We have all felt it……..that feeling in the pit of your stomach when you feel exhausted and overwhelmed can be stressful. There are simple ways that we can deal with overwhelm and feel more relaxed and focused.
Prioritise – Only focus on the important!
One of the essential keys to overcoming overwhelm is learning to prioritise each and every day. We can never ever be completely on top of everything, instead we have to learn which things we can let go of and relax about and which things feel like they need addressing.
A great way to start each day is by setting clear intentions as to what you would like to get done that day. What distractions will you eliminate in order to make that happen?
Three great questions to ask every morning:
What is my desire today?
What is my discipline today?
What distractions am I going to remove?
Lots of people work on ‘to do’ lists and feel they just couldn’t cope without them. They are brilliant in their proper place, but if the thought of working through your to do list just feels impossible and overwhelming, its time to break it down to just three things you can accomplish TODAY.
This helps limit procrastination. What must I achieve today? How would I feel once Ive achieved it?
Focus only on three projects that need your full attention.
[Tweet “Focus on being productive not busy #prioritise “]
Using a daily planner to help you prioritise these projects and what you need to do to get them done can help so much. Spending five minutes each morning planning your day can help you utilise your time so much more efficiently.
Click on the daily planner link for the planner I use each day that helps me – Daily Planner pdf
Take regular breaks for true efficiency
Another great little tip thats helped me is knowing that we work most efficiently if we focus completely for 50 minutes at a time. Any longer than this, we become distracted.
Set a timer for 50 minutes and focus on whatever task, project that you have set yourself to do.
This could be decluttering a room, homecaring, work related, gardening, anything that will move you forward in life and that you feel needs dealing with as a priority.
The most important thing is to remember to be kind to yourself always. Get lots of rest and self care so that you have the necessary energy to deal efficiently with your priorities.
Don’t let the big overwhelm of getting started stop you from making progress.
One of my favourite quotes is a journey of a thousand miles begins with the first step.
A famous chinese proverb is ‘Do not be afraid of going slowly, be afraid only of standing still’
Each day just focus on small productive continuous improvements. Don’t let yourself feel overwhelmed. Choose to release the feeling of needing to get it all done today and focus only what you can realistically achieve. Small steps lead to massive changes in any area of our life.
This is another one of my other little mantas for the dreamer in me. We often want to be at the goal, the achievement instead of enjoying the process and journey. Learning to live in the moment and accept life exactly as it is, can help us reduce that feeling of overwhelm which often is a pressure we are putting on ourselves to make everything perfect. 
Little changes and little choices every day add up to big amazing changes in your life.
Focus only on small steps you can take each day and do them!, and before you know it, overwhelm is under control and you feel more confident, focused and in control of all areas of your life.
Sarah ♥
Oh Sarah, you’re always spot on! Just what I needed to read in order to re-focus. I’m supposed to be taking a break this week. So far, several work-related tasks have crept in… Still, the diary’s clear Thursday – Sunday.
Thanks Anne, glad its helped. Taking a break really does work wonders even if its just a short walk x