overwhelm

Ah, overwhelm! It is the great "Red Traffic Light" for creativity and accomplishment. *sigh*

One of the reasons we become overwhelmed is because we look at the big picture - and the big picture can be pretty BIG. As we look at it we think of all the things we have to do, that leads to thoughts of even more things that need to be done, and suddenly we are paralyzed by the THOUGHT of taking on the project.

The good news is, although I can't stop you from getting overwhelmed, I can give you a basic skill to help you through it. All projects are, in essence, a journey from where you are now to where you want to be. That journey starts with a path that starts right outside your front door. You only have to take the first step.

Our imaginary path is made up of stones. Each stone is a task or "to do" item. Although it may seem that all of them have to be done at once, they don't. Indeed, some days you might not even get past a single stone, while others you will jump ahead two or three. That is the way this journey goes.

There are two keys to mastering this path. The first is to create the stones by making a list of things to do. You do not have to create a complete list that will get you started and land you at your destination. For some smaller tasks you may be able to do that, but you don't have to do that for everything you undertake. You only need to identify the first couple of steps to get you started.

The second key - and this is important - is to not get frustrated on the days you don't get things done.

I LOVE "to do" lists - and I especially love to cross things off of my lists - but some days that just doesn't happen. It is easy to feel like you have accomplished NOTHING if you can't cross something off your list. But sometimes you have several things on your list at once and so it takes a few days groundwork for those things to get done. That's okay. Give yourself permission to have those days - because you are going to have them. If the perceived lack of "progress" frustrates you, you will go right back into overwhelm.

When I work with my coaching clients, defining these "stepping stones" is ongoing work. It is important, while you are on this path, to look back where you have come from, and forward towards where you want to go on a regular basis. Ask yourself; do you still want to be on this path given what you've learned? Is there a better path? Reassess your "to do" list (stones) to make sure that it is still heading in the direction of your dream.

To get started, think about tomorrow. The question I ask the clients I work with is, "what can you do tomorrow that will help you get this done?" Concentrate on small "doable" steps.

For example, if I'm working with an artist that wants to submit her work to a magazine editor for publication (these are often on the publisher's website), some of the things she will need to do are: contact the magazine for submission guidelines and an editorial calendar, start gathering materials to create the designs for submission, go through existing materials for items that may be used immediately, sketch out possible designs, etc. From there we make a priority list.

There is another aspect to getting on the path . . . you have to want to. Overwhelm can be another word for procrastination.

*** If you enjoyed this article, you can subscribe to Tera's online newsletter!
Click HERE to subscribe. It's free!***