Have you ever had so much to do you end up sitting on the couch eating Ben & Jerry’s, watching Netflix, and doing nothing because your brain just won’t work?
Yeah, me too…
The #1 killer of any productive day is Overwhelm. It can simply stop you in your tracks and it’s a complaint I hear all too often with my business coaching clients.
The good news is you CAN do something about it.
A wise coach once taught me, “there is no such thing as overwhelm, there is only not knowing what step to take next.” Whenever I start feeling it I quickly go through this simple 3 step process. Without question it helps to quickly get back on track. All that’s needed is scratch paper, a pen or pencil, and your Best Planner Ever.
Step 1. Brain Dump
Make a list of EVERYTHING that needs to get done. Brain dump it all on paper. Leave nothing left unwritten and keep going until your mind is totally clear.
Step 2. Organize and Prioritize
Go through the list assign each item a Priority.
- A’s are highest priority and move your goals forward.
- B’s are important and you’ll do no matter what.
- C’s get done as you are able.
- D’s are for delegate. You can’t do everything yourself.
- E’s are for eliminate. Say NO to anything that’s not moving you forward or just busy work
Once every item has a letter assigned, group them together. You can even put them in order of priority for example A1, A2, A3.
Step 3. Schedule in your Best Planner Ever
Finally, take the organized list and schedule in your Best Planner Ever.
- A tasks are your top priority each day. Spread them out over the week. The goal is to complete 1-3 A tasks each day to really move your goals forward. Ideally each A task should be broken down so it can be completed in 10 minutes or less.
- B tasks go under To Do’s. Shoot for no more than 3-5 per day and on days when scheduled appointments are tight there may only be 1-2 of these.
- C tasks fit in as you are able. If these are errands, group them together and do everything in one trip.
- D tasks you will delegate. Be sure to note when you’ll follow up to make sure the item was completed.
- E tasks will be eliminated so make a call or send an email to say NO and be done with it.
This simple process works regardless of whether or not you are feeling overwhelmed. This is also a great practice to avoid overwhelm completely.
Happy Planning!