Every business owner, every entrepreneur, feels overwhelmed at some point. It’s natural to look for an overwhelm cure so we never feel that way again.
This can sneak up when we are learning new skills or trying to break through a plateau and grow to the next level.
One of the Mentors I follow, Denise Duffield-Thomas, calls it ‘new level, new devil’.
(A quick Google Search reveals this is attributed to Joyce Meyer or Dr. Steve Maraboli. It’s likely even older I also found references to works of philosophy and theology.)
After a decade of online business, I’ve wrangled my share of plateaus. In this post, I’m sharing my process when the ‘Overwhelm’ devil starts sneaking into my thoughts.
Maybe you get stuck with the frustrations of taking on a lot of new information because you’re learning new things very quickly.
Or maybe you just get overwhelmed with the sheer amount of “to-dos” on your list.
Whatever it is for you that puts you into that feeling of overwhelm.
Let’s Talk About How To Get Out Of It – The Overwhelm Cure
As I mentioned above…
Typically, it’s one of two things that leads to overwhelm – too much information or too many tasks on your plate.
Overwhelm from information overload is very common when learning new skills. This is especially present for those just starting to learn online marketing.
It’s so easy to get stuck in a learning loop – lots of information coming in and no clear plan for letting it out and using it.
After 25 years of corporate sales and leadership and 10 years in my online business, here’s the fastest path I know to cure that overwhelm.
The best way you can keep moving forward and not let it catch you in the overwhelm trap.
How? Well, it starts with the Amygdala – the part of your brain that controls the fight or flight instinct.
Are you going to run or are you going to fight?
Overwhelm makes us want to run…fold and go home.
It makes us want to give up and stop chasing that thing we want to achieve or that barrier we want to break through.
The state of overwhelm allows fear to drive us instead of logic or reason.
I’m well aware that the discomfort is real, but you don’t have to let the fear and overwhelm hang around.
However, when you’re in that place of overwhelm…
Maybe it feels like you’re in the Wizard of Oz and you see the great and powerful Oz – he’s pretty scary.
Then you get a sense there’s something else going on but you haven’t seen the man behind the curtain yet.
A veil or a screen is obscuring your point of view.
There’s something that’s keeping you from the information you really need to move forward and you can’t quite get to the answer.
You can’t ‘see’ the solution… the next step you KNOW you need to take.
Ugh! So frustrating!
So, how do you pull back the curtain and get the clarity to move forward?
Here’s My Best Tip For Overwhelm Cure
So first of all it’s about awareness.
Identify the fact that you’re stuck because you’re overwhelmed.
Next, work through whether this overwhelm is due to too many tasks on your plate or information overload.
Then do a quick brain dump, write it all down, journal it out…
Whatever it is you’ve found to be effective for you when you have too many thoughts racing in your head so that you can’t make a clear path forward…
Just sit down and brain dump – whether it’s all the information you’ve consumed or having too many things on the To Do List…
List it all out, write down everything that pops into your head – whether or not it’s related.
Remember that many business owners feel overwhelmed when you’re learning a lot of new things very quickly. This is very common when taking your business online or adding new skills to help grow your business.
So, let’s break it down…
When you have information overload, remember that you have to get that new info out in the way of content you share or implementation of what you’re learning.
This makes room for more new info…and at the core of the overwhelm cure.
For the long list of tasks, once they are all written down, start sorting.
I call this my ‘To Do Triage’ where I prioritize:
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what’s really important now (important and urgent),
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what really needs to get done when I have time (soon),
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what can be done later or parked in the ‘parking lot.’
Now you’re empowered because you’re in control.
Next, take that priority list and start marking things off the To Do List, and take one step forward in that first, most important thing on your list.
That one simple action splashes water on the fire of your overwhelm.
So make your list, take one step towards the most important thing on it, and that is what I’ve found…
The Overwhelm Cure is Ultimately Action
Taking action of some kind vanquishes that overwhelm out of your head and helps you move forward.
This exercise can help you get some quick clarity and take that first step forward whether your overwhelm is from information overload or too many tasks on your plate.
Join the conversation and share how you deal with overwhelm – what’s your best cure for those new devils when they crop up in your business or life?
Need a little help to go further faster in your business? Schedule a call to see how I can help.
This post was updated on March 27, 2024.
