Lessening Your Overwhelm Feelings
Being a juggler is one thing as they can juggle several balls at once. Being an executive having to do the work in order to juggle everything you have to do is very different. Overwhelmed by stress and frustration does lead to overwhelm has you not knowing what to do now. Unless you are proactive in how you do things, being reactive for many leads you into a panic or crisis mode. Yes, you can change this.
Juggling too many balls in the air is overwhelming for many people who don’t know how to balance responsibilities or for those who take on too much. Delegating for many is unheard of if you really want to get things done right. Yet many still delegate tasks and other responsibilities to others.
Taking on too much and not having the time to do it all can be stressful, frustrating and overwhelming. Having too much on your plate and not enough time to get it all done, is when overwhelm paralysis often kicks in. As these situations hold you back from accomplishing what you need to complete, you
Feeling Stuck in Overwhelm
“Often I feel that projects overwhelm us when we look at how many hours are involved until completion. But just getting started is usually not that difficult.” -Emily Giffin
Have you ever felt uncomfortable when you think about how there are no way you will ever accomplish everything on your to-do list? The longer you experience this feeling, the more you will most likely not accomplish what’s in front of you. By working through the small or shortest items first you will get …
Reduce Your Business Complexity
“You can’t calm the storm… so stop trying. What you can do is calm yourself.
The storm will pass.” – Timber Hawkeye
By letting things continue the way they are you are adding more complicated things by not reducing the work you have for being more simplified and productive. The more rules, meetings, processes, procedures and report you work on the more difficulty you add to your stress, frustration and overwhelm. You need to clean out what’s needed and up-to-date for what you are working on. This adds more space for you to complete what you have. You may not be able to control what happens, yet you can control how you react to it.
Try these Tips to Overcome Executive Overwhelm
“There are times when external circumstances can overwhelm us, and we do things we never thought. If you’re not aware that this can happen, you can be seduced by evil. We need inoculations against our own potential for evil. We have to acknowledge it. Then we can change it.” -Philip Zimbardo, Ph.D.
Get Out of Reactive Mode
“Opportunities will come and go, but if you do nothing about them, so will you.”
― Richie Norton
Being a proactive leader can help you relieve stress and win you accomplishments where being reactive keeps you staying the same until you are forced to take action. Being proactive allows you to be flexible and focused of your entire company and for you to continuously analyze signs for change. You make better decisions to optimize all employees. This allows you to develop habits to help you move your company forward to achieve growth goals despite potential obstacles.
Keep a Journal with You at All Times
Write down your thoughts, ideas and opinions to situations you encounter and interact with every day. Write down what happened before, during and after a situation occurs. This gives you a better perspective of how to handle the situation.
Get Out of Your Comfort Zone
You need to feel comfort in order to make changes you feel good about. People who are always “in the moment” don’t look ahead and make plans to pursue their goals. Be courageous and confident by taking the risks you need in small steps to insure you are heading in the right direction.
Ask, “Is this really necessary?”
Challenge your basic assumptions regularly. Ask yourself if you need specific things to take place. These include meetings, reports, how you respond to an email, etc. Eliminate the tasks you don’t need or update those things that don’t work for what you are currently working on. Do this on a continual basis as things change rapidly today.
Taking Control
Sometimes there are things you can and cannot control. Grasping for control is another source of stress, because many times, we cannot do everything ourselves.
Step Away to Get a Fresh Perspective
Take a few steps away from your overwhelmed thoughts and feelings in order to clear your mind and get a different perspective of the situation. Take small breaks throughout the day.
Just like going to a buffet where you stack a lot of food on a plate and then you decide to take another plate and can finish both plates, there are too many choices to take you need to ask yourself, “Can I finish what I have before taking on more?” You can’t say yes to everything unless you know you can complete everything you take on.
You can’t always push the reset button on your calendar as specific things are due by a specific time. Some things need to be complete by a specific time which you are responsible and accountable for.
“Too many choices can overwhelm us and cause us to not choose at all. For businesses, this means that if they offer us too many choices, we may not buy anything.” -Sheena Iyengar