Feeling Overwhelmed? You don’t have to!
Does just thinking about your calendar or to do list give you anxiety? Do you have so much on your plate that you honestly don’t know were to start, or just put off starting anything? Yup – that is the feeling of being OVERWHELMED – but you don’t have to be. Being overwhelmed is actually a choice that you make subconsciously. Hear me out for a sec, because I know that might sound a little crazy. If you can train yourself to follow these rules below, you can eliminate that soul sucking feeling of being overwhelmed and start every day ready to kick some butt.
- Stop saying yes. I get it, there are certain situations with clients or bosses or family where you have to say Yes but stop saying Yes to the things that you really don’t want to do. Focus on doing just the things you really want to do.
- Get control of your morning. Having a morning routine can help you get your day started on the right foot. It eliminates the hectic, frazzled running around that just throws your whole day off and leaves you feeling like you have no control over anything.
- Block your time. Scheduling time for reading, working out, or just taking time for yourself is important. When you let other people control how busy your schedule is, you let them control how overwhelmed you can feel.
- Take time to access your day, week, month, and year. Reflect on what you’ve done. Did you accomplish what you wanted to, did you get joy from what you did? If you are just plugging through the day to day tasks but not enjoying them or feeling like you accomplished anything – then you really need to reassess why you are doing these things.
- Don’t just focus on the present. If you are always focusing on being in the moment and just crossing the next thing off your to do list, you may be neglecting your long-term goals and dreams. This goes back to #4 and accessing what you are really doing and accomplishing – is it getting you anywhere?
- Is it a priority? I’m totally guilty of this. Yes, there are things that must get done, but do they need to get done right now? Set your priorities and work your to do list in that order. If #7 doesn’t get done today, that’s OK, it’s not #1 and a high priority item.
- Set boundaries. Be realistic about what you can accomplish and don’t overload yourself. This really goes back to #1 and #3. If you don’t respect your time and what you really want to and are capable of working on, then no one else will respect your time.
Let’s be realistic. This probably isn’t something that you are going to implement in the next 5 minutes. It’s something that you must train yourself to be conscious of and put into place over time. The easiest way to get started – #1. Both in your personal life and your professional life. Saying No to the things that you really don’t want to do and don’t have to do should free up your schedule so that you can truly focus on the things you need to do and want to do.
Yes, unexpected things will come up, but if you are in control of your schedule and managing what you take on, you’ll be better prepared to handle emergencies and shuffle your schedule accordingly. Good luck! And if you have additional tips, I’d love to hear them.