For today’s Write On… topic, let’s look at what to do with “I’m overwhelmed!!!” As reader, Katherine, shared this week. “There’s nothing wrong with my life. In fact, things are going really well…so well that some days when I sit down at my desk to work I have no idea where to begin. I end up wasting time distracted by too many thoughts. Any coaching tips for this?”
Um…let me see, Katherine…I know I had some thoughts on this…but I noticed my computer doing something weird so I stopped to fix it then thought I’d better check my email because something may have popped in during the last three minutes which led to flipping over to the Facebook tab because it’s open – where I tossed up a comment and realized I needed to finish this blog and post because it is WAY late but I also have outlines for five workshops that need completing plus a bunch of organizational must do’s and I haven’t gotten to any memoir writing this week…PHEW! Katherine, feeling overwhelmed and allowing oneself to be distracted can be pretty common.
When my brain starts to whir like this I feel like I’m spinning. I’ve created 7 Tips ‘n Tools to shift from overwhelm to refocused productivity. Today, we’ll cover tips one through three:
1. Acknowledge what is going on for you. Simply stop everything and sit for a moment in the overwhelming feeling. Notice how it feels in your body, in your head and notice how it is not serving you in any way. Take a couple of deep breaths and reconnect with yourself.
2. Identify short, medium and long term goals in the area where you are overwhelmed. Think of Phase 1 – what needs completion right now, Phase 2 – what will come next after you’ve set the foundation through Phase 1 goals and Phase 3 – the longer view, aspects of the project that will come into being several months or more from now~ the taking it to the next level phase.
3. Get clear on the end goals. What is it you wish to achieve? What is the outcome you want all your actions to contribute to creating? When you are clear on the end goal you can stop yourself when you feel you aren’t on target and ask what outcome is this particular action supporting.
These three simple actions alone can create the shift from feeling overwhelmed to getting back in alignment with what it is you wish to achieve. Revisit my After & Before Blog @ Overwhelm on Monday as I reveal additional steps to help you increase focus, productivity and raise the level of success you can experience when you are thinking, working and living on target. Meanwhile, I will be walking myself through this process as I continue to master these skills in my coaching practice and in my life.
