Life is busy. To-do lists long. Not enough time. It seems like you don’t know whether you’re coming or going. Life’s a blur.
Boy, I’ve been feeling that way lately. The truth is, I know that I’m experiencing some growing pains in my business and I have found myself feeling a bit overwhelmed.
Melissa Swift, Life Coach and friend of mine, posted on her blog this week a topic that got me thinking that it was time to shift my perspective.
In her post titled “What You Focus On Expands,” she illustrates when you focus and dwell on the little bad experiences then it seems more negative experiences pop up. A shift of focus is needed to shift your perspective and to shift your mindset.
Although Melissa is talking primarily about you having the power to shift your reality from negative to positive by shifting your focus, I find that similar when dealing with overwhelm.
You see overwhelm comes from when you have no focus. You are consumed by all the things you must do.
How do you deal with overwhelm?
The first step is to pause. If you are constantly in a “go, go, go” state of mind, you are not allowing yourself to think intentionally. You go from one project to the next and never really making any traction on anything.
You go through the motions of checking off those items on your to-do list and not really putting any focus on one particular thing. You end up adding more to your to-do list and spreading yourself thinner and thinner. So pause and ask yourself what is that one thing that you must focus on.
Second, carve out time to focus on that one thing that you need to move the needle on. Whether it is spending time with your team to train and build their skills to the level you need to serve your customers, or building a marketing system that will bring more customers through your door, to achieving more time with your family, focus is what you need. When you are able to focus, you will see results.
When I say “focus is what is needed,” it does not translate to you doing it all. The third thing you must do is to evaluate and decide what you will do, delay, delegate, or delete from your projects. In order to achieve focus, you must prioritize. By deciding what must be done now, what can be delayed, what can be delegated, and what should just be deleted altogether, you are placing what you must focus on first which will give you direction.
When I find myself in a state of overwhelm, I know that when I step back to pause, focus, and evaluate, I am able to gain perspective and prioritize better. When I gain perspective, I’m in a better state of mind and am much more productive.
What Melissa says is true, what you focus on does expand. Focus will allow you to achieve the goals you desire. Focusing on the right things to move you toward your goal is the key.
If your life is a blur and you don’t feel like you are making any headway, I encourage you to carve out time today to take the first step and pause. What is that one thing that you should be focusing on?