A client conversation highlighted one of the biggest challenges we all face. How can we get everything done? In her book “Overwhelmed“, author Brigid Schulte starts by describing her average day. It sounds like she is holding the day together with her finger nails. Running late from appointment to appointment, frantically trying to hold it together, only to wake up in the morning ready to start over. At least she has hope it will go much better.
Getting In Our Own Way
Does this sound familiar? I think of my own tendency to optimistically set out in the morning to get so much done, only to be crushed by late afternoon. My client described the challenge of figuring out what to work on when everything seems urgent and immediate. The good news is it doesn’t have to be this way.
A Longer Term Approach
Lately, I’ve started focusing on a longer term view guided by my values rather than a list of things to do. I’ve identified several things that are important to me. These include community work, further developing my coaching and transforming our yard from a wild blackberry patch. I could create a very long list of things I needed to do for each but it would be overwhelming. Instead, I think about one or two things for each and refrain from getting ahead of myself.
‘Settle Into A Nice Routine…’
Author and writer James Clear publishes a weekly set of insights and one summed this approach up very well. He said “The visible progress you’re hoping for usually comes slower than you’d like. Even with consistent effort it can take a long time before progress feels significant…Take a deep breath, stop worrying about immediate results, and settle into a nice routine.”
This resonates strongly with me. When I stop worrying about getting everything done, take a long term view and focus on a few important things, my day feels so much better. If you are feeling overwhelmed, I recommend giving this a try.