At some point every business owner, every entrepreneur I know, gets this feeling of overwhelm.
I see it way more often when clients are learning new things or trying to break through a plateau and go 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.)
I tangled with a plateau in my business recently, so I want to share how I work through this problem anytime the ‘Overwhelm’ devil starts haunting 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 you have to do.
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 is one of these two things that throws us into overwhelm – too much information or too many tasks and to-do’s on your plate.
Overwhelm from information overload is very common when learning new skills or among those who are just starting to build an online business or brand.
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.
In 25 years of business and 6 years in my own business online, here’s the fastest path to really put a stop to 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 kind of like you’re in the Wizard of Oz and you see the great and powerful Oz – he’s pretty scary.
Then you have a sense there’s something else going on but you haven’t been able to identify it, you haven’t seen the man behind the curtain yet.
There’s a veil, a screen 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.
Let’s remember that lots of new marketers and business owners find themselves dealing with overwhelm – you’re learning a lot of new things very quickly.
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 is what makes room for more new info…
For the long list of tasks, once they are all written down, start sorting.
I call this my ‘To Do Triage’ where I prioritize:
- what’s really important (now),
- what really needs to get done when I have time (soon),
- what can be done later or parked in the ‘parking lot.’
Now you’re empowered because you’re in control.
Then you 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 right there just puts the fire out in your overwhelm.
So make your list, take one step towards the most important thing on it and that is what I’ve found…
Ultimately, Action Is the Overwhelm Cure
Taking action of some kind vanquishes that overwhelm out of your head and helps you move forward.
Whether you find yourself in overwhelm because of too much information or too many ‘To Do’s,” this exercise helps get some quick clarity and take that first step forward.
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.
