HOW TO STOP THE OVERWHELM AND START GETTING MORE DONE NOW GUIDE! BY LYNNE PROTAIN

Transcription

1 HOW TO STOP THE OVERWHELM AND START GETTING MORE DONE NOW GUIDE! BY LYNNE PROTAIN

2 YOU'RE OVERWHELMED IF... D O E S T H I S S O U N D L I K E Y O U? Let's take a look at the signs of overwhelm, what it is and strategies that will be able to help you start to feel better now!

3 YOU'RE EXPERIENCING OVERWHELM IF... you love your business or career, but you re getting frustrated at aspects of it, no matter how hard you work; you know you are not as efficient or effective as you used to be and it is taking you longer to get things done; you find yourself working in your business instead of ON your business...then this Guide is for you!

4 WHAT DO WE MEAN BY OVERWHELM & BURNOUT ANYWAY? T H E R E ' S A B I G D I F F E R E N C E B E T W E E N B E I N G T I R E D A N D B E I N G O V E R W H E L M E D A N D B U R N T O U T! Being someone who is driven and motivated typically means working many hours consistently over the years. You ve heard the term, I m sure, many times. But what exactly is it, and why does it happen? Burnout is defined as physical and emotional exhaustion that takes all the joy out of your day and saps away your ability to be proactive and engaged. In that way, it lies dangerously parallel to depression. It can manifest any time in your career, whenever two conditions creep into your work life: Stress, and the feeling that your business, your job or your life is controlling you, rather than the other way round.

5 SOLUTIONS FOR DEALING WITH OVERWHELM & BUSINESS BURNOUT Managing your overwhelm involves facing hidden habits you may not even be aware you have and getting to the cause of them. It also involves reassessing where you are in your personal and business lives, if they are still working for you, and what needs to change. In the end, each person s ideal recipe for reducing stress and ending burnout is different. These 7 strategies are here to help you pick and choose the right tips for you: 1. Stop the Hurry Before You Start Many people rush into the day s business activities without pausing for breath. This doesn t just mean eating a healthy breakfast and meditating. It also applies when you sit down at your desk and begin to work.

6 Take the first minutes to plan your day. Clean up your desktop, close unnecessary browser tabs, if you have left them open. Check your To-Do list. Determine your priorities. Turn on any productivity apps you are using then go. 2. Leave Room for Your Social Life Make sure you have a healthy, active social life even if you have to structure it. Join that weekly book club. Arrange to meet your BFF for coffee every Friday at 10 a.m. Volunteer one night a week at a cause that s dear to your heart and be prepared to say No when they want more time! 3. Remove Time Drains Track your time for a week. Where do you lose productivity? Is there any pay-off to the activity where you re not productive? Is there a fix you can apply? (For example, dropping a task, outsourcing it, using different software or apps, changing the time of day when you tackle it?)

7 4. Find What Energizes You Overwhelm and stress both melt away when you find what it is about your business that truly energizes you. Once you ve identified these areas and activities, get rid of the rest automate, delegate or outsource and spend more time on the parts of your business and your responsibilities that you love 5. Batch Your Tasks Try doing similar tasks all in one go: For example, content creation in the morning, phone calls from 2-3 p.m. You might be surprised to discover that doing similar tasks in one go gets them over with much more efficiently and with alot less stress. 6. Take Adequate Time Off Ask your body, How many breaks in a day do you need? How many vacations per year? How long should each vacation be? Driven, motivated people tend to skimp, even when they do take breaks or vacations. Decide what works better for you a long three-week vacation, or three separate weeks off, spaced out at intervals? Two halfhour breaks or four 15-minute ones? Resist the urge to skimp. Build breaks and down time into every day

8 7. Realize that Work Never Ends The most counter-productive thing you can do is beat yourself up for not getting everything on your To-Do list done. Life happens. Things take longer than you think. You get interrupted with emergencies. You run into computer problems. Just focus on your top three priorities for the day and table what isn t done at the end of the day for tomorrow (or farm it out!) Finally, remember that burnout happens for a reason. It can be your friend, if you don t ignore it. People who have dealt with stress and burnout have stopped wasting time in jobs or relationships that made them unhappy. Feeling overwhelmed and burnt out can be a signal that it s time to take charge now and create the stress-free, happy life and business or career you ve always wanted!

9 IMPORTANT FACTORS TO REMEMBER FOR ELIMINATING THE OVERWHELM The way your brain processes the world dictates your susceptibility to feeling overwhelmed. Do you see problems as a challenge or a curse? If you ve fallen into the trap of helplessness, procrastination or negativity, it s time to change your energy. Following these steps and taking action will help you change to a more positive mindset that allows you to achieve more or even just start achieving again. It allows you to reclaim the joy in your relationships, your career or business and your life and that spreads out to others. Don t listen to your fearful mind s excuses. Banish those feelings of overhwhelm today (and go schedule that vacation!)