feeling overwhelmed by them. He should start by breaking down his tasks into smaller components and setting aside specific amounts of time each day devoted solely towards working on his portion of the presentation(Nelson 2019). Setting realistic goals will not only help him stay focused but also make progress incrementally instead of trying do do everything at once which usually leads to increased anxiety . Moreover , he should consider scheduling breaks throughout his workday where he can step back from whatever task he is currently tackling giving himself space necessary clear mind just take moment reset refocus when needed < cite > (Miller 2017) . Doing this allows him relax pressure off himself come up solutions which may have been overlooked due constantly being pressured complete project within long period rather than piecemeal fashion . All together , implementing these strategies promote healthier communication between colleagues especially those facing difficult work situations such as what’s happening with Ashlee &James . Once they trust each other enough communicate openly then hopefully collaborative effort required making successful presentations become much easier handle overall moving forward.
