Take me for example. I'd been 'planning' a trip overseas for six weeks. People started asking me "Are you ready to go?" two months before my plane was due to take off. I cheerfully said "Of course not!"
Then four weeks before lift off I started creating piles of the stuff that needed to come with me. Every weekend my thoughts were occupied by shopping for the right clothing for different climates, finding 3 ounce bottles, and estimating how many changes of clothing I could stand to carry through 14 cities.
And three weeks out I began thinking about what work materials I needed to bring with me - audios to edit, copy that needs reworking, books I need to go through for reference.
Two weeks to go and obsessions about how many fluid ounces I could take with me clouded all my thinking and planning.
And then my client work doubled, for which I was grateful, and my brain left town ahead of my body.
All of which suddenly left me unable to make a decision, figure out what to pack and what to send and what to carry.
I had no choice - I had to resort to the 3 simple steps for getting out of overwhelm. I share them here with you so you'll have them in your back pocket.
Step 1 - List ALL The Things That Are Incomplete
I know - it sounds silly that I'm asking you to hit the 'pause' button and sit down. Yet an interesting phenomenon sets in with this exercise. The very act of focusing on writing things down calms your entire mind and body. So there are two benefits.
The first is you have identified everything that needs doing. The second is you've regained the attention you need for the next two steps!
Step 2 - Prioritize What Will Create The Highest Payoff
If you're anything like me, your list will have enough items on it to keep a regiment busy for a month. Now is the time to have a good laugh, and to put the most important items on the top of your list and let everything else slide into the "I wish I could get it done!" category.
Now put those top items on a single piece of paper with a space to check them off as they are accomplished and work only from that list.
Step 3 - Designate 15-minute Blocks of Time For Each Item
What? Just 15-minutes? That's right!
When you have too much to do you cannot take the time to overwork any of the things on your list. Now's the time to take the first, put 100% of your attention on it, power through and then move on to the next. And so on right through the list.
The very act of giving uninterrupted time to a task often shortens the task to one-quarter the time you expected it to take!
Make these steps techniques that you use and you'll soon find yourself ready with bags packed to join me in my voyages!
