7 Steps to Reducing Overwhelm
oo much to do, too little time to do it. Sound familiar?
As mums, we take on a lot. We juggle the caring of kids with work, domestic duties, social activities and much more and start feeling overwhelmed and wonder how we can possibly do everything we are supposed to do and still have some kind of a personal life.
Here are some approaches that have helped me and others to reduce the overwhelm and increase our feeling of control:
1. Only do what only you can do
Ask yourself: Am I the only person who can do this? If the answer is no, don’t do it…ask someone else to help or if in a work environment delegate it to them.
2. Make meetings count
Business meetings and even some social ones can be wasted time. Make sure that everyone in a business meeting knows what is to be discussed, why you need to discuss it, how long are you going to spend on it, who’s responsible for it and be very clear on the outcomes. With social meetings, when feeling stretched for time, either say no or keep it to an agreed time (some social meetings do help your sanity!).
3. Stay on plan
Often when you don’t have a detailed plan that you are working to and you haven’t scheduled tasks and activities into your calendar, it is easy to get distracted and work on things that will not deliver the results you need but take up lots of time.
4. Question the priority
Too often, we do things – both professionally and personally – because we just assume “we have to” or “we’ve always done that.” Ask yourself: Does this really need to get done? What would happen if I didn’t do it?
5. Find time to think
This may seem counter-intuitive when you’re under the pump, but I’ve seen it for myself and others. No matter how overwhelmed you are, if you set aside some time, even 15 minutes a day, to step back and review your life and work goals from a distance, it will help you use the rest of your time much more effectively.
6. Get real support
Often when we’re feeling under pressure, we vent to friends, family, and even colleagues. In small doses, this can be helpful. However, focusing on the negatives can make you feel even worse. Instead, ask the person you would normally vent to, to help you figure out how to reduce your overwhelm: get their support to think through how to follow the five steps above.
7. Say no
Learning how to say no can be a life-saver. Many people who are overwhelmed simply don’t know how or aren’t willing to set reasonable boundaries for themselves, and so end up committing to much more than they can accomplish. Whenever someone makes a request of you, before you say yes, think about how that request will impact you and find a nice way to say no, if you think that will be best for your sanity.
Own Your Goal!
p.s I’d love to hear your take on this topic. Leave a comment below.…
If you know someone who will benefit from reading this, share this post now. It might be the spark they need to give their goal a real go.
THANKS FOR READING & SHARING!
