Feeling overwhelmed? Dropping the ball? These tips will help you increase focus and memory.
“I get overwhelmed a lot – I don’t know where to start with looking at what I have to do for today.”
“I am finding it hard to stay focused and organized.”
“I have this pattern; I put in a big effort for a project and then end up pulling back because I get distracted or some panic sets in or someone tells me that I need to focus on something which ends up not being very good to focus on.”
“I do a lot every day, but I feel like an extremely frenetic busy worker bee who gets a lot done, but nothing that makes a lasting or clear difference for me or my business.”
As I indicate in all my articles, these are very normal and ordinary statements made by all manners of people: people starting out in business through very competent professionals.
Here are some distinctions to help:
No more insanity: Chaos or Rigidity vs. Flexibility
Notice the areas where you bring chaos or chaos exists – there are no systems or the systems are inadequate to give you organization and the kinds of results you wish. Write these areas down.
Notice the areas where you have ultra-rigidity; you have systems, but you either resist using the systems or the systems are too rigid or too complicated to use. Note if these are opinions or facts about the systems: you may think something is too complicated, but really how long does it take to use the system? Answering this question may help to assess if the system is too complicated or you are just plain resisting using it. Write these areas down.
Notice the areas that you have plenty of workability and ease: these probably have systems that have flexibility and ease of use. Write these areas down and the systems used.
Regarding writing this down: the intention here is to build awareness first of what is chaotic, what is rigid, and what is actually working (flexibility) in your life and business. Awareness is the first step. The next step is to look to see how you can bring more of the features that create flexible systems into the other systems that you have that are either chaotic or too rigid.
Put your hands on the steering wheel that controls performance and stress reduction: Increase Reliability
Look at the areas of your life where reliability is low i.e. your promise-keeping is higher than your promise-breaking.
Mismanagement of promises or avoidance of promise management leads to a lack of clarity and distractions due to guilt, frustration, and other impulses (unless you are a sociopath).
Start small on this one: start with simpler or easier promises that you have missed: clean these up – make new ones, renege on them responsibly and accept consequences or account for them.
Pay attention to your Brain (Pre Frontal Cortex)
Notice where and when you are overdoing stuff with no returns. This may be because you are over-committing, failing to delegate, failing to chunk down projects into workable chunks, or multi-tasking beyond your abilities.
Try to cut the primary projects to accomplish daily to a maximum of four daily projects. Better to get quality accomplishments than work that is only halfway done with no or very little completion.
These distinctions and tools require daily practice, accountability, AND most importantly dialogue. It is in daily dialogue with a coach where the rubber meets the road; that is where you will find the nuances and exceptions that distinguish you from everyone else getting clarified quickly so that you can move fast in the direction of producing more results with more focus and less overwhelm.
If you are ready to dialogue seriously about how to create less overwhelm, focus more and reduce stress in your business, contact Sunil or follow him on LinkedIn for more great tips.
Since 1991, I’ve been reflecting on, designing, and implementing methodologies and systems for bringing a transcendent, creative and innovative approach to critical aspects of entrepreneurship.
