When life throws a crisis our way, what we crave most isn’t chocolate (maybe), a vacation, or a blackhole to portal us into an alternate reality—it’s control. We want a plan. We want to feel prepared. We want to be as sure-footed as a mountain goat on a hiking trail. The problem is, control is slippery in chaos. But there are ways to fake it convincingly enough that your brain buys in.
Here are some practical ways to wrestle back control when things get messy:
Stick to a routine (but don’t let it be your go-to).
Routines give you structure, which your brain interprets as “Ah, we’ve got this.” But doing the same thing at the same time every day can make you feel like a robot. So keep your daily rhythm, but throw in a twist. If you usually start with email and paperwork, try brainstorming or tackling a big project first. Your brain might thank you.
Always ask yourself: “What are my options?”
Stress makes tunnel vision worse than a GPS stuck in “recalculate” mode. That’s when we panic and make questionable choices (impulse career changes, dumb Amazon purchases). Write down the problem. Jot down every option you can think of—especially the ones you’d usually dismiss. Do some quick research if you need to. Odds are, you’ve got more ways forward than your frazzled brain is admitting.
One problem at a time (no superhero leaps).
Problems are like stairs. Take them one at a time, or risk face-planting. Start with the most urgent issue, break it down into parts, and go step by step:
- What’s the issue?
- Who or what does it impact?
- What’s the first, most pressing thing to fix?
- Do you have the info/tools to handle it? If not, call in help (therapist, financial advisor, that one friend who actually reads contracts).
- Map out your options with pros/cons, pick the most workable one, and roll with it.
- Adjust as needed, then move on to the next issue.
It’s less “giant leap for humankind” and more “slow, steady climb.” Less dramatic, way less painful.
Channel your inner Eisenhower.
Even the best planners can’t anticipate every curveball, but you can still sort chaos into piles that make sense. Eisenhower’s Box is an old-school hack that’s still genius today.
Create a quadrant and fill it out as follows:
- Top left: Urgent + Important Tasks (do these now).
- Top right: Not Urgent + Important Tasks (schedule these).
- Bottom left: Urgent + Not Important Tasks (delegate or turn down).
- Bottom right: Not Urgent + Not Important Tasks (dump with zero guilt).
It’s like Marie Kondo for your crisis management—if it doesn’t spark necessity, toss it.
Control during a crisis isn’t about nailing every step—it’s about having enough structure to calm your brain, reduce panic, and keep moving forward. You may not always feel like a mountain goat, but at least you won’t feel like Bambi on ice.
Your team takes their cues from you. Coaching can help you model control (without micromanaging) and keep everyone steady through storms. Ask about our group coaching program or book a consultation with a coach.