Overwhelmed with all the things? 6 ways to slay the overwhelm
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Overwhelm is real. Not just in business, but in life too. Generally occasional spells of overwhelm is not an issue, but when does overwhelm become something to worry about? When should you look into getting some support? In summary, if you are feeling overwhelmed day in and day out and it is affecting your whole life, then you definitely need to address what is happening to ensure you do not end up burning out.
Don’t worry, I am not going to be another person telling you the only way to prevent overwhelm is by outsourcing, because that is not necessarily the right thing to do.
Instead, I am going to give you 6 ways to slay that overwhelm and create a successful business without sacrificing your mental well-being. Sounds dreamy, right?
Let’s get started.
1. Get organised
There are always going to be things that we put to the end of the list, because we don’t like doing them. We won’t always going to love everything we have to do, will we?
A simple way to get organised and make sure those horrible tasks get completed is to get fully organised.
Depending how you work, create a task list. I use and love Asana. Add everything you need to do (including personal stuff) and put the approximate time it takes in brackets next to the task. Allocate the tasks to a time slot.
Make sure you add the tasks you dislike to the most productive part of your day (for most people this will be in the morning), that way you do not spend the day dreading that task coming around and then make excuses as to why you cannot get around to do it. Never leave those tasks to the last minute because they will never get done. It also means you can get excited about getting them out of the way and then doing the stuff that you really enjoy doing
2. Have a clear roadmap
Quite often we find ourselves thinking and saying, “We’re just too busy”, when actually, we are procrastinating, because we don’t really know what we should be doing. We sit there busying ourselves with the stuff that is not going to move the now forward and therefore we stay stuck and unproductive.
Cute puppy videos on YouTube, anyone?
Yep, we have all been there. So, know where you are going and what you need to do in order to make that happen. It’s absolutely essential.
3. Set boundaries
This is something every single person I have spoken to have struggled with at some point. We get so wrapped up in overdelivering to our customers that we end up cutting a holiday short, working silly hours a day, constantly having our minds in business, forgetting about the hobbies that we love. And the list goes on.
I have been there, and this is not a good place to be. However, I get you and you are now sweating saying “Yes, but it’s too late, because that’s what my customers expect, and I cannot lose them, or I will lose money”. I get it. But you must set boundaries in order to be able to live the life you envisioned. You need boundaries with your team, your customers and even family members. Creating boundaries is never a problem. The problem is not communicating those boundaries.
If you are a service-based business, communicate to your customers when you will be available to do the work and when you will be replying to their communications.
If you are a product-based business, make it clear to your customers, by making a note in your monthly newsletter or putting it in the contact section on your website. Even adding it as an autoresponder to your email so people know.
I do not get bothered by people telling me they only respond between x and z time. What does bother me is if I send an email and then I don’t hear anything for days. It’s all about communication.
4. Revisit your why
I bet you did not set up your business to be sit at your desk hours on end feeling like you are constantly reporting to others and justifying your decisions.
I bet you wanted more revenue, more impact, more freedom, more holidays and overhaul a healthier lifestyle, right?
You can achieve that. It is all about coming back to your why.
If you are feeling overwhelmed most of the day then you have likely lost sight of why you are doing what you are doing. Why did you wanted to do this in the first place? And you might even be thinking about chucking it all away because the job is easier. Take some time out. Take a couple of days off. Even if it is a weekend! Go back to your why and reconnect with it. Have some time to remember why you want to do this for.
Everything will become so much clearer once you go back. You will be able to work out what needs to change in order to create the happier life you want.
5. Get back to your hobbies
As I touched upon above, when we become so immersed in our business, we often forget that we need to make hobbies a priority too. You need to do something you enjoy. That will be a stress reliever. Think back on what you enjoyed doing and bring that back into your schedule.
If there are specific times for that hobby, such as a gym classes or swimming make sure you add those times to your diary, so you do not forget about them.
On the days where you feel torn and don’t feel you have the time to go along to your hobby make sure you go anyway! You will be so much more productive when you get back and you will feel great about yourself.
6. Systemise and streamline
Ok look, don’t run off now from the word systemise and streamline. They are not scary and they will not mean tons of complicated tech work. Quite often, people jump to outsourcing because they do not feel they have any other option. However, they are not set for outsourcing just yet. Maybe they do not have the investment. Maybe they do not know what to outsource. Or even they do not really have any way to monitor the return on investment. Whatever that might be, before going down the route of outsourcing, you should have systems in place. Not only does this ensure you do not have to be fully involved in training, but it also creates consistency.
By creating systems, you have the ability to streamline and automate certain tasks, which means you will not be forced to outsource before you are truly ready. When you are ready you can make the best use of the time that you have outsourced.
There you have it. These are my top tips for slaying that overwhelm.
And of course, you can outsource if the above tips are not stopping the overwhelm that you are feeling.
If you want to talk about systemising, streamlining or outsourcing we would love to help you.
Ultimately our top priority is to help you grow a successful and profitable business without affecting your mental well-being.
Until next week, bye!
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