Next week, my children are home for Spring break. #CalgonTakeMeAway
Actually, they get a jump start on spring break this Friday, and my soon-to-be 7 year old will have a half day on Thursday.
Is this any way for me to get my work done?
We have yet to have a single week since 2013 began where both children were in school for the entire week. Between snow days, sick days, and school suspensions (*facepalm*), either one or both of them have been home at least one day every week since the beginning of the year.
Can you say FRUSTRATING?
I sure can.
So many ideas, so little time...
While I've got this lofty goal to record 300 songs, I'm also not immune to the need to generate revenue. Recording songs and paying musicians doesn't happen without some sort of financial support. And while I wish I was independently wealthy, that just hasn't happened - yet.
There are at least a handful of projects I've wanted to get to, complete and even launch in this first quarter of the year, but alas, it has not been so. I've done all I can just to keep songs going in the studio. Noisy kids do not make it easy to record vocals in the living room.
All at once it feels as if I'm falling into overwhelm. So many ideas piling up, no time to act on most of them...
Sound familiar?
Whether you're working from home, or trying to get a new idea off the ground at work, it can be challenging to deal with ideas, issues, and obstacles when they see, like they're all coming at you at once. With Spring Break, noisy kids, and schedule upheavals, it can be even more challenging. Here are my 6 best tips to help you beat overwhelm and rock your business this Spring - and yes, I'm using them myself, too!
6 Ways To Beat Business Overwhelm
- Understand that there is no "wrong" choice - just pick something for heaven's sake! When you've got a bevvy of choices and all of them seem pretty good, just go for it. Stop wondering if you'll make the "right" choice and recognize that there really is no such thing. If you're worried that you'll spend too much time on something at the cost of everything else, give yourself a deadline. Johnny B. Truant likes to do 30 day trials, and the FlyLady likes to remind people that anyone can do anything for 15 minutes.
- Create space for incubating new ideas. If your calendar is packed to the gills, it's no wonder you feel overwhelmed. Gandhi once said, "I have so much to accomplish today that I must meditate for two hours instead of one." Start giving yourself more time than you think you'll need for a project. If you typically schedule 30 minutes, schedule 45. Slow your pace and begin to create space in your day so that your'e not "robbing Peter to pay Paul" with your time and energy.
- Get centered. The first step in The PEACE System is to pray. Regardless of your religious affiliation, taking the time to connect to your Divine sense of self gives you a different level of clarity about what's really important each day. When you're grounded and centered, you make decisions from a place of confidence, not a place of fear.
- Know your goals. Have you identified your most important goals in each of the 5 Key Areas of Success (Faith, Family, Fitness, Fortune, Freedom)? If you know what you're working toward each day, you'll be better able to delegate and decide on all those new ideas that keep springing up in your head.
- Prioritize based on what really matters. Sure, you've got lots of great stuff just oozing out of your head, but what really matters in the grand scheme of things for you? Make sure you're making decisions based on what is truly important, not just urgent or immediate. When you know why you do what you do, it makes a big difference in determining what you do in the first place.
- Celebrate the milestones. No matter how "small" or "inconsequential" your goals may seem, celebrate them. It inspires forward motion and reminds you that you are making progress. Celebrating milestones also prevents you from comparing yourself to others because you've always got your own goal to be striving for.
How Will You Beat Overwhelm This Spring?
What's one thing you'll try for the next 30 days to move your business forward? Share your ideas in the comments below!
Need support? Our "Get Your Year In Gear" Program is designed to help you get crystal clarity on your goals and lay out an action plan to get real results.
