When was the last time, when you left your workplace feeling confident you achieved everything you wanted? When was the last time feeling confident, that you really moved the needle?
If the mere contemplation of these questions elicits a pang of sadness, frustration, or even shame, it is good to know, that you are not alone. If you leave work typically hours after your worktime has ended, checked out tens of tasks, yet you feel you are letting someone down, keep reading. We all have been there.
This guide serves as a lifeline for those too familiar with the currents of unmet expectations and unrealized aspirations—a roadmap to navigate beyond the feelings of stagnation and giving up. Let it be your companion on the journey towards a renewed sense of accomplishment and control.
A word on feeling overwhelmed
Imagine standing in a relentless storm, each raindrop representing a demand on your time, energy, and emotions. Overwhelm is that downpour of stress, anxiety, and a persistent sense of “I should do something else”. It’s not just a fleeting wave; it’s the feeling that you’re drowning in a sea of tasks, responsibilities, and expectations.
It’s the moment when your to-do list transforms into a thunderstorm, and the pursuit of your own goals seems shrouded in an impenetrable fog. It isn’t just about the quantity of tasks but their emotional weight—the pressure, doubts, and the struggle to keep your head above water.
So, how to overcome it?
“If you don’t control your time- someone else will. If you don’t protect your dream- you will fulfill someone else ‘s dream.”
Wayde Goodall, Why Great Men Fall
There are probably a thousand ways how to deal with feeling overwhelmed. The one that worked for us is a simple habit: Set goals for yourself daily.
Let’s see how you can make it happen:
- Allocate 20 minutes in your calendar at the very beginning of the day to set up a plan for the day. Name it as Daily Planning. Make it recurring. 🙂 Now this one should ideally happen before any of your meetings happen, before any colleague disturbs you.
- Protect this time at all costs. Politely but very firmly do not let anyone else – including yourself – steer you from having this timeslot. Say “in a couple of minutes” for coffee requests. Ask for a later timeslot for meeting invites, and turn down “how are you?” chats. You can also just go to one of the meeting rooms.
- Set your own priorities for your day: There are tons of alternative ways to do this. One way we particularly like goes as this:
- Go through your longer-term goals, maybe even your Vision. (psst… In this article, we discussed how to phrase Goals.
- If you have more goals, just pick the top 1,2, max 3 that are the most important (or even urgent) to You!
- Ask yourself: “What is the single most important thing I can do today to move this goal forward?”
- Formulate a goal around it, in the format of “By the end of the day…”, and write it down.
- Limit your number of priorities, and Commit!: If everything is important, nothing is important. Over time you will see, how much you can commit to, but at first, start with 1, max 3 committed goals for the day.
How to commit?
Close each of your sessions with the following: “I promise myself that no matter what, I am doing everything I can to achieve my goal of…”. And then mean it. If needed, set up some dedicated timeboxes in your calendar to work on your goals. But then do show up! Do not let yourself down! Over time you will not have to be this formal, but in the beginning, while you are learning what commitment means, keep this closing “ceremony” of formal commitment.
And hey, you are promising yourself max 3 things? All the hundreds of others you can do still, but these 3 are special… These you promised to yourself because you thought these are the most valuable things you could achieve today. And if those 100 fail… Then they fail. You did what mattered the most, and what moved the needle the most, so your day is already productive.
Ready to conquer the feeling of being overwhelmed and to take back control? Follow us on LinkedIn for frequent tips, and take the first step today by trying our recommended technique. Share your insights with our community – your experience might inspire others on their journey! Join us in making positive changes, one goal at a time. Tell us your story!