At the time of writing, the UK are experiencing some of the hottest recorded temperatures ever. Here at Your Excellency HQ I am trying all sorts to keep the office, my home and myself cool (some more successful than others – cue both a hand towel and hot water bottle in the freezer!).
The scorching weather got me to thinking about your EA/PA role being the cooling breeze that keeps the office from metaphorically melting. When things heat up at work, the trick isn’t just staying cool physically, it’s staying cool mentally.
Let me introduce you to the Stimulus–Gap–Response strategy, your portable shade in the midday sun.
Here’s the idea:
Something happens (Stimulus).
You create a pause (Gap).
Then you choose how to act (Response).
Simple. Powerful. Sweat-proof.
Here’s some real-world heatwave scenarios to apply the strategy to:
- Calendar fires: Your exec gets a last-minute investor request that clashes with a board prep slot. Stimulus. Before replying, take a 10-second breath, name the priority in one sentence, then act: “Board prep is immovable; investor call offered at 16:30 today or 09:00 tomorrow with briefing notes attached.”
Cool head, clear options. - Inbox surge at 3 pm.: You’ve got 27 “urgent” flags. Stimulus.
Gap: stand, sip water, set a 15-minute triage timer.
Response: triage into three buckets, 1. must-move-today, 2. quick wins under 2 minutes and 3. delegate/park.
You just turned a heatwave into a light breeze. - Your Exec drops a cryptic ask: “Can we fix this vendor thing?” Stimulus.
Gap: one breath, one clarifying question.
Response: “Do you need a renegotiation this week, or a short-term workaround by EOD?”
Precision before perspiration. - A meeting goes spicy: Two team members start sparring. Stimulus. Gap: slow inhale, lower your voice.
Response: “Let’s park the decision. I’ll circulate options with pros/cons in 30 minutes. Let’s meet up again in 2 hours time.”
You become the room’s air con. - Travel disruption chaos: Train cancellations derail tomorrow’s client meeting. Stimulus.
Gap: 60-second checklist scan.
Response: switch to video-first plan, rebook off-peak, send a one-paragraph contingency note to all parties with updated links and revised timing.
Calm is contagious.
Here’s some other micro-habits that will keep you cool:
- Breathe like a pro: Inhale 4, hold 4, exhale 6. Do it twice before responding to anything spicy.
- Script the first line: Keep one-liners ready
“Here are your best two options and my recommendation.”
This will short-circuit any panic. - Visual triage: Tag “today”, “this week”, “later”. If everything’s urgent, nothing is.
- Pre-make shade: Have templates and wording ready for OOO, delay notices, meeting reshuffles, and vendor nudges.
When the sun’s highest, you don’t want to be drafting from scratch.
Finally,here’s some physical cool-downs that help your brain:
- Cold wrists, cool head: 30 seconds under cold water can drop your stress temperature.
- Hydration rule: one glass every time you switch tasks.
- Light layers: a light-weight blazer/cardigan on/off strategy – comfort sustains focus.
Stimulus–Gap–Response gives you choice where others feel cornered.
In a heatwave of demands, your pause is the shade that keeps performance sharp.
Anyone can react; pros like you will respond.
And quite literally, applying the Stimuus-Gap-Response strategy will keep your office from boiling over.
