Do you ever have days where it seems like the overwhelm has taken control of your life and you don’t even know how to manage any of it?
I feel ya, friend! I’ve been there all too many times! And as an entrepreneur, it can feel like the overwhelm is 10 times worse as times when you are trying to balance your business with your personal and family life. And with all that is going on in the world right now, I’m sure you’ve also suffered from a spike in your anxiety levels and may feel out of control at times. Times of overwhelm are part of life, but below are my top 6 tips to help you manage them with ease and to keep those times to a minimum!
Tip #1 – Prioritize + Plan Ahead
I used to think that the Type-A, always planning types must always be so stressed! Why not just go with the flow + be chill instead? But here’s the thing, when you don’t create a plan for yourself, you’ll find yourself hopping around from task to task to task and never really getting anything done. You also tend to forget things. This = overwhelm! So if you can, take a moment at the beginning of the day, week, or month and write down all the things you need to accomplish in that time frame. When you think you are done writing, keep thinking and write more. Get it all out of the brain and on paper. Then take the time to prioritize the things that you really need to do in that time frame (or at all) and eliminate or delegate the things that don’t need to be done. Hint…it’s completely okay to say no to things that aren’t a priority to you. I promise!
Tip #2 – Delegate and/or Batch Tasks
If you tend to be a perfectionist like me, you want to be in control of doing EVERYTHING so that way it’s done exactly how you want it to be done. But sometimes it’s better to delegate the tasks out that are mundane or that can be better handled by someone else. This allows you to free up time for you to work on the tasks that only you can do. And when it comes to those tasks that you do…batch them! Put similar activities together so you don’t have to keep switching your mind on and off between tasks. So for example, I like to batch my marketing tasks together for Monday, Client work (editing + product design) for Tuesday, Blogging + website-related stuff for Wednesday, Thursdays are for education + creative release, and Fridays are for working on finances + overflow from the week.
Tip #3 – Eliminate as Many Stressors as Possible
This goes back to the whole concept of knowing when to say NO to things! If you tend to be a (recovering) people-pleaser like me, it can be really hard to tell someone no and feel like you’ve upset them or hurt their feelings. But I will tell you what…you are going to do a half-ass job at whatever it is because you really don’t want to be doing it and the person is likely to be more frustrated with your half-ass-ness than if you would have just said no in the first place. Stick to only allowing the things that truly bring you joy in your life and you will be amazed how a lot of your stress + overwhelm will magically disappear!
Tip #4 – Control What You Can, Let Go of What You Can’t
As much as I’m sure you wish you could control others and the world, the only thing that is truly in your control is yourself. If you try to control other people’s behaviors or the world around you, you will be banging your head against the wall over and over again when people/things don’t magically listen to every beck and call you hand to them. Instead, focus on the things that you personally can control and be okay with letting go of the things that you can’t.
Tip #5 – Take Time for Self Care
When you have all kinds of things on your to-do list, self-care can sometimes take a back seat. But prioritizing self-care is what is going to make you better at handling all those tasks on your list. Take time to get adequate sleep. Eat healthily. Get in some exercise. Enjoy some meditation. Spend time with friends + loved ones. When you take care of yourself you allow yourself to feel refreshed and rejuvenated…ready to take on the day!
Tip #6 – Take Time to Evaluate What is Going Well
It can be easy to focus on what things went wrong and how you are going to fix them in the future, but what if you took the time to look at what went well? When you take time to recognize the things that went well, it allows you to have a clearer picture of how you can work on things for the future. Plus, allowing yourself some moments of gratitude is a natural stress reliever and you will notice how some of your overwhelm will go away once you realize how much you’ve already accomplished and kicked ass at!
Are you ready to say goodbye to overwhelm?
Sign up for a FREE phone consultation with me so you can learn more about how life coaching will help you get past the overwhelm and you can start achieving your goals.
// SCHEDULE A FREE CONSULT! //
Tell us your tips for how you like to manage your overwhelm!
Do you have some tricks up your sleeve for how you manage to your overwhelm? Post in the comments below! Or feel free to email me if you want to chat it out!