Be Your Own Kind of Beautiful - OVERWHELM!
So your to-do list is overflowing
You have calls to return
Texts are beeping
Email is outta control
The dog needs a walk
And your head is fogged up from all the details….
The long and short of it - Overwhelm has struck!
There’s so many to-dos that you don’t know which to do first. Your spirit is in panic mode and you’re feeling super anxious and your brain feels like it’s about to blow a fuse….
Trust me, I get it. I’ve been there and truth be told, I’ve actually spent one too many mornings in this state of disarray. AND as the case of my friend - this can happen especially when we have a big project to finish or a huge life change to manage. Don’t worry my dears - I got you covered. And the reason I know this? I’m a pro at having learned to manage the chaos!
I’m gonna start with the most important lesson I’ve learned along the way.
All too often when my brain starts to freeze it’s because I need rest. I know that’s a theme in these missives over the past year, but it’s a truth I’ve observed my whole life. When my brain starts to freeze, I’m anxious about the to-dos and I can’t concentrate it’s often because my brain needs a break.
3 little tips here….
GET SOME REST! Take the day off if you can, chillax, and get a good night's sleep or sometimes we need a few early nights to truly catch up
LET OFF SOME STEAM! Go to the gym, take a short walk, take an exercise class or whatever suits your physical fancy
CREATE SOME PEACE in your world. Meditation is my magic cure to set my head on straight and so is spending time in nature or doing some straightening around my work space. Do something that helps you connect with your spirit and decompress.
GIVE YOUR BRAIN THE FUEL IT NEEDS TO FUNCTION
Hydrate (that means water not soda or coffee) and eat some healthy whole foods. (That means fruit, veggies, nuts and quality protein - not white carbs, cookies or burgers.)
OK, now that you’ve managed your body and your brain. The To Do List is still beckoning….
What next?
**Avoid / Ignore all the things or people who are creating unnecessary chaos. For Real! Honor how you are feeling and give yourself the space to take care of you.
GET IT ALL OUT on paper
Take a sheet of paper and write down every task that is taking up space in your brain. Everything from buy milk to call grandma, to pay the electric bill, to send an email to your boss. As a coach of mine once said, your brain is not a good storage facility, it’s meant to process information. If all of these to-dos are taking up space? You don’t have the proper mental head space to analyze and accomplish things. She called this process a brain dump. Get it out of your head and on paper!
GO THROUGH the list and PRIORITIZE
Put a star next to the things that must be done ASAP.
Ask yourself what must be done today. Make a short list - ideally no more than 3 tasks and get on it.
2 helpful thoughts here….
3 minute actions
Expert Steven Covey (7 habits of highly effective people) recommends separating tasks that are 3 minute actions. If they can be done in less than 3 minutes - ( i.e.: an email, feeding the cat, scheduling an appointment) don’t hesitate get them done NOW.
Projects
He also says to set up things as projects. Create a list for all of the subtasks related to that project - IE: Let’s say you need to do your taxes - Gather bank statements, find your 1099’s, call the accountant, Expense list, etc…. Break things down into single task items
Get to your CALENDAR
And schedule out what needs to happen this week. 3 things a day in addition to work and keeping up with life can get A LOT of things done in one week! Literally write these things on your calendar (I love Google Calendar) and set aside the time to do them.
As my mom used to say, “Rome wasn’t built in a day” Take stock of what needs to be done NOW and what can be set aside for later. You can’t do it all NOW, so don’t try - organize it into bite size pieces.
And if you’re really feeling like you wanna take the next step?
Create a SYSTEM
In order to keep the momentum going you it’s truly helpful to find an efficient way to remember the things you have to do next week and thereafter. The key is finding a system that works for YOU.
If you’re a digital kinda person, apps like Asana or Trello or To-Doist are wonderful.
I realized after time that I’m more a pen/paper kinda gal. I recently discovered a system called Bullet Journalling that has been working well for me. Fingers crossed!
I also separate my tasks into separate lists. Personal, Teaching, Music Business & Music/Creativity.
Well, I hope that helps you! And please my dears, feel free to send back your tips for life-hacking. Keeping the chaos at bay is something I am always trying to improve!
Meantime, may your day be filled with Peace and Productivity!
