I’ve been asked by a number of you if I ever get overwhelmed. The short answer is yes. The better answer, though, is yes, all the time, but never for long, and it never wins.
Feeling overwhelmed is totally natural when you’re taking on something as huge as building and running a business. But leaning into that feeling can spell disaster.
The way I see it, describing our situation in terms of “overwhelm” puts us out of the driver’s seat and directly into the path of whatever is coming at us.
Well, I have the secret to almost completely bypassing overwhelm so that it doesn’t overcome, overpower, or overthrow you and your business.
This strategy will keep you clear, focused, and moving forward. With a few totally doable shifts in how you approach your work, you’ll no longer succumb to this all-too-human emotion.
(I guess that means you’ll be superhuman. You’re welcome!)
Overwhelm is All in Your Head
First, let’s talk about what overwhelm really is.
When clients come to me and say they are overwhelmed, it’s always because they’ve got a huge number of tasks, actions, needs, goals, and whatever else zipping around their brains, bouncing off one another and wreaking havoc.
They often think they have to accomplish every single thing super quickly and perfectly in order to make their business successful, are totally confused about where to start, and feel frozen under the weight of it all.
This is what overwhelm does. It tricks you into thinking you’re powerless and incapable. But, as usual, I’m going to give it to you straight: it’s all in your head.
Click to TweetOverwhelm isn’t real! It’s usually just a sign that you’re not clear on your priorities — and that’s totally fixable.In my experience, there are two broad varieties of overwhelm.
- Information Overload: you have too much information or advice in your head and you’ve lost direction.
- Task Overload: you have so much to do that you’re spinning and not actually getting anything done.
The first type of overwhelm, information overload, is extremely common among people just starting out in their businesses, and that’s the kind of overwhelm I want to tackle first.
Information Overload Can Stop You In Your Tracks
As new entrepreneurs seeking to build online, service-based businesses, we pretty much all start out the same way: by seeking out as much information and guidance as possible.
You read endlessly about building websites and maintaining blogs, listen to podcasts about sales techniques and list-building, sign up for newsletters and webinars about copywriting, and attend events where you can network and get the word out about your business.
But what are you actually getting accomplished? When is it time to stop learning and start doing?
Unfortunately, all that information is really just slowing you down. Being inundated with everyone’s opinion on how to build a business can have the opposite effect of getting you faster results; it can all but stop you in your tracks.
You Can Beat Information-Overload Overwhelm
The key to moving forward and leaving overwhelm behind you is to get quiet, get clear, and get going.
Get Quiet.
To begin, you have to stop looking outside for more and more information to solve your problem.
Get quiet. Turn down all the noise and shut out all of the distractions that are keeping you from making progress in your business.
Unsubscribe from unhelpful newsletters, stop attending endless webinars, and don’t download any more podcasts just because they have something to do with running a business.
If it helps, take this advice literally! Put yourself in a quiet, soothing space where you can find peace.
Get Clear.
Now that things are nice and quiet on the outside, you can turn your attention inward.
The next part of the process is to get clear on your big goals and the steps you need to take to get there.
Look inside. Ask yourself, “What exactly am I trying to accomplish right now?” Whatever the answer is, make it specific. Then, break it down and get even more specific.
For example, “Build a website” is a great goal, but it isn’t nearly specific enough to take action on. Just like I talk about in The Idea Flight Kit, you have to break everything down into micro steps.
In this case, a better answer would be “Figure out where to register a domain name.” The objective here is to pinpoint the small, practical steps you can take action on immediately.
Click to TweetThe more specific you can get with what you’re trying to do, the more likely you’ll be able to do it.If you can’t seem to get this far, then find the one blog, podcast, program, or coach that can help you define your goals and the way forward (and tune out the rest!).
Get Going.
Now that you have your to-do list, it’s time to get going.
As you start checking things off that list, you’re confidence will grow and the overwhelm will fade away.
You might find that you need some additional information to help you accomplish certain tasks. That’s totally okay, because you have the clarity and focus now to seek out the information you need without going spending hours web searching.
And if you do start to feel overwhelm creeping back in because of information overload, you’ll know what to do: get quiet, get clear, and get going.
This approach for getting past overwhelm may seem simple at first, but it’s an incredibly powerful one that I’ve been using since I was 20. In fact, it’s why Getting Shit Done is my #1 superpower.
I want you to take this strategy and run with it! Anyone and everyone who has ever tried to accomplish something great has surely felt the devastating effects of overwhelm (and that includes you, me, and every amazing businesswoman you can possibly think of!). But with this kick-ass overwhelm-neutralizing strategy in hand, I know you’ll never let it get in the way of building your dream business. I believe in you!
Be sure to come back next week for Part 2 if this post. I’ll tell you all about the second type of overwhelm, task overload, which tends to trap more-experienced business owners and, of course, how to kick it to the curb!
I Want to Hear From You!
As always, I want to hear from you. Tell me…
Have you experience information overload lately?
What’s your strategy for snapping out of it?
What’s the one area you feel like you can’t get a handle on, no matter how much you read or hear about it?
