Tag Archives: Overwhelm

The Power of Procrastination

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In my blog posts ‘The 9R’s to Eliminate Overwhelm’ and ‘Il Dolce Far Niente’ I wrote about ways to eliminate overwhelm, another way of dealing with overwhelm is through procrastination.

Procrastination is defined as ‘the habit of voluntarily delaying an important task usually by focusing on less urgent, more enjoyable and easier tasks instead’.

The internet has many videos & articles on how to overcome procrastination, how to stop procrastination, and how to deal with and how to cope with procrastination. All of these videos and articles have one central theme – that procrastination is a bad thing.

I think procrastination is a good thing and we can learn much from it.

I procrastinate all the time – show me something that’s boring, tedious, takes ages, or that I don’t like doing and I can literally delay it forever.

This teaches me a lot about what I like to do and what I don’t like to do.

What I delay is always, without exception things I don’t like doing. 

What I don’t delay is always, without exception things I like to do

This makes procrastination a great teacher.

Procrastination teaches us what we don’t like to do.

Procrastination also teaches us what we do like to do.

 

In terms of overwhelm there are a few ways to utilise procrastination and treat it as a friend not a foe,

 

1.Delay what you don’t like doing –  move what you don’t like doing to tomorrow, next week, next month or next year. The simple act of delaying what you don’t like to do can reduce overwhelm significantly.

 

2. Delay what you do like doing –  just because you like doing something doesn’t mean it needs to get done today! Move what you do like doing to tomorrow, next week, next month or next year. The simple act of delaying what you do like to do can also reduce overwhelm significantly.

 

3. Outsource what you can. I’m a firm believer in outsourcing everything that others can do for you. This frees you up to focus solely on what only you can do in your life and business.

Note: It’s more enjoyable to outsource what you don’t like to do but you can also outsource what you do like to do. The most important thing is that you free up your time to focus solely on what only you can do in your life and business. 

This reduces overwhelm dramatically as your ‘to do list’ become someone else’s ‘to do list’!

My blog post ‘How to Free Up Your Time Using Online Outsourcing’ can support you with online outsourcing.

 

4. Prioritise what you absolutely have to get done – My blog post The Priority Matrix can support you with this. The simple act of prioritising can reduce overwhelm significantly as you realise everything doesn’t have to be done straight away!

 

How can you leverage the power of procrastination?

What can procrastination teach you?

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If so download my free ebook  ‘The A-Z of Effective Change’ below and you are all signed up! 😊

Thanks for reading,

Siobhain

x x

 

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Il Dolce Far Niente

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Following on from my blog post ‘The 9Rs to Eliminate Overwhelm’  another concept that helps to eliminate overwhelm is Il Dolce Far Niente.

​The Italian concept of ‘Il Dolce Far Niente’ translates to

‘THE SWEETNESS OF DOING NOTHING’.​

​When I got injured skiing in Italy in early 2023 I had loads of time on my hands.

​I spent this time watching Italians practise ‘THE SWEETNESS OF DOING NOTHING’.

  • The Italians seem to take their time and savour enjoyment of the simple things in life
  • The Italians spend hours eating many courses of food and enjoying the best of coffee, wine and other aperitifs
  • The Italians walk as if time is their best friend and as if they have plenty of it
  • The Italians don’t seem to be in any rush to get to or to do anything
  • The Italians are intent on the enjoyment of time as just that – time

​When in Italy do as the Italians do and so I used this precious time to practise ‘THE SWEETNESS OF DOING NOTHING’.

I had long lazy breakfasts & lunches, I had midday naps, I sat in cafes sipping coffee and eating cake, I walked around the area we were staying in with no real direction just aimlessly wandering yet enjoying the journey.

​I sat and listened to Italians in conversation, their language is like music. The words I didn’t understand, the changing tone of their voices, their uplifting laughs, their hand gestures. You can hear their expressions of affection even without understanding the words.

​I did lots of nothing, lots of just nothing – enjoying THE SWEETNESS OF DOING NOTHING.

​While my body was sore and in pain from my injury, my mind was slowing down and becoming immensely peaceful.

​THE SWEETNESS OF DOING NOTHING made me feel good during a very challenging time and I brought this little piece of Italy home with me to savour and enjoy when I need it.

Do you practice THE SWEETNESS OF DOING NOTHING?

Do you think THE SWEETNESS OF DOING NOTHING would support you to slow down and eliminate overwhelm?

​Eat, Pray, Love was made into a film and this clip is where Il Dolce Far Niente is explained to Julia Roberts, Il Dolce Far Niente .

Want to join my weekly newsletter?

If so download my free ebook  ‘The A-Z of Effective Change’ below and you are all signed up! 😊

Thanks for reading,

Siobhain

x x

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Are You Cognitively Overloaded?

