We’re now in tip #2 of our 3 Key Tools for a Productive Business Mindset.  Last week we discussed how to get the most out of your affirmations.  This week we get down and dirty about how to manage overwhelm.

How to Manage Overwhelm aka Eating an Elephant One Bite at a Time

Overwhelm really isn’t about the fact that you’ve got way too many to do’s on your to do list.  We’ve all got a lot on our plates, yet some seem to manage it with such ease while you struggle to stay focused on the bite at hand.  And besides if you wanted less responsibility, you wouldn’t have even contemplated running your own business.

So why is one person overwhelmed and the other busy getting things done?  Well, here at Downloads for Change we realize that HOW you think about a problem is the key to whether or not you actually have a problem.  Using the most effective mental strategy will greatly diminish the size and scope of your problem.

Those of you stuck in overwhelm usually start out imagining the entire task as one large, looming, undifferentiated mass of work and of course feel overwhelmed.  I mean just look at the size of that elephant.  Just imagining that whole thing in your stomach can give you indigestion.

If you are clumping together all of the tasks in your business, or even all of the marketing tasks, then you are probably not getting many of them crossed off your to do list.  In fact, I would guess that you’re having a hard time even getting motivated to get started.  So let’s change the way you see those tasks and get busy getting things done.

Step 1 is moving the picture of the task farther away and making it smaller.  This makes it feel more manageable and gets the task down to size.  

Step 2 is to see the whole task completed and then begin to notice what series of smaller steps will lead to completing the entire task.

Step 3 involves seeing each one of those smaller tasks completed so that you can begin to feel motivated to do each step one at a time. 

Now instead of having one overwhelming task, you have a series of smaller tasks, each one seeming very doable.

The key in breaking these steps down into smaller steps is to make them small enough so that they feel easy to complete.  If, after breaking them down, one of the tasks still makes your eyes glaze over and your stomach hurt, ask yourself “what smaller step can I take that can get me closer to my goal and still feel easy to complete?” and then do it or at least put it into your calendar.

The end result is that you have a larger goal in mind, which is further away from you and easier to contemplate.  You have a series of small tasks, each of which feels very doable and is marked in your calendar for you to complete.  And then you can get to work.

The other great thing about this approach is that you are more flexible if something comes up that was not originally in your plan.  When you are focused on that big image and something unexpected pops up, you can get knocked completely off your path.  However, if you are focused on these smaller, bite size tasks, then you can easily incorporate the new information into your plan.

Remember, HOW you are thinking about your problem is what is causing the problem. 

Clumping everything together into a large, indefinable mass = Overwhelm.

Breaking it down into bite size tasks that feel easy to accomplish = Success.

So just keep breaking those tasks into smaller and smaller bites and the next thing you know your contemplating eating that whale in front of you.  Elephants are so last year.

Enjoy the journey!

 

Got ideas of your own to deal with overwhelm? COMMENT and let our DFC community know about them!  Then proceed to Part 3 of this Series