Overcoming Overwhelm: 5 Practical Secrets to Peaceful Productivity
July 17th, 2009 by Christine Kane
Overwhelm is one of the most common challenges I hear about.
No surprise, of course.
The people I work with – whether they’re in my Platinum Mastermind, or my Uplevel Your Life Mastery Program, or at one of my women’s retreats – tend to have one thing in common:
They’re creative types with lots of great ideas and a deep desire to be of service in the world. (If you’re reading this, you’re probably that kind of person, too.)
Creative types are often challenged by the practical day-to-day stuff of life. To-do’s, organization, finances, getting things done. NONE of this comes easy to them! Overwhelm becomes a way of life.
Only problem is this:
Overwhelm leaves you emotionally drained, constantly feeling like you’ll never quite catch up.
As a creative person, you might have to accept that you’ll be overwhelmed on a regular basis, but you can also take a few practical steps to overcome overwhelm. Here are five secrets I’ve learned along the way that have helped me get back on purpose in my daily life.
Overcoming Overwhelm Tip #1
Get out of the weeds
I was a crappy waitress.
Not a single night went by in any of the vast numbers of restaurants where I waited tables when I wasn’t totally in the weeds. If you’ve waitressed, then you know what it feels like. So much is happening so fast that you can’t even pause to regroup. (Don’t get me started on the nightmares I used to have after shifts like this!)
Many of us live our whole lives like this! We begin our day and just start reacting.
If this is you, then it’s time to get out of the weeds and into the habit of something I call Self-Summits.
A Self-Summit is a weekly 30-minute practice – Sunday’s are perfect! – during which you connect with your intentions, remind yourself of your goals, and get clear on your priorities. You look at the week ahead and:
• List your top three priorities (not your 57 to-do’s!) for the week.
• Get clear on upcoming appointments.
• Schedule your work-out time, your writing time, your downtime, etc.
This one practice does wonders for keeping you on track.
Why? Because it doesn’t leave room for choice in the moment.
When creative types get to ask themselves, “Well, what do I feel like doing now?” you can pretty much bet that nothing good will come of it!
Hey, even if your week doesn’t work out exactly as planned, this is better than not having any plan at all!
Overcoming Overwhelm Tip #2
Project vs. Task
Is this your to-do list?
“Re-paint house. Create website. Write book. Eat healthy.”
If so, then it’s time to discern between a project and a task.
A project is something big…like a website. It looms like a monolith on your to-do list, with its own foreboding theme song that plays every time you glance at it.
A task, on the other hand, is something you can actually complete. Like, “Write bio.” Or “Call Photographer.”
Learn to break down your projects into tasks during your Self-Summits, and you’ll reduce your overwhelm by at least 75%!
Overcoming Overwhelm Tip #3
Experience Completion
I often make my clients set their weekly goals so small that they laugh at me.
I do this because most of the creatives I work with have never allowed themselves the bold luxury of simply experiencing completion.
When you experience completion, then you can maintain your motivation. When you are always running to keep up with your 73-item to-do list, then you are prone to overwhelm and burn out. Make your goals and your to-do list small so that you can revel in getting complete!
Think of completion as an essential vitamin that makes you immune to overwhelm!
Overcoming Overwhelm Tip #4
Set the Timer
This will sound so simple and stupid that you’ll think, “Yea, yea yea. Got it. A timer. Duh.”
But hear me out!
Let’s say you’ve scheduled 2 hours to write Chapter 4 of your book. Set the timer for 55 minutes, and write. Don’t go one minute over or under. Take a five-minute break. Then set your timer for another 55 minutes.
When the clock is running, you won’t be as tempted to go downstairs to put the clothes in the dryer, or see if the mail has arrived. It’s an effective mind game that keeps your butt in the chair and your focus on the task. Even my most skeptical clients have become believers in the timer.
Overcoming Overwhelm Tip #5
Eliminate All-Or-Nothing Thinking
Many creatives see only two options:
Either be fun-loving, chaotic, creative and spontaneous…
OR
Be a totally boring robot who never experiences love or joy.
This is called All-or-Nothing Thinking. It is also a “Limiting Belief.” It is downright untrue and even destructive, and it will keep you playing catch-up forever!
The trick to overcoming overwhelm is to play with these new habits. Tweak them so they work for YOU. Many people use all-or-nothing thinking as an excuse for not even trying. They give up on themselves way too quickly.
Don’t expect to be perfect when you first start digging out of overwhelm. But DO expect yourself to keep practicing these habits.
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July 17th, 2009 7:09 am
Thanks, Christine. Your post is really useful (as usual). I especially love the “getting out of the weeds” step. I find it incredibly easy to get caught up in my task list with no consciousness about whether those tasks even support my larger goals. Thanks for the insight.
July 17th, 2009 7:49 am
Christine,
This is fantastic.
I especially love the “project versus task” point. So often when I work with people (creative or otherwise), the ‘to-do’ is ‘write a book’ or ’start a business’. But books are written one sentence at a time, right? Showing up to write everyday and writing for an hour a day, over time, adds up. And makes it much less daunting. (Plus, we’re much less likely to procrastinate when it’s something that seems do-able, like writing for an hour — rather than “must write greatest American novel ever written by Wednesday”, right?)
And of course, the limiting beliefs. Many creatives see the limiting belief you mentioned, as well as many others. This leads them to treat their creativity as something they do “after they’ve taken care of real life” or to believe that they have to give up something that is just as valuable to them as their creativity. (I was recently working with someone whose either/or thinking was ‘be creative – or – have a relationship’. Ouch.)
