Get the Elephant off your Back

Do you have so much to do that overwhelm keeps you stuck like an elephant sitting on top of you? So many of my clients use the phrases "I am stuck" or "I am so overwhelmed by everything that needs to be completed". Is this you?

As I spoke about in my last blog Are You Busy or Productive, the words we use make a huge difference in the outcome of what we want and need. If we use words such as stuck and overwhelm, guess what, you WILL be stuck and overwhelmed. If we use words like moving forward, challenges, opportunities instead, then this this is what happens. We are able to move forward, overcome challenges and create opportunities.

To get the elephant off your back to move out of being stuck and overwhelmed here are some tips.

1. Change the words you use - change the negative words to positive words (see paragraph above)

2. Set boundaries around your time. When you have certain items to accomplish, choose to say no to other's requests at that moment. You can always say that you are happy to help, are in the middle of a project and state when you will be able to get to their project.

3. Look at the big picture and chunk it into small pieces. Bad pun - using it anyways - How do you eat an elephant - one bite at a time. Figure out how you can break down the project and do it in small bite size pieces

4. Turn off any distractions - Yes, you CAN turn off the email, the instant message and any other distractions. Put up a message that you are in the middle of a project and will be back at whatever time you choose.

5. Stay focused. As I stated above, distractions will keep you from focusing. One way I personally stay focused is to put some meditative music on - no words, just music. I find it to be calming, relaxing and it helps me to focus.

6.Move the task from a to do list to a TA DA list! This way when you feel you have "not done enough" you can look at everything that you have accomplished and see that you have done a lot more than you thought.

7. Celebrate when you get even a very small task accomplished. This can be to take a moment to walk away from your desk, do a little happy dance or give yourself the 4 ozs of good dark chocolate once a day. Whatever it is, make sure you celebrate.