Everyone has been overwhelmed from time to time. I was so overwhelmed by all that I had to do recently that I felt like I had a weight on my chest, making it hard to breathe. My thoughts were swirling. I could think of at least ten things that had to get done right away. Which one should I do first? How was I going to make it through the day? When was I going to do some of the little things I wanted to do for me? These questions and more were running around in my head making it hard to take any action.
Does any of this sound familiar?
Maybe you’re asking why a professional organizer would get overwhelmed.
The simple answer is that I am human. Yes. I am a Certified Professional Organizer in Chronic Disorganization. Both of these are true statements.
The fact is that there are times when even an experienced professional organizer becomes overwhelmed.
How to reduce the feeling of being overwhelmed and to get moving forward
Prioritize Tasks
I set a timer because I didn’t want to allow myself to spend all day analyzing what would be best to do first.
Then I wrote down everything I wanted to do.
There were things on my list that clearly needed to be done right away. So, I took another piece of paper and made another list of things that were time sensitive. Things that had a due date.
By the time my alarm went off I had made 4 lists.
- Tasks that were time sensitive,
- Tasks that were important to do but were not urgent – these could wait for another day
- Tasks that were neither important nor urgent but that I wanted to do for myself
- Tasks that I could postpone indefinitely because I didn’t want to do them, and they were not urgent or important.
This helped me decide where to start.
Tackle the Most Critical Tasks First
Many of the tasks that were lingering on my to-do list were time sensitive. I tackled them first because they were the most critical.
It was important to me to get these things done because not doing them would have an impact on other people.
One thing to know about me is that I care about the people with whom I work and never want to let them down.
Take Breaks and Practice Self-Care
One of the hidden benefits of having a dog is that you get outside for walks from time to time during the day.
Walking is one of my favorite ways to think through problems. Research tells us that taking a break, getting outside, and even looking at something green helps to refresh our brain. That and having a glass of water and a snack are important to do.
Use Time Blocking
Once I had my prioritized list and knew what I was starting with I also decided to work in time blocks. I like to work in two-hours chunks of time.
So I set my timer, worked straight for two hours, and then took Buddy (my dog) out for a 20 or 30-minute walk. I did this three times.
If you decide to use time blocking figure out how long you want to work at a stretch. You may want to work in 60 or 90-minute blocks of time instead of the 2-hour block. Everyone is different. What works for me may not work for you.
Eliminate Distractions
Remember to turn off notifications on your phone when you have pressing deadlines or when you are overwhelmed.
It’s so easy to let yourself get distracted by scrolling through Facebook or Instagram or watching YouTube videos.
I know when I’m feeling overwhelmed one way I avoid getting down to work and figuring out how to get my tasks done is to open Instagram. I get pulled into some reels and before I know it an hour of valuable work time has slipped on by.
Put your phone away
If you want to reduce that overwhelmed feeling, put your phone down. Maybe even move it away from where you’re sitting so you aren’t tempted to take a short social media break.
That will interrupt your workflow more than you think.
I put my phone on silent and then put it in a drawer away from my desk so that I couldn’t hear it buzz. It’s a good safety measure to have it with me when I go on walks with Buddy. Plus I like to know how many steps a walk in a day. I took it out and checked it during my walk breaks with Buddy.
Conclusion
Feeling overwhelmed is awful. No one likes this. I believe that acknowledging that it happens to most (if not all) people from time to time is important. In my case, none of my tasks were difficult or could have been handed off to someone else. But when you get overwhelmed, reaching out and asking for help is one of the best ways to reduce that horrible feeling.
Even if it’s just to have someone there to work alongside you. Having someone there to work through the tasks or to create a plan (with a schedule) to follow will serve to ease the burden.
If you’re overwhelmed and would like help creating a plan so you can reduce this feeling, please send me an email to schedule a free 30-minute phone consultation. My email is: dnqsolutions@gmail.com.
Diane N. Quintana is the owner of DNQ Solutions, LLC. She is an ADHD Organizing Specialist, a Hoarding Specialist, and a Chronic Disorganization Specialist. Diane is also an ICD Master Trainer, Certified Professional Organizer in Chronic Disorganization, Certified Professional Organizer and co-owner of Release Repurpose Reorganize LLC based in Atlanta, Georgia. She specializes in residential and home-office organizing.
This is exactly the right approach. You basically brain-dumped, followed the Eisenhower Decision, Matrix (without bothering with a grid), and then combined prioritized, focused scheduling with good self-care. Yes, we all get overwhelmed. Between knowing what to do to combat the overwhelm and getting ourselves to do it lies a deep chasm sometimes, and that’s when I pull in accountability partners and co-working buddies.
I’ve learned that my own biggest source of overwhelm is hyperfocusing on “It shouldn’t be this way. I don’t want this.” Sometimes, it’s a situation you can’t avoid, like car trouble that needs to be fixed or a health issue. But many times, the solution to not wanting to deal with something is accepting that not everything can/will be accomplished and that we’re allowed to say, “I know I said I wanted to do X, but I don’t actually want to do the things that will get me to X.” And that’s OK, too.
Great perspective on getting out of the overwhelm and getting things done!
Thank you, Julie!
Prioritizing is very helpful for me. As soon as I feel overwhelmed I know it’s time to write things down. I like to use sticky notes with one task on each note and then paste them on an empty wall. This way I can group them or move them around. Most importantly, I get to take them off the wall when I complete that task.
Oh, I love this! I can see how this would help to make sense of things when you have a lot to do. Thank you, Janet.
Great post, Diane! Lists help me greatly, especially when I have a lot to do. This past weekend, I created a list of tasks that needed to be done this weekend. I ensured my list wasn’t restricted to one day of the weekend. I gave myself Friday through Sunday to get all the items done. The flexibility of a deadline helps me feel like I can complete it all. By Sunday afternoon, I had finished everything. Yay! And for any new ideas that came up while doing the other tasks, I created a new list for next weekend.
Great job, Sabrina. I love that the deadline was flexible – you didn’t expect yourself to get it all done in a day. Managing expectations really helps to reduce that feeling of being overwhelmed.
I’m so sorry you were feeling overwhelmed. I’ve been there recently myself, so I get it.
I love all your suggestions about what helps when you’re feeling overwhelmed. It’s beautiful that your dog, Buddy, is part of your plan for reducing stress and angst. I’m sure his company and the physical activity of moving your body make that a powerful antidote to overwhelm.
Recently, I experienced similar feelings. I had too many projects and essential things to attend to. Like you said, they all seemed to need immediate attention. In addition, many of the next steps felt out of my control.
A few things helped, like organizing each project into folders, having a list of the next steps for each, adjusting the priorities, journaling, walking by the river, and, when possible, talking with friends and family willing to listen.
It also helped to ask for help. At first, I fell into the “have to do this all myself” trap. It’s not healthy or possible. Everything shifted for the better when I realized help was available if I was willing to ask. Getting help let me move forward with different projects, knowing that some of the pieces could be done by someone else. A huge relief!
Thank you, Linda. I really like the idea of putting each topic into it’s own folder and then creating steps to move forward topic by topic. Also, that talking things through and asking for help relieves the burden.
I love the way you got everything that was weighing on you out of your head and into a form where you could process it all. It’s a very easy-to-understand approach. Noting which were time sensitive immediately helped you prioritize. That is so important, because we often tend to work on things that are easier or more fun, rather than what actually is most urgent. It can be hard to tell what is a top priority when everything is a big jumble inside my brain.
I hope since writing this you are making progress on your tasks and feeling a bit less overwhelmed. Have a great week!
Thank you, Seana! I am definitely making progress!