Don’t Get Caught in Overwhelm!

Nowadays it’s so easy to get overwhelmed. Answering emails, answering phone calls, following up on leads, paying bills, networking, social media, trying to grow your business, trying to stay sane while growing your business, making changes to your procedures, adding new staff - all the things! It’s a lot. Thinking about everything that needs to get done can be stressful. Thinking about achieving your vision can be stressful. And in that stress, lives overwhelm. It’s so easy to get caught up in it. All the things you weren’t able to do. All the things you didn’t cross off that pesky checklist. All the things you feel like you should be doing but didn’t have the time, energy or bandwidth for. But don’t live in that space! It will drag you down and feel insurmountable to climb back up.

Instead, take a beat; take a breath; and try to refocus. Try to re-frame things from a bit more of a logistical mindset. Take it step-by-step. Break it down. ‘OK yes, this project requires this and has this deadline.’ Cool. Work backwards. Are there one or two things you can do each day that will help you get there?

‘OK I’m behind on my to-do list. What are my priorities? What NEEDS to get done?’ Put that first. ‘What would I LIKE to get done?’ OK, great, that’s next. ‘What is non-urgent and can be pushed or removed altogether?’ Cool. Now your to-do list has been prioritized in a way that will make it feel manageable and you'll know where to focus your time and energy.

You’re never going to get all the things done all the time. Time is a finite resource. You just have to figure out your priorities and take action accordingly. Breaking large tasks or projects down piece-by-piece will make them feel more achievable. The goal is to keep moving. Taking smaller steps will get you there.

And remember, if you feel yourself getting overwhelmed, take a break, refocus, break it down and get back to work.