Career professionals can handle longer hours; it’s everything else competing for your attention that leaves you feeling overwhelmed. Once you’re overwhelmed, a feeling of being overworked can quickly follow. This program offers space, time, and stress management techniques that most people have never considered and innovative methods for daily effectiveness that anyone can master.

Are You Overworked or Just Overwhelmed?, Presentation Topics:

• Root Causes of Your Daily Pressures
• The Impact of World Population
• Over-informed and Overwhelmed
• Under-Served and Over-Stimulated
• Media Growth and Electronic Addiction
• Our Paper Trail Culture
• … And What It Does to Each of Us
• The Tyranny of Too Many Choices
• The Interruption Dilemma
• Recapturing Your Day, Your Year, and Your Career
• Mastering Your To-Do List
• Reclaiming Your Life
• Completions: Ending the Racing Clock

Flyers From Previous Presentations

Kaiser Permanente	ISNA Training	Lufthansa	Scottsdale Healthcare	CFSME

Are You Overworked or Just Overwhelmed?, Articles

• Avoiding Professional Exhaustion
• Befriending Your Stressors
• Breathing Techniques to Reduce Stress
• Dealing Daily with Paper Overload
• Doomed to Multi-Task?
• Leaving Work On Time and Feeling Good About It
• Make Efficiency a Routine
• Overworked or Overwhelmed?
• Staying Calm in Spite of the Crowd
• Taking Control of Your Workspace
• Using Inspiration and Passion

Supporting Articles

Beating Stress	Becoming Organized	Decreasing Multitasking	Technology Fears	Having Less Stress
Inner Health	Our Frantic Society	Overworked, Overwhelmed	Staying Productive	Technocracy in our Age

A Sampling Of Letters

Am Cancer	Cornell	CPMC	DFAS	Dollar Rent-a-Car
Lufthansa	Quinn Investments	Security Bank	Specialty Care	Williamette

Kudos

Thank you for your motivating and invigorating presentation to the Council Bluffs Chamber this past week. Throughout my short lifetime, I have heard many work-life speakers, and I can say without hesitation, job well-done. On behalf of TS bank and as a chamber member, I want to thank you for educating us and challenging us in the midst of this economic chaos. Your visit and message were vastly beneficial. I value the opinions of my coworkers, Josh Guttau and Peg Christensen, who both spoke so highly of you. I must agree Jeff, you were nothing short of phenomenal. We truly appreciated your time and generosity, what a delight it was meeting you.

On Tuesday night, while listening to you speak, I was brought back to who I was. This was the finest gift you could have given me. Your presentation was filled with helpful information and the manner in which you held the stage was impressive; but, the overwhelming thing that clicked for me was how you talked about yourself with passion for your craft and a true belief in yourself. Thank you for enhancing my world. You gave me just what I needed.

Thank you for taking the time to speak at the Council Bluff’s Chamber of Commerce annual meeting today. I sometimes find myself questioning the career path I’ve chosen. At times, I feel overwhelmed by tasks of little significance.

I attended the IAAP Conference in San Antonio last week and heard you speak at the morning breakout session on Tuesday, March 16th. The content of your presentation was thought-provoking and it was presented in a manner which was both fun and upbeat. You kept my attention throughout the morning. I truly enjoyed your presentation. Your messages came through loud and clear and I am grateful to have had the opportunity to hear you speak.

I would like to comment on the content of your presentation. I thought the way that you mixed humor and your near-mauling dog story was extremely effective. You also worked the crowd well, which is difficult to do given the fact that it was the start of a busy day for all of us. It is nice to know that my employer, the City of Norfolk, would go out of their way to bring you to us, on their time. Keep up the good work.

Your talk was a godsend and a great kick-off to the conference for me. I’ve been ruminating for a long time on our culture’s obsession with always being busy and was pleasantly surprised to be pushed in the direction of “Breathing Space.” It has become a mantra, of sorts, for me. I have taken many of your suggestions to heart and have shared them with my colleagues. Thanks for bringing some common sense into our out-of-control lives and for doing it in such an entertaining and convincing fashion.

