How to Stop Overwhelm and Take Action Instead

How To Stop Overwhelm And Take Action Instead

Have you ever felt sheer overwhelm by the thought of a project or task ahead of you? Do you end up doing a ton of research about a subject matter only to find that it really has not helped you but instead has hindered you because of the pure amount of information you have read as you dived into the abyss of the internet rabbit hole? If I asked you how you felt after doing that, I already know the answer. You now feel utterly in despair and plagued by overwhelm. Does that sound like you? More importantly, has this meant that you have ended up shelving the project you really want to create because you simply don’t know where to start? I’m going to tell you how to stop overwhelm and take action instead.

Shall I tell you something? There’s not one person who has not felt this way at some point in time.

Feeling overwhelm is a beast but it is one that can be tamed. It really can. I’ve been there and got the t-shirt, so you’re not alone.

 

How To Stop The Overwhelm And Take Action Instead

 

So, you have a choice: you can either give in to the overwhelm and ditch your project or you can try and break down the bare bones of your project and work out small steps to put in place that you can do, one at a time to get to your goal.

 

Step 1

Concentrate. Dedicate a time when you can put other things on hold or say no to taking on anything else until you have got your head around this. Switch off all distractions, get off Facebook and emails

 

Step 2

Work out the bare bones of what you want your project to achieve. The beginning, the middle and the ending

 

Step 3

Do not worry about the detail and the “how to” at this stage. You can worry about that later. Just get down the bare workflow for the project you are working on

 

Step 4

Now you have the bare workflow in place, work out which elements of the workflow you know how to do. I can guarantee that there will be parts that you are not sure how to do and that’s ok.

Grade the elements: 1) know how to do 100% 2) know a little about how to do but need to do some research to confirm, make informed choices and 3) don’t know how to do at all

By the time you reach this stage, your overwhelm is already starting to diminish and you feel you might be getting somewhere. Keep going.

 

Step 5

Things you know how to do

Work out a plan of action for the things you know how to do. Easy.

 

Things you need to research

Set aside some dedicated time to do the research you need to do for the elements you are not sure of. Set yourself a quiet time to work on this and limit the time you spend to get some research under your belt. Make sure you apply some thinking time to this over the next 24 hours or so as your brain processes the information. You may have to do this a few times to come to a decision or narrow it down to a couple of choices. Also, if some of the material you are processing is new to you, you may need further sessions to secure your knowledge. After the research session, go and do something else, a few small tasks that make you feel a sense of achievement when they’re done.

 

Things you don’t know how to do

Be realistic, we do not know everything nor do we want to. For the things you don’t know how to do, get someone else to do them for you. Reach out to your network to find people with the knowledge you need who can take the work on for you. If you really do want or need to learn how to do this part yourself, then reach out to those you can learn from. Remember though you want to work on the right things in your own business and although you think it would be easier, quicker or cost less to do it yourself it could take you a lot longer, waste time and effort when your time could be better spent working on other elements in your business.

 

[bctt tweet=”Feeling overwhelm is a beast but it is one that can be tamed” username=”@umbrelladigita1″]

 

We can often feel the need to do everything ourselves but it doesn’t have to be that way. You can work with different partners in your business to help you achieve your project goals. Finding the right person to work with can take a little time and research. Ask for recommendations from people you already know, that’s often a great place to start.

If overwhelm is taking over your life rather than just a project, here are some articles that may help. It’s important to get your overwhelm in check before it gets you heading for a burnout, so don’t be alone if you feel this way.

 

For Further reading, check out these articles:

Three Ways to Stay on Track When you Feel Overwhelmed by Chris Myers on Forbes 

Avoid Business Burnout When Running Your Own Business from WP Elevation

Stop Trying to Do it All Yourself from Lee Jackson at Angled Crown

 

If you’re looking to work on a website project for your business and want someone to take away your overwhelm, then that’s a speciality I can help you with. Get in Touch

 

Imogen Allen

Imogen Allen

I'm a Website Strategist and the creator of The WIF®, on a quest to help stop projects waiting on content for all web agencies once and for all. Passionate about helping others find their website identity and championing websites which speaks to humans in a language they understand.

Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn

Do you need some help?

Here’s where you can go now.