How To Stop Feeling Overwhelmed So You Can Finally Make Progress Towards Your Goals
Today is the first Monday of Q2. Can you believe how quickly the first three months of the year have flown by?
I feel like I've accomplished so much in such a short amount of time -- so far I've made two trips to North Carolina, two trips to Athens, I had an unexpected family trip to Oklahoma where I was born, and of course, spent a lovely weekend in San Diego with my marketing coach, Frank Kern, and company. Yet with all this travel and an ever growing list of goals and projects, at times it's felt as if my head would explode from information overload.
Thankfully it hasn't yet which means I still have time to get it all done. I can still implement the follow-up and productivity strategies I learned from Frank and Dean Graziosi. I can still write all the blogs and promotions on my marketing calendar. I can still secure more partnership funds for the company I work for. I can still have an active social life. And I can still be fully present for my friends and family. Wow! Writing this paragraph makes me realize just how much I'm trying to cram into each day.
Oh, shoot! That reminds me, I haven't set Q2 goals yet! And what about the ones from Q1 that I'm still working on but haven't quite finished yet? Is it just me, or does it seem as if there's never enough time to get it all done?
I know this feeling all too well, unfortunately. It's called overwhelm and it's crippling. It causes you to hesitate when you should be taking action. It casts doubt and uncertainty over areas where the course of action should be crystal clear. Worst of all, it enables the most wicked excuse in the book: the need to "figure it out" which is really code for "I'm overwhelmed and don't know what to do so instead I'll just do nothing and wait."
Sound familiar? Or is it just me?
(Quick Side Bar: I want to give special thanks to Bawo aka Onassis from UrVision Entertainment for helping me with this photo shoot. It was a journey getting to the location, but the pictures came out amazing! This was the definition of a #SquadGoal, and if you like the shirt they are available for sale in the LxVE Shop.)
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OK.... back to the regularly scheduled program.
I know that things can get a bit overwhelming sometimes.
It's not easy getting all the stuff swirling around in your head to settle down long enough for you process it clearly and take action.
It's not easy to put yourself out there.
Not to mention, there are lots of added stresses from things like work deadlines, to your personal relationships, or financial strains to name a few, that can make you feel even more bogged down.
It can be frustrating. REALLY frustrating. And The worst part about it is the fact you KNOW that you are capable of doing it all and more.
You know how I know? Because I've been there.
I'm still there... Battling the same battle. Every. Single. Day. It's an ongoing battle.
But I've got good news...
Based on the time I spent with my coach and internet marketing legend, Frank Kern, and a mix of conversations I've had with business owners, music artists, and other creative individuals, as well as my own personal experiences, I've decide to create an e-Course that will not only help you get past the debilitating effects of overwhelm, but will also give you the tools you need to jump start any project or business endeavor on social media over the next 90 days.
If fact, by the time you get to the bottom of this article alone, you will have everything you need to take that burning frustration you feel and transform it into a blissful feeling of satisfaction from a job well done.
However, in order to make the most of this course, we need to get clear on a few things.
If we take the same energy we use to focus on the fact that we are overwhelmed and frustrated and instead place it on the causes of the overwhelm itself, it can make a huge difference in the results we get.
So what are the causes of overwhelm you might ask?
According to Frank, these are the culprits:
lack of clear-cut objectives
lack of clearly defined time targets
lack of a system for productivity
I agree with the list completely. And after having it laid out so clearly, it is easy to see what areas of our lives must improve in order to decrease the amount of negative emotion we feel from being overwhelmed.
We're going to cover each of these during this course, but...
Of all the factors that contribute to being overwhelmed, in my opinion, improved planning is where you will get the most leverage.
Simple things from planning when you'll block time to work on your goals, to more long-term planning for savings and big ticket purchases and committing to the plan is an excellent way to add the structure needed to sustain focus over time.
We'll come back to planning in a moment. =)
For now, let's take an objective look at where we are currently so we can make a plan for positive change.
Fortunately, everything you need to start making those changes is already inside you...
You already have some goals you want to accomplish. Since you are reading this it is safe to assume that you have the desire to make positive changes to your situation. And you know that you need help getting it done...
So it makes sense to implement the most effective method I've found for attaining results affectionately called... a "check-in."
Now I know what you make be thinking... A check-in couldn't possibly be the solution I'm recommending, but stay with me. This is unlike most check-ins you've ever done in two ways:
First, the objective of this kind of check-in is not to be judgmental or beat yourself up about what is not getting accomplished. Instead, the idea is to take an objective look at your results and identify areas to focus on.
(see note above about lack of focus... It causes overwhelm.)
Secondly, when applied consistently, a daily, weekly, or monthly check in like the one outlined later in this article is the best method of accountability I've ever found because it combines two important success principles:
what gets measured gets improved.
what you focus on expands.
The question you may be asking yourself is what should I be measuring and focusing on? And if so, then you are smart.
Here's my answer: Focus on crafting the best plan possible and measure your ability to accomplish the steps of the plan.
A plan, by definition, is the outline of the steps one intends to take in order to reach their desired outcome. So logically, it makes sense to dedicate the time to ensure your plan is solid and gets executed effectively.
First, think about the list of goals that I mentioned earlier...If you are like me and have a lot of them, choose the top 3-4 that would make the biggest difference in your life over the next 90 days and focus on these first.
Take a moment to reflect on the time you spent working in these areas.
Were you able to make any progress towards accomplishing any of them?
How much time did you dedicate to each goal on your list this week?
Is there anything that prohibited you from getting started or continuing to take action?
What's one thing you can celebrate about what you've accomplished already?
Where can you stand to improve?
What are the first steps you can take immediately to start getting better results?
Take an objective look at each of your goals as you run them through this filter and write down your responses. You are going to need this list as we move forward in the next step to create the plan to get you where you need to be.
Here's where many people go wrong...
It's easy to look at your list and begin to feel bad about what appears to be a lack of results. But as I mentioned earlier, that's an excellent example of putting your focus on your frustration and what's not working.
Instead, we should do our best to separate our emotions from our decision-making process so we can look at our productivity with a clear perspective.
Remember, the goal isn't to judge how well we've done; it's to identify what we have done so we can create a plan to do it better and more effectively in the future.
This one little mindset shift is what allows us to move past the frustrations we feel when things aren't going the way we'd like and identify what we should focus on to fix the source of the problem.
The beauty of this process is that once you have learned how to control your focus and how to place it on the things that really matter, you are able to apply it to any area of your life... Business, relationships, finances, you name it!
So, with that being said.... I encourage you to find a moment where you can quietly reflect on the week that just passed and write down the responses to the questions I listed above. In the next session, we will use your notes to create an action plan that will make it easy for you to start seeing improvements in your results really quickly.
Lastly, if you are in need of some assistance or would like to chat with me about the results you're getting, I've opened up my calendar to help as many music artists as I can create their own success strategy.
>>> click here <<< to book a call.