I thoroughly enjoyed your presentations at the Arkansas Governor’s Conference. I hope to employ your techniques quickly, as while I was at the conference, over 85 emails hit me back at the office! I am married, with three children in Boy Scouts, soccer, baseball, etc. As such, I can certainly benefit from any amount of stress removed from my day. I agree with your philosophies, especially #8, “Paring Down.” I plead guilty to arranging papers in piles. Thanks for a great presentation.

I participated in your HD Week Session “Streamlining Your Career and Your Life” and wanted to say I really enjoyed it. I was able to walk out of the session with several useful tips to apply to my “overworked and overwhelmed” desk and life. Thank you!

Your talk resonated with me. The reasons for feeling overwhelmed provided the foundation for resolution. The actions you provided not only gave me hope but the ability to act with purpose- to be more effective and enjoy my work. Some of the actions also made me smile as they are the same things my dad told me — guess I should have listened! Thank you very much!

Your presentation on “Stress” was just what I needed! It was the highlight of the TCCE conference. The suggestions you gave to lower stress in our lives were great and certainly ones we can put into action without creating more stress. I came back to my office and immediately processed information (papers) from the meeting and also from the previous two conferences which I had attended. I am also processing mail more effectively and keeping only what I know I’ll use later. The idea of keeping only the part of magazines or publications you need was great!! I’ve already passed on several of your ideas to associates of mine. Thanks for a great seminar, and I hope to attend another one someday.

I very much enjoyed your presentation on breathing space at our Indiana CPA Society convention. It was helpful to me to better understand the reason for the increasing pressures that we face and it was reassuring to learn that my inability to get, and stay, caught up was not unique to me. You gave us some practical suggestions on what we can do to better manage our schedules and the use of our time, and it is already paying off for me.

Thanks so much for being a presenter. Your participation was one of the high spots. I like your humor and warm way that you delivered your material. Your outline was helpful and allowed us to concentrate on your message. When you pause (thinking), I like the way you look up – as if you were seeking divine inspiration.

I truly enjoyed the sessions I attended that you conducted at our secretarial conference. Your energy and apparent knowledge revitalized me. Your sessions were of more help to me in keeping myself together than any of the others I attended. You were very enjoyable.

It was a pleasure meeting you and hearing you speak. You are so right when you stated there are too many items demanding our attention that we are not able to respond; however, many of us surely try!!! You will be happy to know that I am in the process of stripping the top of my desk, cleaning out all the clutter; and my glove compartment and dining room table are clean. Thank you for sharing all the great information on what is happening in our wonderful world. Enjoyed your presentation very much. KEEP TELLING ‘EM…

I really needed that presentation. I walked away trying to focus on what I can do to change my usage of time. I thought that your data on the amount of printed information was mind blowing… I have been trying to clear out the clutter in my office. I have round filed and recycled items that I have kept around for months thinking someday I will take time to read. I now ask myself will I really read this and then when. I am trying to change my mind set of needing to be the “Be all, do all” person. I have come to realize that has increased my stress level at work and home. I am now trying to prioritize my lists and delegate what I won’t be able to do. I really like your hand out on the self-renewal chart.Thank you for the presentation.

I attended your seminar in Hawaii, which I feel was excellent. Your presentation was one of the better that I attended!

I find I now have breathing space. For however long it lasts, the effect of your seminar has had a beneficial effect on our office. I have, for the first time, noted two of my associates, who like myself were in attendance at your presentation, now maintain a clear, clean, orderly desk. Your subject, delivered with a flair for the dramatic, was provocative and a highlight of the convention.

Thanks for your honest appraisal of the world around us. It makes me feel better just knowing I’m not the only one who feels overwhelmed. With your help, I hope to find some “breathing space” today! Thanks again.

