“In the developed world, hundreds of millions of us now face the bizarre problem of surfeit. Yet our brains, instincts, and socialized behavior are still geared to an environment of lack. The result? Overwhelm – on an unprecedented scale.” Martha Beck
As a business owner or solo professional you’ll know that there are many things that need your attention… and it’s easy to get very distracted, very busy and probably, eventually very exhausted.
When you begin to wonder “how will I cope?”, then it’s time to take steps to overcome the overwhelm..
Step 1 – Take a break from technology – switch off your computer and your phone, at least for an hour or two, to allow yourself time to refocus and take a step back. Controlling your work rather than allowing work to control you is the key.
Step 2 – Create space mentally and physically by learning to saying ‘no’ or ‘maybe’ to any requests in the immediate future which are not directly income generating. Going forward become more discerning about what you will do for free.
Step 3 – Review your calendar for the next 30 days and if possible reschedule or cancel any non-priority meetings or commitments.
Step 4 – Re-examine your work routine. The great advantage, of being the owner of your business, is that you can choose to a great extent the hours and days that you work! I like to keep Fridays and Mondays relatively free for research and travel while Tuesdays to Thursdays are scheduled with clients and meetings. There are lots of different working day combinations worth experimenting with – you CAN design your lifestyle.
Step 5 – If admin or household tasks are taking over and you don’t have any regular support, hire someone short term to systematise, declutter, automate or help you get up to date.
Step 6 – Leverage all your past and current projects rather than embarking on something new. That can come later when you have more capacity.
Step 7 – Put on hold anything that feels too big, too overwhelming, and too much for you to give attention to right now.
Step 8 – List long term ideas, projects and inspirations so that you feel comfortable that you haven’t lost sight of what you really want in the future.
Step 9 – Pinpoint your immediate dire business need – is it new clients and revenue, filling a workshop? If so identify all the actions that you have to take and put all your focus on making this happen now.
Step 10 – Be inspired into positive action and schedule something to look forward to such as a day off, time with family and friends, or a walk in nature or a film.
