Being Overwhelmed: 6 Ways to Stop it and Get Mobilized!

Dec 2019

There is an ancient Chinese proverb that you may have heard of which gives advice for how to handle being overwhelmed.

The proverb goes like this, “a journey of 1,000 miles begins with but a single step.”

While I agree that if you want to walk a thousand miles you need to begin by taking the first step, I do think it is outdated and needs to be updated for modern times.

More on that in a bit but first let’s talk about…

…Being Overwhelmed

For many of us, being overwhelmed leads to procrastination or a feeling of paralysis which results in us getting nothing done.

As Rita Emmett says in her great book, The Procrastinators Handbook: Mastering the Art of Doing it Now:

“One of the prime reasons people procrastinate is that they are overwhelmed…deluged…swamped. They feel flattened by the steamroller of life’s things-to-do. They may have too many chores or one project that seems so huge or so complicated that they become immobilized. And they stop thinking, stop deciding, stop doing anything.” ¹

To avoid getting run over by that steamroller, let’s discuss 6 strategies that we can use to stop being overwhelmed…

6 Strategies to Stop Being Overwhelmed

(1) Eat the elephant one piece at a time

The first strategy is one which is explained by another similar proverb which says “when eating an elephant take one bite at a time” In other words, take the big, seemingly task that is causing you to be overwhelmed and break it down into smaller pieces.

At Emmett says:

“Make a list of minijourneys by writing down all the little jobs that are part of your overwhelming project. If your list is too intimidating, break it down into several lists. Or if you have notes on little scraps of paper, consolidate them on one sheet.” ¹

The idea is to break up your big goal or whatever you want to accomplish into smaller pieces to make it more manageable. Breaking things into smaller pieces also reduces the amount of frustration and impatience you will encounter from trying to tackle something overwhelmingly huge.

Once you have done this, the next step is to then simply take a single step by tackling one of the smaller steps. Often times just getting started is all it takes to start chipping away at the project one task at a time!

(2) Use checklists

The second strategy we will discuss to stop being overwhelmed is using a checklist. Many times, we have so much going on that we forget what we need to do which just adds to our being overwhelmed.

This type of problem can be easily overcome if we just create a checklist, which is basically just a to-do list of stuff you need to do with a little checkbox beside it, and as you complete your tasks, you simply tick them off so you don’t forget!

I won’t get into prioritizing items on your checklist, but if you need help with that you may want to check out a recent post on prioritizing.

(3) Create a portable project center

The next strategy is one that is helpful when you have a project that comes along that necessitates something more than a checklist.

As Emmett advises:

“If your project involves collecting cost estimates from different sources, saving receipts, or accumulating a lot of information or papers, create for yourself a portable project center. Buy a folder with pockets plus a spiral notebook; both should be the same color so you can keep them together easily. Store the notebook inside the folder when you’re not using it. Now every bit of information that involves your project can be either stuffed into the folder pockets or jotted into the notebook.” ¹

This same advice can be applied digitally as well by keeping all project-related files in specific folders on your computer to help keep you organized.

(4) Do things at the best time of day

You may be wondering if there is a best time to do certain things, including creating your checklist and knocking off certain tasks. According to Daniel Pink, author of When: The Scientific Secrets of Perfect Timing, the answer is yes and that most of us move through the day in three stages. The three stages are as follows: a peak, a trough, and a recovery. People who are night owls move through the day in the opposite order – recovery, trough, peak.

The peak is early in the day when you have the most energy and vigilant and is best for analytical work.

The trough is the part of the day after lunch when you feel a bit sluggish and have less energy and it is best for administrative work.

Lastly, the recovery is that period late in the afternoon where you are in a better mood than the trough but less focused and attentive than when you were in the peak, this is the best time for creative activities such as brainstorming.

(5) Identify and use those precious pockets of time

Do you ever notice that there are many times in your day when you have free pockets of time? Those spare 10 minutes here and 20 minutes there can really add up and give you time to get stuff done.

As Emmett explains:

“One of the great secrets of high achievers and anticrastinators is that they are mindful that every day is jam-packed with an incredible number of precious pockets of time, if only you learn to recognize and use them.” ¹

It is critical to recognize when these pockets of time occur so you can figure out how to best utilize them.

(6) Start from the end and work backward

The last one is one that I personally use all the time to prevent being overwhelmed. The idea is to start at the end or the scheduled deadline and then create little milestones that need to be met to accomplish your project.

For example, your flight leaves at 9 am, which means you need to be there at 7 am, which means you need to leave the house by 6 am, which means that you need to be up by 5 am, etc.

According to Emmett:

“Whether you think backward naturally or have to work at it, developing the habit of back timing will make a project more manageable, help you anticipate obstacles, and eliminate most of that last-minute, knot-in-the-stomach stress.”¹

At the End of the Day…

…no matter which of these 6 strategies you use to stop you from being overwhelmed, there is one thing that is true. And that is, do not break and take the easy way out by surfing the internet, watching crap on TV, or watching silly cat videos on YouTube.

Instead, eat that elephant and break the problem down into a bunch of small and manageable steps and then get off your butt and take that single first step!

Back to the Proverb in the Introduction…

I think we need to re-write “a journey of 1,000 miles begins with but a single step” to be more realistic with how people travel these days.

With modern transportation, unless you are in some type of insane ultra-marathon, no one walks 1,000 miles anymore!

I think a more appropriate and updated version of the proverb may be “a journey of 1,000 miles begins with but a single step into a waiting Uber to take you to the airport where you will pay $60 to check your carryon before you hop on your flight!”.

Yes, speaking of being overwhelmed, I’m still a bit irked about having to pay $60 to check a bag on a recent flight!

Until next time, use the tips above to stop being overwhelmed, watch out for airlines who nickel and dime the crap out of you, and as always…PYMFP!
–Rick

Use it Or Lose It

The 6 strategies that we discussed to stop being overwhelmed are:

(1)  Eat the elephant one piece at a time
(2)  Use checklists
(3)  Create a portable project center
(4)  Do things at the best time of day
(5)  Identify and use those precious pockets of time
(6)  Start from the end and work backward

When to Use It

Use these tips above when you procrastinate due to being overwhelmed.

What Do You Think?

What do you think about the tips above to overcome being overwhelmed that we discussed above? Do you have any other strategies that you use to stop from being overwhelmed? Please share your thoughts in the comments below!

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References

¹ The Procrastinators Handbook: Mastering the Art of Doing it Now by Rita Emmett