This was me yesterday. I sat down at my computer and felt completely overwhelmed.
Over the last week, I have been laser focused on working on my eBook and getting new blog posts out. I was on track and doing well.
Then yesterday I was completely swamped by thoughts of eBook sales pages, SEO that I can’t work out for the life of me no matter how much I read on the topic, blog stats that were going down instead of up, an overdue newsletter, setting launch dates, working on my opt-in, sorting out the size of the images on my blog, getting more traction on Facebook and about twenty other things.
My head was all over the place. If you are struggling with the same feeling, here are a few tips.
Name it
Say to yourself – I feel overwhelmed.
The point of naming it is so that your ‘mean girl (or boy)’ doesn’t come out to play. If you are already feeling overwhelmed you don’t want any name-calling going on (which let’s face it is what we sometimes do when we are feeling stressed and frustrated with ourselves).
Work on your most important task
When you have a whole pile of work to do and you are not sure where to start, the obvious choice is to work on the most important task.
If you are not clear what that is take a moment to look through your workload and sort out which one is the most important.
Work on something else
Yesterday my problem was that I knew exactly what I was supposed to be working on but for some reason I couldn’t make myself do the work.
I think deep down it was a case of having done nothing but think about the project non-stop (to the point where I was having trouble sleeping) that I needed a break from it.
What I decided to do was work on another project. It’s an important project to complete but admittedly a step down in importance from finishing the eBook.
I’m happy to say this technique worked a charm! I got a lot of good writing done.
There were a few different reasons why this tactic worked. For starters, once I started seeing progress I felt more motivated to keep going. I simply needed something to give me that little kick-start.
Secondly it took away some pressure that I was feeling about writing the eBook and lastly it helped me feel creative again.
Sometimes our brains just need a change of topic to get firing again.
Do something completely different
I’m finding that tidying up and organizing is incredibly therapeutic when I feel overwhelmed, frustrated or upset.
Clearing physical clutter away is perfect because it helps clear the mind as well.
Whatever you decide to do, it has to involve moving your body and getting the blood pumping.
Do nothing at all
Sometimes what you need is a bit of time out.
Grab a cup of tea (or coffee), sit quietly and think about nothing much at all. Reading a book can be good (as long as it’s not related to the topic you are working on).
Chill with your pets, family, partner or enjoy your own company.
Then get back to work!
Don’t watch television
If you are at home and feeling overwhelmed (particularly if you work from home) I would not recommend turning the television on.
Television as we all know is a massive time suck. Wasting time watching television when you are feeling overwhelmed will make you feel worse.
You also don’t want to be bombarded with doom and gloom or stupid trivial crap when you are struggling with getting motivated.
Write up a prioritized to do list
You are probably wondering why this isn’t at the top of the list.
I wasn’t in this space yesterday. I had the list already. In fact the list was most likely part of the problem because it was so damn long!
If you are confused about what you are meant to be working on by all means write up your list and prioritize it.
Understand everyone has an off day
Thankfully in my case half a day! I got myself back on track and got a lot of work done later in the afternoon.
Don’t let the fact that you were feeling overwhelmed make you feel worse. In a nutshell, don’t beat yourself up about it. Just acknowledge it, own it and carry on.
Keep working, get moving and you will be back on track in no time.
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I would love to hear your comments. What do you do when you are feeling overwhelmed?
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