When your list of things to do wakes you up in the morning instead of your alarm clock, you may have a problem. The good news is that there are techniques you can apply to help you manage your tasks and help get rid of that feeling of overwhelm.
VISUALIZE
Most of us are overwhelmed by the mental list of things we need to get done. That’s why we recommend putting on paper all of the tasks bouncing around in your head.
This will give you a bird’s eye view of everything you need to get done but most importantly, it will help transfer your racing thoughts to paper, which will help appease your mind a little bit.
PRIORITIZE
Once you have a visual idea of what exactly you need to get done, you can start managing your priorities. As you look through the list, ask yourself some questions that will help you establish what is urgent, what can wait, and what can be pushed off your plate until another day.
Ideally, you want to start with the bigger and more important projects. You want to eat the frog first before you get to any other smaller tasks.
DELEGATE
Now that you’ve created a list of things that are extremely important that you do, it’s time to look at that same list but with a different approach.
Go through your list and ask yourself what on it can be delegated to someone else. While everything that is on your list must be done, there’s maybe someone out there or in your team that can do it better than you. So why not delegate it to them?!
This will allow you to get on with the tasks you are great at and let other people who are great at what they do take care of those remaining tasks.
REWARD YOURSELF
Lastly, the most important thing to avoid feeling constantly overwhelmed is to reward yourself once you’ve completed everything on your to-do list.
Whether it is with a piece of cake, going out with your partner to a nice restaurant, or just enjoying a glass of wine while you watch TV, make sure that all of your effort is rewarded. Because constant work without any reward will only bring you closer to burnout.
Do you have any other techniques to help you gain control over your day when you’re feeling overwhelmed? Share them with us!