I thought I’d share a personal experience so that you can learn from my mistakes.

I’ve been thinking about doing things a little differently in my business and so I decided to consult with other business owners in a forum I belong to and gather some opinions.

Well, as you’d expect, this one said this, another said that, still another said a different thing. Multiplied by about 10. Or so it felt.

There were some great ideas in there but I soon realised that I’d come to a screeching standstill due to overwhelm and I was indecisive.

Me- indecisive!

(if you know me in real life even just a little bit, you’ll know I’m not in the least bit indecisive. In fact, I err on the other end of the spectrum in that I can make decisions a little too quickly sometimes).

Although the same thing happened to me when I first walked into a baby shop – too many choices, too much to think about – and I walked right back out

It’s the overwhelm.

This time I stopped working on ALL my projects because I didn’t know which were good ideas, which were bad and which ones I had on my list because of a “should have” and not a “want to” based on other people’s thoughts and ideas.

Again, overwhelm.

So I made myself a cup of tea and checked in with my gut – immediately I felt good about proceeding with just one project.

When I have clarity on the rest, I’ll move on.

But this got me thinking -

How many times do we feel overwhelmed because other people feel that we should do things but yet it doesn’t feel right for us?

Things like volunteering for committees, at the children’s school, church, etc.

Also, if you’re online in any capacity, how many times do we do things, not from a place of authenticity, but because the Big Name Expert says to do so.

And yet it doesn’t feel right and so we stay overwhelmed and inactive.

This week’s organising challenge

* Think about areas of your life where you feel overwhelmed. Is it the state of your desk, your wardrobe, your children’s rooms, your business?
* Check in and examine why you feel so overwhelmed.
* Is it that you don’t know what to do or where to start.
* Take one small action and see how that sits with you. Keep building on that action, step by step, until you build momentum and can see your way out of the overwhelm again.

Break out of overwhelm is a fantastic 60-minute audio that was especially designed to unleash the secrets of getting out of the paralysis that being overwhelmed brings.

It’s accompanied by a comprehensive 27-page handout and is backed by my special guarantee if you’re not happy.

This is one of my favourite products because it helps you INSTANTLY get through your overwhelm.

Tami in Oklahoma says

My whole life is unorganized. I start decluttering/organizing one area, get distracted, and go to another area. Only creates messes!!

Tami, I totally get you!

You start organising your pantry, get to the baking goods, realise you’re having guests for tea, so start making muffins and before you know it, half the pantry is on the floor and the kitchen is a mess of flour and chocolate chips!

My suggestions are:

1. Make a project list with SMALL steps

When I feel overwhelmed, I use my master to-do list to note down everything that needs doing. Some people also like to mind map it.

I start big and then narrow down. So I might use one list for the kitchen, one for the bedroom and still another for the home office.

It’s very satisfying to tick off little projects as you get them done.

In the kitchen, you might have a list like this:

• kitchen table
• kitchen counters
• pantry – shelf 1
• pantry – shelf 2
• pantry – shelf 3

2. Use a kitchen timer

Use it not only in the kitchen but wherever you’re working on a project

3. Set the timer for shorter periods than you think

If you set it for an hour, you’ll probably get distracted sometime during those 60 minutes. I like to set mine for periods of 15 minutes as it forces me to concentrate. Also, I can do a drawer, a shelf, a pile of paper very easily in 15 minutes.

4. Reward yourself regularly

Have a cup of tea when you’ve completed an hour’s organising or if you finish a whole room, buy a book you’ve wanted for a while.

How do you overcome Big, Shiny Object syndrome?

Here’s more on how you can break out of overwhelm.