F.eeling
O.verwhelmed?How can I stay focused when I am so overwhelmed? How can I think clearly to get anything done? How can I communicate what needs to be done to others so they are aware of what needs to be done if not helpful? How can I feel rested and light in the midst of “busyness?”
Find out how with a simple two-step formula and an acronym you can use to zap overwhelm. Are you ready to reate laser focus without getting bogged down in “busy” work or emotional meltdowns?
Can you really just take two steps to be focused?
Yes! All you need to do is the following:
1. Clarify what needs to be done.
2. Undertake simple steps to do only what’s most important now!
As simple as this is, we often get “stuck,” don’t we?! Don’t we often feel like everything is wrong, so much is not done, we are a poor parent, everything is such a mess, or we have “a thousand things” to do? The KEY here is that is how we FEEL! Memorize this sentence to help you methodically treat your emotions as an obstacle which you can shatter by consciously choosing to use this two-step process:
C.larify what can’t wait NOW, and
U.ndertake
S.pecific, simple action steps to get JUST THOSE THINGS done!
It takes practice to make this process a habit. It also takes being good with the fact that you are deliberately choosing NOT to do some things, YET! If you choose to take on this habit, you will soon zap that overwhelm and get a true sense of accomplishment.
Do this exercise to prepare for this habit: Lock yourself in the bathroom if you have to, and take five (actual) minutes to write everything that is pressing in your mind on a full-sized, blank piece of paper. Then choose nine things that will cause chaos if they are not done TODAY. Have fun choosing what NOT to do or get done, and in choosing free and cheap ways not to actually do everything yourself. You don’t HAVE to make homemade cake for the homeschool meetup, and your eight-year-old can run the vacuum before the guests arrive! Stop trying to have everything done at once, or hoping that it will all finally be finished! Neither of these will EVER happen, and that is not our goal in life.
Do you have that overwhelming list ready? Now, make a tic tac toe grid on a second sheet of paper, and fill in the nine vital things you have chosen for today. Then use the tic-tac-toe paper to COVER your first list, and use a magnet to put it up on your fridge. Put a highlighter and a pen or pencil in a ziploc bag and into the freezer so they won’t be lost while you work.
If you have older children or a spouse who is available at the moment and desperate for you not be overwhelmed, play tic-tac-toe together, seeing who can get three in a row done first. Otherwise, play with yourself, trying to only get three in a row, or a random set of three. Repeat until nine are finished, stop for the day, but put nine more on a tic-tac-toe grid for tomorrow. Yes, transfer any you didn’t get done, or repeat on the same day, just don’t overdo it.
When you go back to your original list, HIGHLIGHT everything you have gotten instead of crossing them out. Make what you’ve DONE stand out on the list! Do you find yourself having to highlight extra things that you “accidentally” got done while you were whittling away at the grid because you were inspired?! Do you see that you took what needed to be done and reduced it to a manageable amount? Do you see how emotion is what overwhelms, and not the sheer amount of work?
Celebrate what you are getting done, no matter how “small” that list of things may be. Know too, that the exercise of sitting down to list what’s overwhelming your mind may clue you into things you are not doing for yourself! You might just be thirsty, tired, hungry, or coming down with something. Not having established ways of caring for yourself and following your priorities are focus zappers and energy sappers. By choosing to start with fewer tasks, you zap overwhelm, increase focus, and actually get MORE done!
If you have found this game or these ideas helpful, visit www.establishedways.com for even more ideas, and leave a comment or question!
Glenda, Charlie and David
