MASTER THE ‘OVERWHELM’ QUICKLY AND EASILY
At a conference, we’d been talking about how to do daily planning and ‘to do’ lists. Martin, one of the delegates, made a great contribution.
‘Robyn, you gave us some great advice about writing a list of all the things to do for the day, identifying just the top five, and working on them. The action of writing down definitely takes away some of the stress, but sometimes, especially if there’s pressing deadlines and you can feel a panic attack coming on, the list of ‘absolute must-do’s’ seems too long.’
I recommend you also quickly jot down beside each item an estimate of how long it will take. This has several benefits:
- Clears the mind clutter.
- Focuses your attention on what’s really important.
- Helps you be more realistic about what you really can do, instead of pushing ahead blindly, maybe on things that you’ve got no chance to achieve.
- And probably the most important – helps you realise that, almost always, the issue is what’s in your head, rather than what’s on the list. Our mind plays funny tricks! It’s amazing how quickly you get through the work once you push the anxiety away, and there’s almost always enough time.’
Overwhelm of Information
Whenever I’ve got a particularly large project on where there’s a lot of data to capture and manage, such as writing a book, creating a complex new product or redesigning my website, this is what I do. (It’s more a project management and data capture tool than a prioritising tool.)
If you’re very visual you’ll want a large space – flipchart pages are best, or a large whiteboard works well; as long as you can leave it there until you’re finished. If you’re more minimalist and have small tidy writing, use a large piece of paper.
- On the first page identify the broad categories within the project. (You may choose to use a mind map, or a linear bullet list works well too).
- On subsequent pages, break each category out into key activities.
- Expand each item with as many details as possible.
- Identify the critical items for fastest results.
- With a different coloured pen, give yourself any important target date.
- Transfer any time-critical matters into your regular planning tool or diary.
Extra tip:
Leave your lists in sight while the work is in progress – on the flipchart stand, the whiteboard, or pinned on the wall. Even if you’re not actively looking at them every day, your subconscious keeps working. You’ll be delighted how many of the target dates are met, and how effective you feel. It takes away the feeling of overwhelm.
The key to all three strategies is in writing things down – it unclutters the brain.