As you know, NAPS has been blessed over the years with many outstanding, gifted speakers. Occasionally, one of their messages sticks with me and becomes part of my life. Many of you may remember Jeff Davidson, author of Breathing Space: Living and Working at a Comfortable Pace in a Sped-Up Society, who spoke at our Sales Symposium. What follows is an excerpt from his book, which rings loud and clear in all of our lives…

Loved your presentation! I, too, want to wipe out all the “energy-zappers” from my daily routine. Thanks for your encouragement!

You were very entertaining and quite informative. You really made me take a closer look at my daily, hourly and minute-to-minute routine each day. I have started my Business Steps To Success. Your tips have helped me a great deal. Thank you for your enthusiasm, creativity and charm. It was a pleasure hearing you speak and meeting you.

I wanted to let you know how much I enjoyed your talk at the CBAI conference in St. Louis. My husband is president of the Carlinville National Bank, and I have been trying to teach him better organizational techniques. Your material was inspirational and very helpful.

I so enjoyed your talk at the IBAA convention. I can’t wait to share your information with my husband and children. Your approach to a clutter-free, organized life is much more humorous and interesting than what they’re used to hearing. I’d also love a couple extra handouts you gave to everyone. I hope to see you at Okaboji (our annual state meeting).

I arrived late Friday. You have interesting topics and research. I liked what you were saying and how you were saying it. After your talk, I drove immediately to a demanding client and told him that we would need 72 hours notice in the future to be able to react to a need for a certificate of insurance for his work crew. No 72-hour notice, no men at work!

Thanks for your presentation on “Re-Assessing Workplace Stress” on our Project: “Workplace Series.” You projected an image that was at once both professional and “user-friendly” for our audience. I hope you get the opportunity to do more television work; you are very amiable on air (as off air!). I believe our audience got exactly what they were looking for and a little bit more–the hallmark of a true professional! Thanks again, Jeff–I look forward to the opportunity of working with you again!!

Thank you for addressing our group on Sunday. Your presentation was riveting and will undoubtedly give rise to many discussions. We hope there will be more opportunities for us to engage in such lively dialogue.

Thank you so much for your excellent presentation to our members. Your speech marked the inaugural event of our new forum series, designed to be small-group intensive workshop programs. With your excellent presentation, we have a great start to this new endeavor, so thank you! My colleagues in the meeting planner industry are among the most hurried people I know, so your encouragement to create a breathable environment by clearing away the stacks of paper and doing one thing at a time was profound advice.

I wanted to thank you for providing me with an excellent opportunity to learn some effective ways to influence my career advancement. At the HCAT seminar on Thursday, your presentation was refreshing and uplifting, and gave me renewed enthusiasm to strive for more. I look foward to implementing my chosen key components, and eventually all of them. By the way, exactly how much did that new wardrobe cost? Hope to see you again in the near future.

I thoroughly enjoyed your talk. I have already instituted some of the ideas you suggested to reduce my input overload. As a full-time Laboratory manager and full-time student I often find myself swamped. I’m ready to slow down. Thanks.

Thank you for courageously completing your excellent presentation for our group; our staff is a tough group. Many individuals commented to me that they really enjoyed the training and took many good ideas away with them. …It is becoming more clear that I need to act now to make my environment better fit my nature. I appreciate you carrying this important message to me. I really liked your presentation and your presence. Your insights related closely to my own personal experiences. Thank you for sharing them. Thanks again for your energy and enthusiasm.

In my profession, I find myself extremely preoccupied with work twenty-four hours a day. I knew that I was losing my “time” and had made some changes in my life to correct that problem. Your presentation gave me more incentive to continue in that direction. In addition, you managed to give me more options/avenues to help me grow as a person, both spiritually and emotionally.

