How to Deal When It’s All Too Much

6 Strategies to Get Out of Overwhelm

Whoever coined the phrase, “If you do what you love, you’ll never work a day in your life” clearly never met an entrepreneur.

I know plenty of business owners who love what they do, and also work really hard at it. I count myself as one of them. Even in a great business, there are going to be days with more to do than time available, or tasks that aren’t ever going to make your highlight reel.

If you’ve ever lost time staring at a screen, felt pulled in all directions, or prioritized the wrong things, here are some specific actions you can take the next time overwhelm hits.

1.?Change your environment

If you’re not sure what to tackle next, changing your physical location can help you think more clearly. I do this whenever I have an extra-long to do list – a blank paper and a new environment are often all I need to figure out what to do first.

2.?One airplane per runway

Imagine you’re an air traffic controller – there might be a lot going on, but you can only ever land one plane per runway. In business, that means anchoring yourself to one thing at a time, until it’s done or it’s time to put it aside and move to the next.

3.?Discipline is over-rated

Relying on sheer willpower to stay focused rarely works. Simple systems can really reduce your mental load and make it easier to stay on track. Using checklists, for example, or keeping a default calendar with recurring tasks built in, or setting up inbox folders that work for you, or holding structured team meetings instead of sending ad hoc messages.

4.?Delegate it

OK, no one else can do it as well as you. But can someone take over part of a task? Is there anyone who could do it 80% as well as you, who might even get better than you with a bit of practice? Is there technology that can eliminate or speed up some parts of your to do list? If so, get it off your plate.

5.?First things first

Start how you mean to go on… Getting something important done in the morning makes the whole day run more smoothly. Personally, I like to start each weekday with a scheduled task (on Fridays I start writing this newsletter before anything else.) What morning habits serve you best?

6. Control the narrative

The stories we tell ourselves matter. Worrying, dwelling on things you can’t control, and making up stories about what other people think are all going to exacerbate the overwhelm. Simple language switches (like replacing “I have to” with “I get to”) can keep us happy even when life is busy.

This Week’s Takeaway

For many of us, this is a particularly busy season. We’re somewhere between the summer and winter holidays – peak time to get stuff done. The “to do” lists are long, and the days feel short.

Which of the 6 strategies will help you keep a clear head? ?

Indistractable: by Nir Eyal

Indistractable is a guide on how to stay focused in a world filled with noise and distractions. Solving the problem is not as simple as swearing off devices. Abstinence is impractical and often makes us want more. If we want to live the life we aim for, we need to stop doing things that takes us off track and strive to do what we say we will do - through research-backed methods.

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