Noelle McCarthy: Team Santa - that has a ring to it

Try delegating - you may end up with time for yourself. Photo / AP

Dear Noelle, I hope you can help me. My problem is one of time management. I have a high-profile, high-pressure job in the delivery sector, with a global brand name and a large marketing budget to promote my services.

I work hard and take pride in meeting the damn-near impossible targets I set for myself every year. The financial remuneration isn't outstanding, but the job involves free travel all over the world and the hospitality perks for this traveller are outstanding - I've had enough free cookies, whisky, cake and stout in my time to make your eyes water.

No, I'm a happy man. Mostly. The problem is, I'm not as young as I used to be, and the deadlines are starting to bite. I've tried a number of different tactics to get on top of this - I've been making lists, checking them twice, delegating some responsibility to my assistants, but getting everything done overnight just isn't possible any more. Fast-paced global delivery is a young man's game, and I'm beginning to think I should just bow out gracefully and give someone else a go. What do you think, Noelle?

Yours sincerely,

K. Kringle

Thanks for your letter, Mr Kringle, I feel your pain. We all move at such a fast pace that getting everything done overnight seems like a reasonable expectation in most jobs these days, especially at this time of year, when work commitments are necessarily sandwiched between the added responsibility of choosing and wrapping piles of superfluous Christmas presents and getting twangered off our heads every night of the week. Life is tough, without the added pressure of trying to achieve your near-impossible targets.

I get the impression, from what you say, that your high standards are self-imposed, though, especially around the area of time management, and I wonder why it is you're putting so much pressure on yourself?

Your expectations of yourself (ie, that you can do it "all" in one night) are unrealistic, frankly, and are probably the cause of your stress. It sounds as though you are isolating yourself, and rejecting the support of your team. The "assistants" who you don't want to delegate anything to are there for a reason; to help you, and turning your back on resources like this won't be making life any easier.

The truth is, Mr Kringle, we all feel overwhelmed by our workloads from time to time, but the important thing in situations like this is to reach out and share our anxieties with someone who is willing to listen to us and take our concerns to heart.

You've done that by reaching out to me, and I commend you for that. Personally I think you should take a deep breath, sit back and think. Is it possible to reframe your expectations in order to bring about a better outcome? Does everything REALLY have to be done in just one night, and by just one person? That sort of thinking is quaint and wrong-headed. It has no place in the globalised business model of today. I suggest you stop thinking of yourself so much as an individual, and more as a part of a well-resourced team.

You may be the face of your brand, but surely there's a lot more to it than just you?

It's often the case that with a high public profile comes the need for more specialised support. Your HR department will be well resourced to deal with this.

Start by putting in a call to them. Then relax, put your feet up, and have a well-earned break with the rest of us. Christmas only comes once a year after all. Enjoy it!

All the best, Noelle