Thank you for presenting an excellent seminar on Friday to the Women in Government Relations. Feedback was uniformly positive, with many attendees expressing the desire for another presentation along the same theme. We are very appreciative of your fine program.

Thanks so much for speaking at the WNBA meeting. As a speaker myself, I appreciated your energy, your information, and your approach, and I’ve heard many good comments from others in attendance. Nearly a third of the audience members were guests, not members; I’m sure they were there because of you. I hope we’ll be able to entice them to join. Personally, I found lots of validation in what you said.

I appreciated your lecture on Breathing Space at the Parklawn Building last December. Since then, I have found it to be useful in many ways. I keep your card on breathing space principles on my dresser top. The principles about choosing breathing space, limiting intake, conditioning your environment, and not being over-glutted are helpful reminders. Several helpful things have ensued as I pursue this process of creating breathing space. First, I accept that there are more people, information, and choices. So, I accept that there are going to be crowds on the beltway. Or I don’t even try to read everything, if I choose not to or do not have the time. Ironically, by doing less, I am accomplishing more by working smarter, not harder. This breathing space is actually productive, in the same way that sleep or thinking and planning time are. That is, they are restorative and rejuvenative.

You demonstrated in-depth knowledge of the subject, made the subject matter understandable, encouraged participation through questions and answers, and presented ideas clearly and understandably. My overall evaluation of the presentation was excellent.

Thank you so much for your great presentation. You got rave reviews. Your rousing presentation was perfect to shake off those after-lunch blahs. No one wanted to nap after your session! In fact, many people continued to talk about the five Mega-Realities well into the afternoon. Personally, I was so pleased with your presentation that I’ve already recommended you. Thanks again, Jeff, for a great session. You played a large role in making the conference successful.

Wanted to commend you for your great speech last evening. The feedback from the attendees was very positive. The ideas behind “Breathing Space” are timely and certainly beneficial to those of us caught up in the “sped up” pace of today’s world. Thank you again for your efforts toward a very enjoyable and enlightening evening.

I so enjoyed your talk at the IBAA convention. I can’t wait to share your information with my husband and children. Your approach to a clutter-free, organized life is much more humorous and interesting than what they’re used to hearing. I’d also love a couple extra handouts you gave to everyone. I hope to see you at Okaboji (our annual state meeting).

I really want to thank you for your speech at the Midwest Section MGMA meeting. You were very interesting, and I am trying to use your recommendations, as some days it feels like all the walls are crashing in.

Not only did I get a great deal of information from your course, but it also gave me permission to use the stuff that I already knew but somehow didn’t know that I knew. But mostly what I want to thank you for is your willingness to promote me from the front of the room. It was a very, very nice thing to do. That kind of generosity, when coupled with your hard work and ambition, will send you right to the top. You have an enormous amount of experience and it’s that experience that makes you so valuable a lecturer. All audiences love to hear “How I Did It” and it’s just as useful to tell anecdotes whether it turned out well or turned out badly; it provides that kind of personal touch people yearn for. And somehow it makes their goals more attainable, knowing that you, as successful as your are, also made goofs. I feel privileged to have attended the presentation. Thanks again.

Your presentations at the Arkansas Governor’s Conference on Tourism were hits, and we want you to know how much we appreciate the time and effort you devoted to giving us such memorable presentations. We have heard nothing but favorable comments from the delegates and anticipate that your sessions will be highly rated when the conference evaluation forms are compiled. Thank you for going all out to make the opening luncheon keynote, “Relaxing at High Speed,” a high note that will be remembered by all who attended.

I had the pleasure of attending your presentation on “Public Speaking” at the annual conference and I really enjoyed it. I feel that you gave each person that attended good information, examples, and techniques to empower them to make informative and interesting public presentations to any size group. The group participation gave us all a chance to experience first-hand and to see our peers utilize the points you were presenting. Thanks for avery enjoyable and educational presentation on a topic needed by everyone involved with public transportation.