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Image Credit: Marvin Meyer @Unsplash

What do you struggle to do when you don’t have enough TIME, ENERGY & MENTAL SPACE?

I struggle with my writing.

I have been hitting walls with my writing for most of this year, it’s one of the reasons I have been on a social media break since the end of March. 

Writing needs a lot of TIME, ENERGY & MENTAL SPACE.

Taking original thoughts and concepts, turning them into words that people want to read, physically writing/typing these words and then editing to ensure what you are sending out to the world is interesting and valuable – I’m getting brain fog even thinking about this. 

There are clear reasons why I have struggled with my writing – preparing to  leave my day job (without another) has totally consumed my life for the past couple of months. This wasn’t on my plans for this year yet one by one different circumstances, events and situations moved my thinking towards leaving my job and finally (after much soul searching) taking the plunge to follow my dreams into full time entrepreneurship.

When we go through big life changes – planned or unplanned, positive or challenging, wanted or unwanted it can consume us. During these times, there really isn’t too much room for anything else.

Recently I started researching this, not just because I have struggled with my writing but because I suffered serious burnout in the first 3 months of 2021 – I’ll write about that when I can process it (I get the comedic irony of that sentence!)

This research brought me to a phenomenon called ‘Cognitive Overload’ which sums up 2021 for me! I have been cognitively overloaded.

Are you cognitively overloaded?

Do you have too much on your plate?

Are you struggling to find time for what & who you love?

Are you rushing and racing through life?

Are you struggling to find time for yourself?

What gets dropped when you don’t have enough TIME, ENERGY & MENTAL SOACE?

Here’s a few articles I found on Cognitive Overload, 

https://www.masterclass.com/articles/ways-to-avoid-cognitive-overload#3-example-causes-of-cognitive-overload

https://www.inc.com/wanda-thibodeaux/why-youre-probably-suffering-from-cognitive-overload-but-dont-have-to.html

And a really great Ted Talk – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UWKvpFZJwcE

The end of the Ted Talk really struck a chord when Peter Doolittle said, 

‘What we process, we learn. If we are not processing life, we are not living it. LIVE LIFE. 

Have you heard of this phenomenon?

I’d love to hear how your plate is? 

Is your plate sparse?

Is your plate overflowing?

Is there too much on your plate that has led to cognitive overload?

Here’s to not being too cognitively overloaded!

Thanks for reading,

Siobhain

x x 

Want to learn more about positive change? Download your FREE EBOOK ‘The A-Z of Positive Change’ below. 

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The 9Rs to Eliminate Overwhelm

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Image Credit: Madhuri Gupta

The English Oxford dictionary describes overwhelm as the following

  1. Give too much of something to; inundate – ‘they were overwhelmed by farewell messages’
  2. Have a strong emotional effect on – ‘I was overwhelmed with guilt’
  3.  Be too strong for; overpower – ‘the Stilton doesn’t overwhelm the flavour of the trout’

Overwhelm to me is more of a feeling, a feeling of having taken on too much, of having too much to do, of not having space or time to organise, focus, and move forward.

My head feels fuzzy, murky, unclear and even the thoughts of facing another item on my ‘to do list’ makes me feel tired.

This is a familiar feeling to me and happens every now and again, not often enough to be a huge issue but often enough that I like to put a system in place to deal with it.

I am very mindful to watch out for and recognise overwhelm as it arrives and deal with it before it affects my physical, mental & emotional health.

These days when I start to feel overwhelmed, I take immediate action to stop it!.

Here are the 9R’s I use to manage and move forward from overwhelm of which should be priority in our lives at all times and not just when we start to feel overwhelmed or stressed, 

1. Rest

Overwhelm and stress (if it has gone that far) is a signal to your mind and body that you need to slow down. One way of slowing down is to get more rest – rest more during your day, take regular breaks from work and keep these breaks device free. If you are taking breaks but using your phone to scroll social media/listen to podcasts/listen to or read books your mind isn’t really getting a break.

Your mind needs a total break from devices to switch off and recharge.

Not only is rest important, it’s quality rest with no electronic devices!!

Another way to slow down is to get more quality hours sleep. Research has shown that we don’t function optimally without sufficient sleep.

Sufficient sleep is a different number for everyone – I have always needed 8 hours sleep to function and I fully feel the effects when I don’t get those 8 hours. By adding ‘adequate sleep’ as a priority to your ‘to do list’ your physical, mental and emotional health will benefit.

2. Relax

How many hours in your day do you spend relaxing, really relaxing –  away from social media and all electronics?

It’s so important to relax, – to stop going, to stop moving, to stop thinking and just breathe!

Whatever you do for relaxation, whether it’s reading, listening to music/podcasts, watching tv, meditating or just being –  it is so important to schedule this into each and every day.

