On the road to burnout city? Here are four simple tactics that will show you how to avoid feeling overwhelmed.
I was talking with a client the other day (we’ll call her Sandra), and she was telling me about her tendency to over-commit. Sandra’s husband will say something to her like, “Hey, can you take care of [insert task or errand here] today?” and her automatic response is, “Sure, I’ll handle it.”
Sandra commits to these requests without calculating what she has on her plate, how long the task will take and if it’s something she can feasibly do. Then, when she can’t fulfill her promise, she not only puts more pressure on herself, but lets her husband down as well.
So much of burnout stems from us taking on more than we can handle. Over the years, I’ve noticed the mistakes that we all make on the road to burnout city. Fortunately, once identified, they’re easy to remedy. Take a look at these tactics on how to avoid feeling overwhelmed:
Choose your words wisely
If you give an exact time and date as to when you can do something, you need to be sure you can see it through. This is why it’s important to select the right response when someone asks you to do something that is important. If you say, “Yeah, I can do that today,” and you can’t, it can hurt your relationships and connections. Trust is eroded when you can’t keep promises—and you end up feeling even more frazzled.
Takeaway: When possible say things like “soon” or “by the end of the week” instead of “tomorrow at five.”
Avoid making promises without reservation
Let’s jump back to the example of Sandra. Instead of telling her husband “Sure!” right off the bat, she should have said something like “Let me check my calendar first.” This would have given her a better idea of what she had going on and if she was able to accommodate his request.
Takeaway: Always check your schedule before making a commitment. And speaking of calendars…
Create and maintain a schedule
I recently read a book called Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity by David Allen. In the book, Allen talks about “open loops,” which are all the to-dos you carry with you throughout the day. These open loops rattle around in your brain and you constantly circle back to them, reminding yourself you need to get this done or remember to pick up that. This causes anxiety. Instead, we need to close our loops by scheduling them out.
Takeaway: Keep a calendar and add to-do items to your calendar. This will get them out of your head and give you a visual representation of what you have on your plate.
Don’t volunteer your time without thinking it through
A few days ago, I told a friend whose husband recently came home from the hospital that I would bring a rotisserie chicken to her house the next day at 11:00 am. I volunteered to do this without checking my calendar or even thinking through what I had going on. When the day arrived, I realized I over-extended myself and was running behind schedule. At 10:30 am she called to ask if I was still coming. I ended up having to tell her I’d bring it at 12:00 pm instead.
Takeaway: Do for others, but only be specific when you’ve checked your schedule and know for sure what you can commit to.
With a clear idea of what you’ve got going on and by managing expectations, you can avoid feeling overwhelmed. And the less we feel overwhelmed, the further we distance ourselves from burnout.
If you need some suggestions on any of the tips above or if you have questions, feel free to reach out and schedule a discovery call with me today!
