Overwhelmed? 5 Practical Steps to Regain Control

Feeling Overwhelmed?

Has something got your whole life upside down and sideways? (Work, business, relationships, health concerns… all of the above?)

Are you so busy actually doing your business, that you never have time to create or follow through on the systems you need?

Thought you’d make headway on an important project today but spent your time putting fires out instead?

We’ve all been there, right?  

What if instead of making organization a goal… you established some habits that would guarantee you’d start the month, the week, heck, every day off organized and peacefully productive?

When I advise clients on overcoming overwhelm and creating the kind of productive day they dream of, I suggest that they create bookends for their workday.  This means establishing habits that begin and end the day so that they maintain control of their time and avoid being sucked into someone else’s agenda. Here are my best tips for beginning and ending each day:

1. Take the time to set a daily focus and priorities—the best thing you can do is to start every day by reviewing your focus for the day and your two or three most important tasks. Yes, this needs to happen before you check your email, or Facebook, or your text messages or any other black hole that pulls you in and sacrifices your time.  When you start the day by focusing on your goals and not someone else’s, you are creating and following your own agenda.  This is key to staying in control and staying organized.
2. Take the time to create a daily time plan on your calendar-This involves reviewing any appointments or obligations that you have. Next, fill in the time slots around your appointments with the tasks that you have designated as priority for the day.  Every working hour needs to have a plan. Begin with the most pressing and the tasks that take the most focus and energy first. Set aside a specific time to return phone calls and answer emails then stick to it.  Turn off the constant reminders on your phone/computer of incoming messages.
3. Be realistic-Allow some time for breaks and transition. For the most part, people work best with intense focus periods of 1 ½ hours with a small break in between.  Keep moving. Stand up or walk around to work when possible.  Plan healthy snacks to keep your energy level high.
4. Finish your day with a review-At the end of your day, prepare for the next day by:
   1. Listing the tasks that are incomplete and that you want to carry over to the next day
   2. Organizing and filing away items on your desk top
   3. Reviewing your calendar for the next day and preparing any items that you will need to start the day off effectively
   4. Leaving yourself a note of any reminders that you want to follow up on
5. Learn to leave your work at work-More than any other generation, we carry our work with us. This is especially true for those of us who work from home. Text messages, emails, cell phones all keep us in constant contact with our working world.  Set a time when you are off work and stick to it.  A coach that I once had told me at the end of my designated work day to say, “Now it’s time for ____________.”  Fill in the blank with what you want to schedule your off time for; family time, relaxation time, social time with friends.  Stay in control and stick to your planned routine.