So many people we work with on a daily basis too often try to do a million things at once — and then suddenly wake up to the unpleasant reality that this just isn’t possible. You’re only human — and capable as you may be, you can only take on so much. So in the spirit of digging out from under, here are some tips for dealing with feeling overwhelmed. Track how they may relate to your fitness needs and goals, as well as your daily stress level!
Identify What Is Truly Important: A big part of feeling overwhelmed is not knowing where to start. Try to pick three areas of your life: personal, relationship and career, and write down all the nagging things that are rippling under the surface and affecting your peace of mind. This brain dump can be useful in that it shows you what really must be accomplished, so that there is not one large pile of impossibility.
Prioritize The Important Stuff: Once you identify the items in each category, rank them on a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being extremely important and 1 being extremely trivial.
Decide Exactly How To Start: Of all the ‘10′ items on your to-do list decide two things. First, which ones are the most important to your life goals, values, and passions. Second, which tasks/projects, once accomplished, will give you the most satisfaction and opportunity for success.
Act On What You Planned: Break your three most important tasks into doable sub-tasks, and decide what is the next step that you could take towards its attainment. Many times, you likely feel overwhelmed because you see a mountain of responsibility in front of you. You forget that it is a process made up of lots of smaller tasks, which are victories in themselves.
Assign, Assign, Assign: As far as your sanity and time management are concerned, it is crucial to hand out tasks to trusted others that you do not need to finish yourself. Leverage high school and college students, if necessary, to handle mundane tasks that can be real time-wasters. You will get more accomplished, they will gain some real-world experience, and everybody wins!
Just Say No: Too many people are uncomfortable with saying “no”. A reasonable way to avoid getting committed to projects you’d just as soon leave alone, is to buy yourself time — in other words, never answer immediately after the request is proposed.
Six Per Day: Pick six (not more, and not less) of your high-priority, doable tasks and do them every work day. Where will you get the most traction on the things that matter to you most? If you pick the items of utmost importance to accomplish each day, think of where you will be in just a few weeks of productivity!
Let It Go: Being overwhelmed is often a product of staying after success for a long time, not realizing that you need at least one (or, preferably two) days off per week. Think of your mind as a knife: if your mental blades are dull and rusty you can’t be very effective.
We hope you find some of these tips helpful in reducing your stress load and prioritizing your responsibilities.
Identify What Is Truly Important: A big part of feeling overwhelmed is not knowing where to start. Try to pick three areas of your life: personal, relationship and career, and write down all the nagging things that are rippling under the surface and affecting your peace of mind. This brain dump can be useful in that it shows you what really must be accomplished, so that there is not one large pile of impossibility.
Prioritize The Important Stuff: Once you identify the items in each category, rank them on a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being extremely important and 1 being extremely trivial.
Decide Exactly How To Start: Of all the ‘10′ items on your to-do list decide two things. First, which ones are the most important to your life goals, values, and passions. Second, which tasks/projects, once accomplished, will give you the most satisfaction and opportunity for success.
Act On What You Planned: Break your three most important tasks into doable sub-tasks, and decide what is the next step that you could take towards its attainment. Many times, you likely feel overwhelmed because you see a mountain of responsibility in front of you. You forget that it is a process made up of lots of smaller tasks, which are victories in themselves.
Assign, Assign, Assign: As far as your sanity and time management are concerned, it is crucial to hand out tasks to trusted others that you do not need to finish yourself. Leverage high school and college students, if necessary, to handle mundane tasks that can be real time-wasters. You will get more accomplished, they will gain some real-world experience, and everybody wins!
Just Say No: Too many people are uncomfortable with saying “no”. A reasonable way to avoid getting committed to projects you’d just as soon leave alone, is to buy yourself time — in other words, never answer immediately after the request is proposed.
Six Per Day: Pick six (not more, and not less) of your high-priority, doable tasks and do them every work day. Where will you get the most traction on the things that matter to you most? If you pick the items of utmost importance to accomplish each day, think of where you will be in just a few weeks of productivity!
Let It Go: Being overwhelmed is often a product of staying after success for a long time, not realizing that you need at least one (or, preferably two) days off per week. Think of your mind as a knife: if your mental blades are dull and rusty you can’t be very effective.
We hope you find some of these tips helpful in reducing your stress load and prioritizing your responsibilities.
This article was written by Bobby DeMuro, the Founder and Chairman of FusionSouth. FusionSouth is the premier mobile fitness firm in Charlotte, specializing in personal training and sports conditioning. You can find out more about them here www.fusionsouth.com
