TJIF - Sh*t Buckets? 2.0 – A New Way to Tackle Chaos

This week, I’ve been feeling the weight of managing everything going on right now. Can you say tax season?!

As I’ve shared in the past, I use a simple framework to help me navigate chaotic times—the Sh*t Buckets?. It’s a way to categorize everything on my plate and prioritize what actually deserves my energy.

If you haven’t seen this before, here’s how it works:

1. SB1 – The sh*t you can control

? 2. SB2 – The sh*t you can influence

? 3. SB3 – The sh*t that is entirely out of your control

Step one: Get everything out of your head and into one of these buckets.

Step two: Immediately remove SB3 from your mental space (because why stress over what you can’t control?).

Step three: Focus on SB1 first, then SB2 with the time and energy left.

This method usually helps me move forward. But this week, something else crept in—predictability.?

Even when I knew I was “in control” of something, I found myself stressed because I couldn’t predict the outcome of my efforts. That fa?ade of control made things worse, not better. So, I took a step back and reframed my approach.

Reframing the Sh*t Buckets? with Predictability

I mapped out my tasks based on both control and predictability—here’s what I found:

?1. High Control / High Predictability – These were the easiest and most motivating. I felt confident in the outcome and spent the bulk of my time here. (Stayed in SB1.)

?2. High Control / Low Predictability – This is where the anxiety hit. I expected smooth sailing, but uncertainty around the outcome made me hesitate or procrastinate. (Stayed in SB1 but moved lower on the priority list.)

?3. Low Control / High Predictability – This led to frustration. Even when I did my part, the outcome depended on someone or something else. (Moved most of these to SB3—knowing they’d eventually resurface.)

?4. Low Control / Low Predictability – These triggered feelings of paralysis, fear, or helplessness. I did what I could, but ultimately, I had to let go. (Moved these into SB2—where I could influence but not control.)

Takeaways

If you’re feeling overwhelmed, try using the Sh*t Buckets?, but also layer in predictability to clarify where your energy should go. Sometimes, stress isn’t just about how much we have to do—it’s about the uncertainty of what happens next.

How do you handle chaos and unpredictability? Drop a comment or let me know if my framework resonates with you!