5 Things You Can Do right Now To Overcome YOUR Overload
See if any of these scenarios sound familiar:
❌ You open your laptop to start your workday and feel a sense of hesitation. You know that from now until the end of the day, the pace of work will be wide open.
❌ You stop work for the day and already dread the mountain of personal tasks awaiting you. And you've also got to answer that all important question, "What's for dinner?"
❌ You try and get some rest, but you know that all your unfinished tasks and left over stressors from today will be ready and waiting for you tomorrow.
Most of us have faced at least one (hopefully not all) of these situations in the past 30 days. And as the feeling of overload overwhelms, our blood pressure rises and our breathing gets shallower.
Is the best solution just to accept less sleep, consume more caffeine, and rationalize that it has to be this way?
Maybe not.
If you’re ready to let go of some of that overload that comes from all you think you have to do, and you want to be more present in the moment, try one of these 5 Strategies:
Own it
As long as you make your overload about "them" and other external factors, you rationalize your way to being powerless to change things. But is that reality? Truth is, you probably contributed to your current situation in many ways, including:
Giving in to distractions
Lack of specific goals
Unwillingness to have an uncomfortable coworker conversation
Inadequate planning
Desire to please everyone
Poor choices
Unrealistic expectations of yourself or others
Once you understand the areas where you are the one contributing to your current situation, you can begin to find ways to be the one to improve your current situation. For example: A typical day is filled with potential distractions. Distractions are not necessarily bad, they’re just not what you need to be focusing on in the moment. Each time you get distracted, you have to stop and make a decision on how to handle that distraction. But if you planned for distractions, (especially the usual ones like email notifications, coworker requests, a cluttered desk, etc). You can put strategies in place to either remove them or remove yourself from them.
Another example of a contributor to your overload might come from being unwilling to have an uncomfortable conversation with a difficult coworker. If you try to simply ignore it, the stress continues to spill over into the next day and the next. Unless your situation changes where you no longer have to work with that coworker, YOU have to be the one to make some changes. One strategy you could use is the 4R’s that I mentioned in last month’s blog: Remove, Review, Reflect and Respond.
Taking ownership of your overload empowers you to make lasting changes to improve your situation. For more related to this topic, check out my blog, Willful Ignorance and Productivity.
Get specific about your pain
When we are too generic about what's overwhelming us (i.e. everything about life), we feel...overwhelmed by everything. According to Dr. Richard Swenson’s book, Margin, there are 23 different types of overload that may be present in our lives. The list includes everything from activity and debt overload, to choice and fatigue overload. Once you can identify which type(s) of overload you are experiencing, you can create boundaries and/or limits to protect your physical, mental and emotional resources.
Reconnect with what gives you a sense of fulfillment
When you're overwhelmed, you tend to pull yourself away (physically and/or mentally) from the people and experiences that nourish your body, mind, and soul. It's like trying to drive a car faster and faster that is running out of gas. Shawn Anchor, in his fantastic book, The Happiness Advantage, cites research that found that happiness and fulfillment are the best predictors of success and productivity. Read that again:
One way I have found to make sure my emotional tank is full before I begin each day, is to use a gratitude app. It's amazing how looking back over the list from previous days and weeks reminds me of all I have to be thankful for, and powers me up to tackle the toughest tasks in my day. One great gratitude app is called Gratitude. While designed for people who suffer from anxiety and depression, it can be applied to anyone. It’s free and it includes inspiring quotes, affirmations, daily reminders and more. If you’re looking for something a little more interactive with daily gratitude challenges and rewards/prizes, then 365 Gratitude might be a good choice.
Whether you prefer one of the many great apps on the web, or a simple journal of paper written in pen, the effort you make can help set your attitude toward thankfulness and give you the fuel you need to face the tasks in front of you.
Remember that sometimes "done is better than perfect"
What is overwhelming to some people is their inability to do everything to a certain level of perfection. They can't find the perfect time to have a difficult conversation. They struggle to start working on something because they don't have all the information they think they need. They have created an unrealistic standard for themselves that is blocking progress on many levels.
If striving to be perfect is holding you back, try aligning your thinking to Imperfect Progress. Allowing yourself to be imperfect has 3 main advantages:
The goal becomes more about moving forward and not so much about getting it right the first time.
It creates a more positive learning environment where you are free to try something, see where there needs to be a change and make improvements for the next time.
Your imperfection inspires others to try, which in turn, inspires you to keep going.
While imperfect progress may create small changes at first, over time, those lead up to big changes.
Reach out to your "guardrail" friends
Finally, when I’m feeling overwhelmed I make it a point to reach out to one of the people in my life who will get me back on track. They won't let me have a pity party or agree with me just to be kind. They challenge my assumptions, remind me of my opportunities in my current dilemma, and give me a much needed mental and emotional boost.
The key 🗝️ for any of these strategies to work is to STOP. It's hard to make a course correction while you're still moving so quickly in a particular direction. Take a walk without your smartphone. Get to a quiet place where you can reflect more deeply about where you are... and where you want to go. Most importantly, ask yourself, "What's possible if I were to address the root causes of my overload?" You might just be surprised by your answer.
