Overwhelm or burnout is a common obstacle that most of us face when building a business, getting things done or reaching for our goals. The more we put on our plate, the heavier it becomes, and it makes it that much more difficult to deal with at times. Eventually you hit a wall and you get burnt out. If that’s how you feel right now, these tips are sure to help you break through this plateau and move forward.
1. Slow down
When we’re chasing goal after goal, it’s easy to get caught in a rat race. Once you start feeling that nagging sense of overwhelm come over you, try to stop, breathe, and just slow down. Take it step by step, don’t try doing it all at once.
2. Review your progress so far to realize how much your work is contributing to the goals
A lot of times when we are burned out, we lose sight of the bigger vision and our goals. We go through the day-to-day tasks and check things off a list without really thinking about how they are affecting our progress toward a bigger purpose. If your main goal is to get your website up and running, spending time on writing your blog posts or guest posts is probably not contributing to that bigger goal. Sure, it is important to do those things but they have to be done in the order that makes sense. Writing blog posts doesn’t help you if your website is still not up and these blog posts have nowhere to live! Focus on the brand strategy and working with your web designer instead. Step by step, in the right order.
3. Speak to people who have done it before
Whenever you feel overwhelmed you might start realizing that some nasty thoughts begin running through your mind. Perhaps you don’t think you’ve got it in you. Perhaps you’re not quite sure what to do next. If this sounds true for you, talking to someone who has been there before will help. Find a mentor that has gone through the process before to help guide you through it. If you’re struggling with your marketing or business plan, consider hiring a business coach (that’s me!) or strategist. You don’t have to go at it alone.
4. Take many small steps
Once you’ve slowed down and got your plan written out for your vision, start taking small steps. Don’t bite off a bigger piece than you can chew – slow down and divide the milestone goals into smaller goals. From there, break them down even further. Checking things off more frequently will get you the momentum you need to continue moving in the right direction.
5. Focus on the bigger vision
Again, if you’re doing something ambiguous, ask yourself how that task is contributing to the bigger vision. Better yet, ask yourself “What IS the vision anyway?” – allow yourself to daydream a little bit. This is something you can do with a coach as well as they know exactly the right questions to ask that are inquisitive but also extremely motivating. Just revising that vision is a great first step to gaining momentum once again.
6. Do a brain dump
If you have so much going on in your head that you don’t even know where to start, I recommend doing a brain dump. Simply take a piece of paper and start writing. Write everything that’s in your head, every single thing that comes into your mind. After a couple of minutes (or hours) you’ll have dumped it all on paper and you’ll feel more clear-headed and ready to pick and choose the activities that make the most sense for you at that moment.
7. Prioritize your goals to gain momentum
When you have your biggest vision in mind with a written goal in mind, make sure your milestones and smaller goals are prioritized well. If you know you really have to get your marketing plan ready but you really despise marketing, think whether there are any other things you can do right now instead that will also move you forward. Do what feels better first so then that feeling of momentum will expand into the other areas you have to focus on eventually as well. Featured photo credit: puck90 via flickr.com