Love the ’self-summit’ suggestion and realize that this is something I’ve gotten away from. Thanks for the reminder.
Again, fantastic post (for anyone struggling with being overwhelmed).
Thanks!
All the best!
deb
July 17th, 2009 9:44 am
All of your article is very helpful for me… but one part that stood out was the Self-Summit. Just to take a 1/2 hour once a week to schedule and plan for success makes total sense. I am going to do it! I can always add to it as new things arise throughout the week, but this way i will at least have a road map to know where I am going. Thanks, Christine!!!! You are THE BEST!
July 17th, 2009 10:38 am
So true, I love the idea of making lists so small you can actually do them and feel the completeness.
Another thing that helps is getting quiet at least a few minutes in the morning to get centered below leaping into the day ahead.
July 17th, 2009 11:20 am
These are all really useful tips. I am big believer in the timer–use it all the time. You are right, it works! I think my favorite of yours is tip #5. That all or nothing kind of thinking is sneaky!! Being aware of that thought pattern is half the battle! Thanks, Christine!
July 17th, 2009 12:25 pm
Thanks so much for this article. This is just what was on my mind when I woke up this morning. I loved the “project versus task” too! I can tell this will help already. One thing I wonder if you have some advice about, is the timer. Turn one on and I feel tense and pressured, slightly paralyzed. I know that’s certainly not the point in using one. I would love to get over that. Any ideas? Thanks so much for all your great articles!
July 17th, 2009 12:48 pm
Hi, Christine!
This one will be a special favorite of mine for a long time. You could have been writing about my life!
Your posts are always so on-target for me, which is why I read your blog faithfully
Thanks for all the great and practical tips here. I will be putting them into practice immediately
Linette
July 17th, 2009 1:13 pm
“When creative types get to ask themselves, “Well, what do I feel like doing now?” you can pretty much bet that nothing good will come of it!”
made me laugh out loud!
July 17th, 2009 4:39 pm
Great post and a good reminder of things that we probably all know will help with overwhelm but the trick is remembering when you need it!
July 18th, 2009 8:07 am
Christine, Thanks again for a really helpful, practical post! I’ve already started using the Sunday Summit (and with mini-ones every day if I’m smart) and the timer after listening to your last phonecall seminar.
Here’s a question for you (and others too) related to my efforts to be more committed to using a calendar/schedule for tasks, etc: what tangible format have you (and others) found the most helpful? I find I can make a pretty good schedule (my biggest challenge is not to overload my daily schedule–the goals start to grow as I go through the week) but my calendar then tends to stay by my computer, and I can so easily forget. I like a large page, so that there’s plenty of space for hourly and half-hourly tasks (and I do seem to make a mess of my pages as I work out what I’m going to do when!). But I don’t want to carry that around with me everywhere.
What are some good, simple options for having that plan of the day with me and visible?
Thanks!
Sukie
July 18th, 2009 8:45 am
my version of #4: set a timer is to tell myself i will work on a chore or task for the length of a music cd. i get to choose which cd i feel like listening to, which gives me some feeling of choice. because the length of a cd is only an hour or so, it’s not too painful a period of time. plus, i find music to be energizing and i love singing along. helps to pass the time! once the cd is over, i can either choose to be done, or i can put on another cd and keep working. this technique helps me to break big, overwhelming tasks (like cleaning and organizing the basement) into small enough chunks of time it feels “do-able.”
i also used to keep a list, not of “to do’s” but of “what i did’s.” at the end of the day, i’d write down tasks i had completed. this made it easier for me not to berate myself for stuff that hadn’t gotten done. instead, i could say “well, look at all the other stuff i did” or “of course i didn’t get that done. i had more compelling things to do today.” keeping the list kept me from being overwhelmed while also providing me with a little push to do less pleasant tasks so i could write them down at the end of the day as “done.”
July 19th, 2009 1:56 am
Applause and standing Ovation!
#4 is my personal favorite. LOVE my timer
July 19th, 2009 11:36 am
great tips! my to do list (until i rewrite it to tasks vs. projects) does have paint nursery, call doctor, wash kitchen floor, write children’s book… it’s extremely overwhelming. thanks for the insight on how to rewrite it and get some of the tasks done this week!!
July 23rd, 2009 10:22 am
Hi Christine! Occasionally you have a post that hits home so hard, I feel the need to print and post in my office. This lovely post is going front and center. Resonates all to well at the moment:-)
Thank you!
July 23rd, 2009 8:20 pm
I do this all the time just this morning I was saying to myself as I woke up “What am I gonna do today” and then all the things I had to do flashed into my mind, I am the creative time and feel overwhelmed alot by the littlest task. I think all of these imps would work especially tip 1, 3 and the timer. I always use the timer for schoolwork and what not it helps me to be focused on what i need to do thanks for these tips =)
July 30th, 2009 4:20 pm
[...] An excellent article from Christine Kane, whose blog I recently discovered through Twitter. [...]
August 8th, 2009 11:51 pm
“They’re creative types with lots of great ideas and a deep desire to be of service in the world. (If you’re reading this, you’re probably that kind of person, too.)”
Thanks for reminding me – sometimes in the midst of the overwhelm I forget this… and those things are sort of the point right?
Blessings
February 5th, 2010 4:15 pm
I Love this post….I’m new to the #UYB group and the Sunday Summit will be HUGE for me! Thanks for all the great tips.