This will not only keep your mind and body healthy, it will also keep you sane! I’m a big fan of relaxing as I know how it supports me to get more done but I don’t relax as much as I would like to or need to. It’s something I definitely need to find more time for and not only when I feel overwhelmed.

3. Reconnect

Reconnecting with yourself and whoever/whatever you may have lost contact with that gives you joy will help you slow down and focus on the priorities in life and not just what makes it to the ‘to do list’.

This reconnection can be with people such as family, friends, colleagues, team mates or it can be with whatever or whomever you have a spiritual or religious connection with –  God, Buddha, Allah, Source, Universe – whatever works for you.

For me, my connection with my boyfriend Mike, my family and my friends is essential for my happiness and well being. There is no easier way to enjoy yourself, slow down and take your mind off your ‘to do list’ than spending quality time (minus electronics!) with the people you love.

My connection to myself and my spiritual growth is the cornerstone on which everything else is built and is absolutely essential for my happiness and well being.

4. Replenish

Replenish your Mind, Body and Soul with what it needs – good food, regular exercise, time in nature, creative hobbies, sports, silence, crowds, prayer – whatever works for you.

Fill your surroundings with good thoughts and kind deeds, this will not only benefit you but those whom you spend time with.

Above all make sure the person you are kindest to is yourself.

For me, the following are the basics required to replenish my Mind, Body and Soul –  quality time with Mike, family & friends, reading, writing, solitude, meditating, journaling and exercising.

5. Remove Clutter

Clutter can be physical, emotional or digital.

Physical clutter is stuff in our physical spaces that no longer serves us. Physical clutter also takes up space in our minds, a messy space is a messy mind. Start clearing physical clutter away and your mind will start to feel clearer. 

Emotional clutter is all sorts of negative energy, thoughts and  beliefs. These are not beneficial to our physical, mental & emotional well being and they do not serve us. Evaluating and replacing these negative energies with positive energies will remove what feels like physical weights from our shoulders. 

Digital clutter seems to build up almost without us knowing. Photos on our phones, digital downloads, scanned documents, space consuming e-mails. If you work online, the amount of digital clutter is almost never ending. Digital clutter can also be scrolling time, time spend mindlessly scrolling and clicking through links online – this creates digital clutter in our brains!!  

Removing all types of clutter will create the space to allow whatever you want in your life to manifest! 

6. Reading

Reading is an excellent way of tuning out of this busy world into other worlds of whatever interests you. 

Reading is for me one of the most relaxing things I can do. I love nothing more than sitting down with a great book, soaking up the wisdom and learning as I relax!

I also love listening to audiobooks while out and about, it’s a very efficient way of getting through books – most audiobooks are narrated by the author which is an added bonus!!

 7. Writing

I know writing starts with W but phonetically it starts with R!

I love writing just as much as I love reading and also find it very relaxing.

Writing helps me gather my thoughts and clear my mind. I love all sorts of writing, writing in my journal, writing blog posts and writing e-books. You can download my first e-book ‘The A-Z of Effective Change’ at the end of this blog post. 

I often say, if I could read and write for a living that would be my perfect job! 

I updated this blog post to include the next 2 Rs as my great friend Tony Mc suggested them, thanks Tony! 

8. Rush – no need to rush!

My friend Tony says ‘try not to rush, everyone is in a big rush today’. 

This is so true, I find the speed at which we live our lives has increased.

Add our connection to social media and the online world where everything is instant & immediate and this makes for lives lived at a dizzying speed. 

We all know that the busier we are the faster time seems to go, we also know that we can’t slow down time, the speed at which it passes is set. 

We may not be able to slow down time, but what we can do is slow ourselves down – stop rushing from one thing to another, stop racing to and from activities, stop taking on too much, stop filling our calendars with things to do, stop filling our minds with things to process! 

Being ‘crazy busy’ is not good for your Mind, Body or Soul. What is good for and what nurtures your Mind, Body and Soul is being more mindful, more intentional and more present, all can be achieved by slowing down.

Even reading the words mindful, intentional, present will slow down a bit.

9. Rewind & Reflect 

My friend Tony says ‘rewind and take a step back’ of which I also totally agree. 

If we continuously move forward without rewinding, taking a step back and reflecting on our experiences we are missing out on so much learning. We are our own greatest teachers yet we must invest the time to rewind, step back and reflect to bring our inner teachings into our lives. 

I am a huge fan of reflection.

The wisdom gained from reflecting on your own experiences can be found nowhere else and is well worth the time it takes. 

That’s it, the 9Rs to eliminate overwhelm.

I hope you are using some of these to eliminate overwhelm and avoid stress in your life.

What do you do to deal with overwhelm?

Do you use any of the 9Rs?

Can you suggest anything else to eliminate overwhelm?

Want to read more about Positive Change?

Download your free e-book ‘The A-Z of Effective Change’ below

Thanks for reading,

Siobhain 

x x

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