#120 Are you on information overload?

Do you ever experience brain fog?

I was asking because just recently, I was reading an article that said that the average person is processing about 75 GB of information per day. 

That means that the amount of information, entering your space and your brain is equivalent to watching more than 32 hours of television. That's 32 hours in one day. How is that possible? We only have 24 hours in a day.

When you look at it that way, it's no wonder that so many of us are struggling. 

Just the other day I was working with one of my clients who is carving out a completely new path for herself. It's nothing even remotely similar to her previous career (of 20+ years, I might add). She is completely committed to this new lane, but the hoops she has to jump through in order to get this new machine running is a lot for a one-woman show to handle. 

I knew she was overwhelmed - because she told me. So, in trying to help her feel less overwhelmed I realized a few things.

Being overwhelmed is generally related to the task or tasks that need to get completed in order to feel accomplished. 

But the truth is, it's not really the tasks or the scale of those tasks that are overwhelming. What's overwhelming are the several layers beneath that task and the scope of time it will take to get it done or reach that end goal.

By the end of our conversation, she walked away with a few tasks that she could digest. They were way smaller than she may have been expecting, but my motto is to under-promise so you can over-deliver. This way, when you get to check those few off your list, you immediately feel a bit recharged and you find yourself looking for the "what's next."

Because of the escalated rate of information overload, our brains are exploding and it's important that we figure out ways to make sense of all that content. One of the ways that have helped me overcome overwhelm and procrastination is by structuring it, organizing it, and ultimately creating action so that it becomes easier to build momentum. 

If you are like me and have lots of big ideas coming and going, the most important thing you can ask yourself is, "how much could it potentially take to think about it, reflect upon it (something I call marinating), and ultimately take action on it?"

So, today's three tips might help you the next time your brain takes over your body, and the only thing you really want to do is run from the task and possibly grab that drink or eat that edible instead!

Tip #1
 

Become uber-self-aware of your capacity. Know your limits. And then build the structure around that. I have a client who discovered that she works best from 6 am to 2 pm. She dives deep in those hours and then when 2 pm rolls around she gives herself some space and grace to not grind. She might walk on the beach, play solitaire on her phone, or clean out a drawer in her kitchen. She became hyper-aware that putting that pressure on herself did no one any good. Boundaries are a good thing especially when you learn how to not only set them with others but with yourself as well.

Tip #2

Not everything is a priority. If your to-do list is 7 pages long (front and back), then it's time to organize that list. When I see something like that, I ask the owner of that list to number the tasks, 1 - 5, in order of priority. Start there and pay attention to how much time and energy each one is taking you. If for some reason, one is more challenging than it should be, then my guess is that thing or task needs to be broken down into microtasks. The more dialed in you can get into how you invest your time into one thing, the less challenging it will be the next time around.

Tip #3

Don’t move into action until you are ready. And when you are ready, surround yourself with people who want to support you. Build a base of like-minded people who will define how fast, how effective and how impactful you will be as you begin to move forward.

Building a better mousetrap is not simple. And when you are flying solo it’s easy to become consumed with the overwhelm. Without having a practical system to help you move past that and move into action, you will procrastinate, stay stuck, and sadly give up.

I don’t want that for you. I know what it’s like to give up, feel confused, and see that you got something there but just aren’t sure how to structure and organize it. 

When I was pivoting my 1:1 practice into the idea of putting together my core program and digital products, I hit the pause button for 7 months! I needed time to reflect and marinate what that was going to look like. 

It was at that time that I developed the systems that I use today to get lots of shit done. 

If you are overthinking an idea or something that could potentially change your life, it could very well be time for a shift in how you take action. 

I can show you how to do that in my free workshop on November 9th. I will walk you through the step-by-step that first helped me and is now helping many. I would love for you to join me. You can sign up here.

In this live, group experience you will have an opportunity to work through one of the key things that I feel, keeps you small and one-dimensional. I would love to see you on the other side of the zoom screen. It's only an hour of your time. Wouldn't it be great if, in that hour, you find a way a small way to create some massive action?

Register here!

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