I would describe myself as a 'calm under pressure' kind of person. I actually quite like a little bit of chaos and pressure to help me get focused and in the zone.
However...
When the email box is filling up and the notifications are pinging across devices I get a really strong feeling of overwhelm.
I get that horrible panicky feeling and a very strong desire to throw devices across the room and disappear under the duvet and get lost in an episode (season!) on Netflix.
It will never stop being funny to me that the big stuff doesn't cause me any issue at all - talking on stage to large audiences, delivering webinars to hundreds or travelling to a different country to deliver a workshop at a global conference - no problem at all!
More than 10 emails - total overwhelm!
Do you know what causes you to feel overwhelmed?
Do you have something in place to help you reduce or remove the cause?
I often see information online to deal with the effects of overwhelm, surprisingly it doesn't always talk about putting the effort and energy into reducing or removing what causes the overwhelm in the first place, and this is so important.
In the hotseat session (part of the Aspiring Business Owners Facebook Group) last night we were talking how to prioritise and make the best use of building a business when you have a full-time job and other life responsibilities.
Prioritisation is a big part of this - after all, you cannot manage your time effectively until you know what your priorities are. This helps me to remind myself when other things that pop up as a potential distraction what my priorities are. I often say out loud - leave that, that's not important right now, that can wait, etc.
Once you are clear on your priorities it is much easier to get that tunnel vision on what is important and easier to ignore the other distractions that are coming in. As mentioned, I know that the notifications and emails can create a feeling of overwhelm for me so I turn notifications off, close down apps, put my phone into DND or even airplane mode when I need to focus.
If I can't see it, I can't be overwhelmed by it.
What works for you?
How do you embed it in your day-to-day habits?
If this is something you find a challenge then make sure you are registered for the free workshop next week so you can learn different ways to prioritise and manage your time. (details below)
If you are feeling overwhelmed - change your environment, change your physical state, change your breathing. In just a couple of minutes, simply by walking away from your desk, moving around and taking some deep breaths, you can help regulate how you feel.
Wishing you a calm and productive rest of the week
Zoe
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