This week I am sharing 5 Things; To Stop You Feeling Overwhelmed.
Are you stressed? Do you feel like you are constantly chasing your tail? Never achieving everything you want and feeling like a bit of a failure because of it? Are you constantly juggling a million different tasks? Suffering from information overload? Feeling overwhelmed? Then these things may just help you to regain control of your life.
- Write lists! – This may not come as a shock, but I LOVE lists. The process of writing things down on paper helps me feel more in control. If you are not an old school pen and paper fan, then there are plenty of apps that can help. Organise your list however works best for you. Maybe in time chunks, i.e. tasks that take 5 minutes in one column, 15 minutes in another, longer tasks in a third. Maybe a separate list for weekly tasks. Ticking things off make you feel like you are achieving, which is very important.
- Use time wisely – Think about your tasks, can you do something while waiting for an appointment? Can you make that telephone call (on speaker phone) while you are cooking dinner? Planning ahead means you will always have things with you to complete a task.
- Create boundaries – We can’t get time back and we need to make sure we spend it wisely. Firstly, work out what is important to you. How much time do you have?Then start setting yourself boundaries that aren’t moved by incoming distractions. Does email sap your time, why not just check it once a day for 20 minutes? Do you want to set a bedtime, to prevent you working into the early hours. Being a blogger means that you don’t clock in and out which is great, but the downside is we never seem to clock off. So set yourself a clocking off time. Then maybe read in bed for a while before going to sleep to help you wind down.
- What is most important – It is really hard to focus when we feel overwhelmed. Our minds can be swimming with information and the never-ending demands on our time, some of it if we are honest we don’t really want to do. So think about what is important to you and focus your efforts on these tasks. You could try using Toyoda’s 5 Why’s Technique to help you get the route cause of why you are feeling overwhelmed.
- Don’t try to be supermum/dad – You can’t do it all, no-one can. The sooner you accept that the better. If faced with a choice or work/chores are being with your children, pick the children. Children will forget a dirty house, they will remember a mum/dad who didn’t have time for them.
Have you any tips for overcoming feeling overwhelmed?
Comments 36
I love lists too, now I just need to find where I put it! Thanks for sharing #sundaystars
Making lists is a good one, I always find I feel like I have offloaded a bit when I make a list! Also to spend some time outdoors, take deep breaths, I think that helps too. Or have a bath! Always good! Thanks for linking to #sundaystars xx
Author
Oh me too! Good to get it out of your head and on paper xx
Oh I love lists! I would have lists everywhere if I could, definitely a great way of getting less stressed and worked up x
Great tips! I love lists, and good idea about creating boundaries. I definitely need to!
#sundaystars x
Author
I need more of those for sure x
Great points. It is worth doing these things on a fairly frequent basis. working for myself means that I have to be very disciplined but even then I can find things getting too much and I have to have a re think. Often it is that I find my priorities have changed and I need to make alterations to my schedule.
Author
Yes you are right, so easy to let things spiral! x
Wise words, Aby. I find that when I am feeling overwhelmed I do some exercise – sometimes yoga, a run or a swim. The head is cleared and I then achieve so much more.
I needed this right now. Overwhelmed and stressed is my middle name. Thank you x
my wife picks on me for having a list everyday of things I want to accomplish but its the only way anything gets done
A lovely list, I could use these tips a little more! #TheList
So true! After three kids and a challenging job, I’ve got the hang of this. Wihtout my lists I would be lost. Accepting that you cannot do everything is also important.
#TheList
Fionnuala from http://www.threesonslater.blogspot.com
Sound advice. I think we need to remind ourselves that we cant’ do everything. As a perfectionist I can be my own worst enemy sometimes.
I am feeling really overwhelmed at the minute, I have alot going on with blog work and the PTA summer events, along with every day mum things, but I am torn, because I hate being stressed but I think a part of me thrives off of it, a constant to-do list. Although I think alot of my friends think I spend my days on the sofa do nothing because I’m ‘just a mum’
Author
Very annoying, it’s the hardest job of all! x
I love using lists, but hadn’t thought to break them down into how long the tasks will take, that’s a fab idea! x
I love a good list, I even colour code mine based on importance & have a To Do List notebook!! #TheList
oooh I love a good list it just makes everything right with the world #thelist
Great tips and definitely true. I’m a big list maker too, I practically make lists of lists these days!
Love lists! I find removing distractions helps keep the main thing, the main thing so I turn off the phone etc. Great advice. #thelist
Great tips. Who doesn’t love a good list!! 🙂 #thelist
Great this list and I too LOVE lists! I’ve been feeling a little overwhelmed this week but today I wrote a list and feel a whole lot better #thelist xx
Great tips Aby – I find lists really help me stay focused too and stop me feeling overwhelmed. If my to-do list seems to long, I divide it into “essential”, “desirable” and “if time” and that makes a huge difference.
Author
Great idea! x
Lists are my saviour #TheList
Writing lists is a big one for me too! Sometimes I go a little overboard. Getting ready for vacation and I have lists of lists…cosmetics list, medications list, books list, etc. Lol #TheList
This is a great reminder. A clocking off time is so important for me. I need to stop all social media and blog stuff a good hour before I go to bed really to wind down, read a bit and get to sleep without my mind whirring. Still i keep a notepad and pen by my bed incase i need to offload my brain! Thanks for hosting #thelist
Great tips, particularly number 5. I constantly find myself saying ‘not now, I don’t have time’ to my children while I’m busy trying to do housework and other stuff, and I’ve recently become aware of how much I do it. Something I really need to change!
Brilliant tips and I agree with all of them – especially list writing. I LOVE a list – my phone is full of them and they really help me prioritise and get organised! Mim x #TheList
Great tips, thanks for this as feeling a bit over whelmed at the moment and feeling slightly guilty that blogging is going to have to take a back seat while I arrange Monkey’s party next weekend – others we won’t have one! lol. Will start writing my lists now 🙂 #Thelist
I need to get set more boundaries and plan ahead better. Good tips, thanks. #TheList
Great tips as alway Aby – last point is especially true and I am guilty of it alot. I need to remind myself that chores/housework/bloggging can wait when I am with my boys. #TheList
I love the idea of organising my lists in to ‘time chunks’ – great idea, thank you!
Your last sentence is SO true – ‘children will forget a dirty house but they won’t forget parents who didn’t have time for them’ – I am trying so hard to stick to this but there is a lot of pressure to keep your house spick and span and have dinner ready etc. I think trying to keep organised helps so you can get things done quicker and have more time to spend with little ones! Xx
#TheList
I love lists too -but I lose them! I have apps, a gorgeous planner etc and I still it blankly staring at my laptop! Great tips. Kaz x
Using my time wisely is probably the biggest thing I need to work on! I’m such a procrastinator and that just doesn’t work well with being a mom, haha.