Today we’re going to look at 5 Steps To Overcome Overwhelm. This is when we have too much on our plate. We all experience it in different ways. I feel it as a headache and I clench my jaw quite a bit. How about you?
Before I continue, if you have children who are developing their self-esteem or self-confidence, download your FREE guide, “The Top 10 Ways to Build Self-Esteem & Self-Confidence.”
Overwhelm is a feeling that many of us go through on a regular basis. I completed grad school while my baby was a newborn and am currently taking a course about community building that is far more rigorous that I anticipated, especially since I only get to work on it during my baby’s 1 short nap break or between 10pm and 1 or 2am. Between lack of sleep, a highly active baby, managing family life and this course, overwhelm is something that I deal with quite a bit.
I’ve been asked how I manage it, so here are my five steps.
If you have something that you’re working on: if you’re managing your day, or working on a project, watch this video or read this article as many times as you need to and work through the steps.
First of all, before we get started, take a few deep breaths and remember that everything is manageable. If you don’t have the answers, find someone who can help you with this.
Actionable Steps:
#1. Create Deadlines
Make a list of your deadlines in your planner. If you’re a student, you already have firm deadlines given to you by your teacher for specific assignments. If you don’t have a deadline, figure out when all hell will break loose if you don’t complete the project and write down that date, then write down a reminder date before that so you have something to wok toward. This is the date we’ll be using.
#2. Prioritize
Make a list of all of the small tasks that you need to do in order to complete the project. Don’t worry about the order just yet; just brainstorm everything that needs to be completed. Perhaps you need to make an outline, do some background research, make notes, compile your information into a beautifully formatted written document, create images and so forth. If you’re taking care of your family, perhaps you need to make breakfast for everyone, dress your children, make sure they have their lunches, bags, signed forms, and so forth.
Once you’ve made that list, write down a number beside each of the tasks in order of importance. #1 being the task that needs to come completed first or urgently, all the way to #10 or however many tasks you have listed.
For more information about prioritizing, check out my Prioritize Like A Champ article.
#3. Quick Wins
Take a highlighter and highlight all of the tasks that you find exciting, interesting or fills you with joy.
Now that you have a narrowed down list, if you need to delegate tasks to different team members, you can see what others enjoy doing and delegate it based on that.
If you aren’t delegating and you need to do all of the tasks on your list, then start with the ones that you enjoy doing first to get some easy and quick wins under your belt.
#4. Plan It
Put each of these tasks into your planner on specific days. You’re creating deadlines for yourself because not only will this make such a big project more attainable, but it’ll also allow you to block out some time to work on it where you might otherwise get roped into other tasks. This way you know that you’re busy and can say no to other work so that you don’t feel overwhelmed.
#5. Incentive
Once you’ve completed working on the tasks that you enjoy, you’ll eventually have to work on those that seem more daunting to you. When you get to this part, I want you to add incentives to your schedule. For example, eat a healthy meal before you start working, then include some small incentives to keep you motivated, and then include a bigger one at the end of it to celebrate it. It’ll give you something to look forward to. I enjoy having small snack bars as my mini rewards and I call up friends as my big reward because I enjoy connecting with people after focusing on a solo project for a while.
Another fun incentive, especially if you’re a student or working from home alone, is to be creative with your work. I love making silly jingles and raps to remember things and I love dancing when I’m doing physical work. What works for you?
Recap:
You’re not alone on this journey, so take a few deep breaths, and know that this can be managed. The 5 steps we talked about are:
- Know and note down your big deadline where the world will fall apart if you don’t complete the task, and then write a new one before that for you so as to ease your burden.
- Prioritize by creating your list of tasks, then numbering them according to priority. #1 being the most important.
- Quick wins: highlight tasks that you enjoy, delegate ones that you don’t if possible, and start working on these highlight tasks.
- Write down your tasks into your planner and block out the time to work on it.
- Include incentives for working on the tasks that you don’t enjoy.
Next Steps:
If you’re a mom with a teenage daughter who is looking to develop her self-confidence & self-esteem, then download the free guide that’s associated with this video, “The Top 10 Ways to Build Self-Esteem & Self-Confidence.” Being confident in yourself cuts through overwhelm like no one’s business.
If you found this video beneficial, would you do me a favour? Share this with your family, your friends, your loved ones, your co-workers or someone who you think could benefit from this. Thank you!
Until next week, remember to create, experience & teach from the heart.
Take care,
Charlotte
