Those blocks can make a deafening noise when they fall

I am no stranger to overwhelm. Even though I can handle a lot of things happening at the same time and made it my modus operandi for decades, I am keenly aware that this way of living is not sustainable.  When one thing too many is tacked on – either by me or by circumstances outside of my control, I have historically had No Padding. No Buffer.  No Grace Period. No Wiggle Room. I envisioned my M. O. as that of a tall, precarious tower of blocks on a flat, strong foundation.  Pretty impressive – until one more block is added in a spot that can’t support it and the whole tower comes tumbling down. The aftermath was not pretty.

This habit … has also helped me be more diligent and persistent about my responsibilities, goals, and intentions.

Over the past few years, I have been training myself not to take on too much.  I realize that by making choices (many choices that involve “not doing”) that keep me more calm and balanced, I am more efficient and diligent with my work.  Time management became less of a struggle. The practice of Pangu Shengong has helped me stay calm and clear-headed and identify strategies in the midst of the busiest and intense times,

Here’s a simple and effective strategy that I have found works for me lately to keep overwhelm at bay:

• First thing in the morning (or before you go to be the night before), write down EVERYTHING you need/want/plan to do that day.  Include EVERYTHING.
• Did you include bathing, getting dressed, preparing and eating food, cleaning up after a meal, exercise/movement, household tasks, specific work tasks?  If you work outside your home, do the same thing at work, listing home and work activities on different lists. If you work at home, be sure you list specifically household and work tasks on the same list.
• Estimate how much time you will need to devote to each thing on the list and record it next to the item on the list.
• Add up all the time estimated for everything on the list.
• Figure out how much time is available that day to accomplish the tasks.  For example, if I get up at 5:30am and go to sleep at 10:30pm, that’s 17 hours available to me.
• Add in 1-2 hours to your list of task for things that will come up or for things that will take longer than you thought.

Even after months of using this strategy, I still plan or intend to accomplish way more I can do in the hours available that day. AND I can tell you it is very freeing to realize I can’t do it all in one day.

Some things have to go (i.e. be let go) or get shifted to another day.  How empowering to choose to cross some things off the list or move them intentionally to the next day!

With no judgement.  

This simple visual exercise helped me process why I felt so perpetually overwhelmed.

The list is like an accountability partner.  This habit of breaking down the tasks by assigning time to my to do list has also helped me be more diligent and persistent about my responsibilities, goals, and intentions. This strategy has allowed me to really move the ball forward daily.

If this sounds like something practical for you or something you have even tried with varying degrees of success, let me know. There are other neat renditions of this idea too.  There will be something that works for you.

Peace.