BE YOUR OWN KIND OF BEAUTIFUL
Love,
You have calls to return
Texts are beeping
Email is outta control
The dog needs a walk
And your head is fogged up from all the details….
The long and short of it - Overwhelm has struck!
There’s so many to-dos that you don’t know which to do first. Your spirit is in panic mode and you’re feeling super anxious and your brain feels like it’s about to blow a fuse….
Trust me, I get it. I’ve been there and truth be told, I’ve actually spent one too many mornings in this state of disarray. AND as the case of my friend - this can happen especially when we have a big project to finish or a huge life change to manage. Don’t worry my dears - I got you covered. And the reason I know this? I’m a pro at having learned to manage the chaos!
I’m gonna start with the most important lesson I’ve learned along the way.
All too often when my brain starts to freeze it’s because I need rest. I know that’s a theme in these missives over the past year, but it’s a truth I’ve observed my whole life. When my brain starts to freeze, I’m anxious about the to-dos and I can’t concentrate it’s often because my brain needs a break.
3 little tips here….
GET SOME REST! Take the day off if you can, chillax, and get a good night's sleep or sometimes we need a few early nights to truly catch up
LET OFF SOME STEAM! Go to the gym, take a short walk, take an exercise class or whatever suits your physical fancy
CREATE SOME PEACE in your world. Meditation is my magic cure to set my head on straight and so is spending time in nature or doing some straightening around my work space. Do something that helps you connect with your spirit and decompress.
GIVE YOUR BRAIN THE FUEL IT NEEDS TO FUNCTION
Hydrate (that means water not soda or coffee) and eat some healthy whole foods. (That means fruit, veggies, nuts and quality protein - not white carbs, cookies or burgers.)
OK, now that you’ve managed your body and your brain. The To Do List is still beckoning….
What next?
**Avoid / Ignore all the things or people who are creating unnecessary chaos. For Real! Honor how you are feeling and give yourself the space to take care of you.
GET IT ALL OUT on paper
Take a sheet of paper and write down every task that is taking up space in your brain. Everything from buy milk to call grandma, to pay the electric bill, to send an email to your boss. As a coach of mine once said, your brain is not a good storage facility, it’s meant to process information. If all of these to-dos are taking up space? You don’t have the proper mental head space to analyze and accomplish things. She called this process a brain dump. Get it out of your head and on paper!
GO THROUGH the list and PRIORITIZE
Put a star next to the things that must be done ASAP.
Ask yourself what must be done today. Make a short list - ideally no more than 3 tasks and get on it.
2 helpful thoughts here….
3 minute actions
Expert Steven Covey (7 habits of highly effective people) recommends separating tasks that are 3 minute actions. If they can be done in less than 3 minutes - ( i.e.: an email, feeding the cat, scheduling an appointment) don’t hesitate get them done NOW.
Projects
He also says to set up things as projects. Create a list for all of the subtasks related to that project - IE: Let’s say you need to do your taxes - Gather bank statements, find your 1099’s, call the accountant, Expense list, etc…. Break things down into single task items
Get to your CALENDAR
And schedule out what needs to happen this week. 3 things a day in addition to work and keeping up with life can get A LOT of things done in one week! Literally write these things on your calendar (I love Google Calendar) and set aside the time to do them.
As my mom used to say, “Rome wasn’t built in a day” Take stock of what needs to be done NOW and what can be set aside for later. You can’t do it all NOW, so don’t try - organize it into bite size pieces.
And if you’re really feeling like you wanna take the next step?
Create a SYSTEM
In order to keep the momentum going you it’s truly helpful to find an efficient way to remember the things you have to do next week and thereafter. The key is finding a system that works for YOU.
If you’re a digital kinda person, apps like Asana or Trello or To-Doist are wonderful.
I realized after time that I’m more a pen/paper kinda gal. I recently discovered a system called Bullet Journalling that has been working well for me. Fingers crossed!
I also separate my tasks into separate lists. Personal, Teaching, Music Business & Music/Creativity.
Well, I hope that helps you! And please my dears, feel free to send back your tips for life-hacking. Keeping the chaos at bay is something I am always trying to improve!
Meantime, may your day be filled with Peace and Productivity!
BE YOUR OWN KIND OF BEAUTIFUL
Love,
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