[PODCAST 234]: Fix the Overwhelm with this 3-Minute Technique

Learn | Do | Become

Full transcriptions of all our podcast episodes are now available inside the Apple podcast app (and perhaps others, as well!). A basic outline and related links are below. So glad you are here!

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I’m going to show you a 3-minute technique to fix the overwhelm, but first I need to lay a little groundwork.

That tension you might be feeling in your body, the worry in your mind, the frustration with “everything around you getting in your way,” etc. is often caused because we think we have more to do than the time, energy, or skill to do it.

Here at LearnDoBecome, I talk about the STEP Command Central all the time–it’s the system that holds all the goals, papers, tasks, messages, projects, files, and every detail of life so that our brains can focus on being present and creative.

Inside the Command Central, we share how our to-do lists can be divided into calendared events, next actions, routines, and current projects. And we have a lot of podcasts and videos that cover those in depth.

But today I want to focus on a mistake that we often make when it comes to creating our Current Projects List.

This is a list that holds 1-8 projects for the month, and it helps us to see what we have on our plate–in addition to calendared events, routines, and other one-off tasks.

Here’s an example of what mine looked like last month:

Now let’s hop into the 3-minute technique I want to show you…

It’s all about evaluating your Current Projects List and asking, “Is this actually what I’m working on right now?”

If your list is feeling great, and you’re moving forward without stress or pressure, you probably don’t need to do this.

But my personal problem during the first couple weeks of March was that I had those 5 projects written on my list, but I had a lot of tension in my body. There was this constant weight on my shoulders, and I couldn’t figure out why.

Then this thought came into my mind: “April, maybe you think that’s what you’re working on, but you’re secretly trying to do many other things at the same time. Your brain is overwhelmed.”

So I sat down with a notebook and wrote my current projects on the left (and realized I had added a sixth project by committing to finish reading a great book), and then I made a column on the right and titled it, “ACTUAL Projects I’m Doing.”

It turns out, there were 16 projects in the works, and I was subconsciously pretending 10 of them didn’t exist.

It took just 3 minutes to figure this out, and then I was able to make a new plan. This is what my updated, no-tension list looked like:

This took me from 6 projects to 8, but they were 8 real projects, with none hidden in the background.

Here’s what I did with all the extra stuff:

• The books I’d committed to read became totally optional. I added them to my reading list, but didn’t put them in front of me with expectations to get through them all.
• I delegated our Easter weekend plans to our children–sent a couple of texts and reduced the obligations I’d secretly given myself.
• I put “Plan Spring Break” as a calendar reminder for the following week.
• I decided to plan the STEP Revamp promotion after the program completion (so that was on a Next in Line list).
• I added the YouTube course to my optional list of things to watch/listen to, but made a calendar reminder to follow up with it after Spring Break.
• I also decided to work on new ads after Spring Break (moved that to my Next in Line Projects List).
• I delegated the preparation for the newsletter sponsorship.

It was seriously amazing to feel the results. I also worked with my cognitive therapy coach to help me get to the bottom of why I feel I need to do so many things, and that was an eye-opening conversation for another podcast, but taking the time to adjust my expectations and simplify my Current Projects List had a physical “lightening” effect on my body.

If you’re feeling like I had been, perhaps this 3-minute exercise will be helpful for you, as well!

You’re doing great work, but you can’t do everything at the same time. Learning to adjust what’s going on in our minds will help!

Sending lots of love!

April

Please check out the links below–especially the one about our new events happening at the end of April.

xoxo

April

More Related Links!

Learn about and register for our live events to help you get organized with a Command Central happening April 23rd and 25th!

Alia and Josh’s “Routines Made Easy” Program!

Our ARISE membership – an amazing gathering place for community members that are using their Command Centrals to refine relationships, health, finances, individual purpose, and more. We focus on a new topic each month, and this is an amazing opportunity to receive coaching and support from Team LearnDoBecome. You can sign up for a free, 7-day trial here.

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