Let’s start a conversation in the comments!
Love what you said about a lack of priorities and overwhelm. Thank you for the reminder to pay attention to those first scattered thoughts and the feelings that go with them!
It’s true that without priorities, overwhelm is so much more likely! Glad you found this helpful, and thanks for being here!
Hi Jenny!
I love this advice and I totally agree with you that overwhelm is a state of mind. Unfortunately, when we get too far into that mindset it can easily become a paralyzing state of stress in the body. It’s a lot harder to reframe your thoughts and take action when your body is in shutdown. The trick is to catch the overwhelm early! And if that fails, then soothe the body out of ‘fight or flight’ and into a calmer state so you can think clearly. I find that a few minutes of self-applied acupressure works really well for that. 🙂
I love how practical you make these steps. It’s a lot easier to grab a lifeline and get going when you can see the way out clearly! Brilliant (as usual)!
You’re totally right — when you’re steeped in overwhelm, it can be hard to get out. Catching it early totally helps.
Thanks for sharing your acupressure tips. I’m sure that will definitely help one overwhelmed reader or more!
Love this post Jenny! Like I tell my clients and people who attend my talks – our bodies don’t know the difference between work stress/health stress/family stress and the stress from being chased by a bear. So it puts a lot of strain on our bodies when we are overwhelmed for long periods of time. One of my favorite things about stress and overwhelm – like you mentioned – is that it is in the “eye of the beholder”. So you are not necessarily held hostage by that overwhelm. There *are* things you can do to change it and break free from overwhelm! There is hope!
Yes — stress from anything is still stress! And yes, we can break free and it begins in our own minds. Thanks for those reminders!
Jenny ~
Always easy reading and uplifting . . . I like the word ‘tricks’ in relation to what overwhelm does to us –
that is exactly how it is – tricking us into believing the falsehood that we are incapable and helpless.
The TRUTH being exactly what you wrote – Get Quiet Get Clear Get Going!! Procrastination certainly plays
its lingering part here. (Ha!) I am off and getting going now! Thank You!!
Always happy to help, Roxanna, and best of luck getting going and getting to work!
Jenny, Such pertinent advice. I’ve been experiencing social media marketing overwhelm. I mostly have to quiet my internal critic; she is way more persuasive than any outside influence. But I am clear that there are people out there I can help, and my job is to show up where they can find me, and offer advice and assistance. So I just keep going even though it feels like I’m only talking to myself, which, of course, is the classic definition of something being all in my head.
This week, my objective will be to get quiet and stay quiet when I am clearly taking action.
Love how clear you are on how this is all in your control, Deb. Smart and perfect… because now you can take charge and take action!
Hi Jenny –
This is the first one of your posts that I’m ready – it’s awesome ! It arrived right at a time when I am completely overwhelmed with so many to-do’s for the rebrand of my business.
Sometimes, the feelings of overwhelm and excitement get mixed up for me, but I really like how you framed the get over it – why / how it happens and how to quickly get over it. What has worked best for me is exercising – running and bikram yoga – which quiets the mind and helps you focus solely on your body – after a good run or bikram session my mind is super clear and I am super productive. I think the key is to do this consistently over time and the overwhelm will slowly slowly be easier to manage, because you train your mind on how to get quiet over time through exercise – and you will know how to get focused more quickly…that is my personal experience anyway 🙂
Thanks for chiming in with your tips, Elinor. I love that you know how to manage overwhelm best for you — we all need to know how to do it for ourselves because it’s otherwise inevitable! Best wishes on your business journey!
I don’t love the sensation of being overwhelmed – BUT! As soon as I feel it – I know clarity is right around the corner. Overwhelm (for me) is just a sign that I cannot physically do all that is on my list. So, as soon as I reach that state, I know it’s time to triage and delegate. I hope someday to train my body to feel some sort of Pavlovian relief: As soon as I hit the overwhelm stage – I know a shorter list and less stress are right around the corner! Thanks for this (GREAT) reminder, Jenny!
Love that perspective, Becky! Relief is right around the corner. I’ll definitely have to add that to my personal overwhelm arsenal. Thank you for sharing!
Great advice Jenny!
I almost dread going on Facebook or opening my email anymore because there’s always someone else selling me on how they can help me become successful. After taking several courses, I know that I have the solid foundation to do what it takes to become successful on my own, I just need to really take that in and believe it and shut out all the rest of the noise!
Ally, a dear friend has a beautiful saying that might help.
“Not mine”
She calls it as “not mine” and moves on. She showed me how to do it lightly, quickly, and painlessly: there’s no need to accept or to reject, just to notice it’s “not mine” and to move on, knowing those who it belongs to will find it.
Thanks so much Jenny!
This is a classic stumbling block for me. I’m always signing up for webinars, newsletters, and free courses. I see that overstuffed inbox and practically start to hyperventilate.
It’s time to step away from the bright shiny objects and focus. My next big project is to create a social media calendar.
Focus is every business owner’s friend!
Love love love this! get quiet, get clear, and get going is my new mantra:)