Like many other people, you may have come off track with some of your goals. Maybe you are behind schedule on something and feeling so overwhelmed that you just aren’t sure what to do.
There’s only one thing you need to do.
The next thing.
That’s right. All you need to do is just the next thing.
We often feel overwhelmed by all the things we think we need to do. Many of those things actually can’t be done until lots of other stuff happens first.Yet we worry about them, fret and get our stomachs tied up in a knot.
Just focus on the very next thing. Do it and do it well.
Here’s part of an actual list a client shared with me when he was feeling overwhelmed by to-do’s on a report writing project:
- Confirm objectives
- Gather all information
- Write an outline
- Speak to Bob about content
- Reprioritize information and delete unnecessary
- Write first draft
- Submit for management feedback
- Revise document as needed
- Run it past Bob again for input
- Rewrite and resubmit
And so on!
And that was only one project! How much time was he wasting worrying about submitting it for feedback when he hadn’t even confirmed the objectives yet?
Whenever you are feeling overwhelmed, simply focus on the very next thing that needs to be done, and do that. Then the next thing, and do that. Then the next, and do that, and so on.
Action – Pick one project or activity that you want to get back on track with. Write out all the activities that look like they are going to need to get done at some point along the way.
Then simply find the logical next thing and do that.
Keep doing that until you feel the momentum returning and the overwhelm subsiding.