3 Steps to Avoid Overwhelm
This may only be a ‘me’ problem, but every year I hit a massive wall of overwhelm in early January.
Even though in all honesty it really is just another month, everything is also resetting, and the newness gets me really excited & inspired – to the point where I can’t handle it.
Seriously.
I have so many ideas, tasks, and projects bouncing around in my brain right now, and it’s difficult for me to keep them from taking over. Do I declutter the entire house first, or sit down and make a 100-foot long to-do list? Should I start meal-prepping NOW, or write out my exercise regime that I most certainly won’t stick to? Do I sit down and spend 3 hours ‘planning content’ (being distracted on Pinterest) or do I run out of my house screaming?
So. Many. Choices.
Here are a few ways I’m choosing to combat the overwhelm, and maybe they will help you too!
◉ Make a massive to-do list. Write it all out. And I do mean all of it.
◉ Go through and mark high-priority, low-priority, and just-for-fun tasks.
◉ Start completing one task at a time and checking them off. If you start to feel the overwhelm, walk away and do something mindless. Try not to complete multiple tasks at the same time!
This approach helps me break everything down into manageable chunks (most of the time). I think the biggest lesson I am learning is NOT to multitask, and to walk away when I need to. Let’s dive into each of those ways individually…
Make a massive to-do list.
This is also called a brain dump sometimes, according to the Bullet Journal Gods. But what it really is, is just a way to get all of the tasks, ideas, and thoughts out of your head and onto paper (or screen). This immediately frees up your mind to concentrate on other things, like enjoying your dinner. Once you’ve got that list made, you can then categorize it. Here’s how to do that…
GO THROUGH AND MARK THE tasks.
Item by item, mark them as high-priority, low-priority, and just-for-fun. If you’re feeling extra verbose, make three more lists with these items divided out. Categorize them, color-code them, whatever you have to do – just don’t get too bogged down in this step because it’s now time to…
complete one task at a time
Start working on one task at a time, and check each one off as you go. If you start to feel the overwhelm, walk away and do something mindless like dust your bookshelves. Try not to work on more than one task at a time (I struggle with this SO much). There may be some mindset shifting that needs to happen here, where you tell yourself (and believe) that one task at a time is enough. You don’t need to complete x amount of tasks to have been productive enough.
How do you overcome overwhelm? Any tips on organizing or staying focused as a creative? Leave a comment and let me know!
pin me!
