How to not overwhelm yourself
And actually get stuff done.
I feel overwhelmed on a daily basis. Not by the sheer beauty of nature, the structured chaos of Bali traffic or the obscene amount of selfie-sticks increasingly being whipped out in public spaces (although all three of these do occupy prominent places in my frontal lobe). I am overwhelmed by myself, by my own mental traps.
I have a knack for getting my knickers all tied up in one of those impossible-to-untie sailor’s knot before I can even consider the first step in getting a task done. This I do in one of two ways:
- Present myself with Task A. Start thinking about all the subtasks I will need to do in order to complete Task A. Suddenly Task A is no longer just Task A, now it is Task A.1, A.2, A.3, A.4 and A.5. Let my mind run away from me, leaving in its wake an army of obstacle creating gremlins. Feel utterly overwhelmed. Panic. Distract myself with easier tasks like making my fourth cup of tea, or crying.
- Present myself with Task A. Begin. Things are going ok until I realise I haven’t yet finished Task P from yesterday, nor have I given task K.4 attention for far too long, oh yeah and I promised to have Task R.3 finished today too. Suddenly Task A has joined a long line of tasks needing to get done. Feel utterly overwhelmed. Panic. Get neither Task A, Task P, Task K.4 nor Task R.3 done. Distract myself with easier tasks like making my fourth cup of tea, or crying.
As you can see, the process may differ but the result is always the same. I add far too much tannin to my teeth, I overwhelm myself to the point of panic and tears and I just don’t get things done. This is a recurring cycle and I’m sure I’m not the only one who self-inflicts in this unnecessarily self-destructive way.
Here’s my advice on how you can stop overwhelming yourself and actually get sh*t done.
- Don’t make a mountain out of a molehill. Chances are Task A is nothing at all like the mission impossible you have built up in your mind. Lose the num chucks and rely on your ninja reality-checking skills instead. Once you have convinced yourself that, yes you can actually do it, it becomes a whole lot easier to do.
- Stick to one task at a time. People talk about multitasking like its a Jedi master skill saved for the Luke Skywalkers and Yodas among us, but there are times when multitasking is just the worst thing you can do for yourself. Rather than trying to clear out your inbox, reply to all your Facebook messages, buy a new pair of shoes off Zandos and keep the tab on Task A open, close all the rest and focus on what actually needs to get done.
- This leads me to my next point: Keep only one tab open at a time! I suck at this. Like really suck. Currently I have Medium as well as four other tabs open (usually its more) but I’m trying to stop this and you need to try too. The internet is an absolute cesspit of procrastination. Don’t let its grimy little paws pull you in a million directions nor be overwhelmed by the endless amount of research you can do on Task A rather than actually getting down and doing Task A.
- Keep the positive vibes pumping. Don’t let self-doubt settle in your mind. It’s a nasty little critter and once it sets up shack, it’s there to stay. Avoid this unwanted squatter by keep thinking positively. Say positive affirmations to yourself and become your own biggest cheerleader. It’s amazing how much you can do when you tell yourself you can actually do it.
- Break your task into more manageable chunks. Rather than trying to achieve task A.1, A.2, A.3, A.4 AND A.5 all in one go, see what is realistically achievable today and set due dates for the rest. Stick to a timeline that allows you productivity time with some downtime thrown in too. You don’t want to burn yourself out before you have even reached A.1.2.
When it comes to getting things done we really are our own worst enemies. Our human flair for theatrics leads to an over-exaggeration of obstacles and words like “impossible”, “how will I ever do this” and “hmmm how about another cuppa tea” get thrown about. Rather than letting yourself get overwhelmed by your task rather let overwhelming feelings of awesomeness wash over you. Tell yourself you can do it, lay down a realistic timeline, zero out those distractions and just get your sh*t done.
❤ Dime for a Dream ❤
