Life Upgrade E-Course -

A Better Life in 30 Days!

Complimentary Consultation

If you or someone you know would like to experience a free sample coaching session, please e-mail or call me to arrange a time.  I would love to hear from you!

The Realist's Guide to Dealing with Clutter, Once and For All!  E-Book

Do you find yourself saying "I need to get organized!" but don't know where to start? Have you read all the books, attended the seminars, watched the t.v. shows? Here is a fresh, step-by-step approach to organizing a small space from start to finish. Find out more... http://www.coachgwen.com/ebook.htm.

Gwen Jewett

Life and Career Coach

Phone:  972-333-5932 

E-mail: gwen@coachgwen.com

Copyright 2006 by Gwen Jewett, Life and Career Coach. All rights reserved.

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Feeling overwhelmed by things that seem out of your control?  Is your list of things to do outgrowing your capacity to do them? If so, you're in a very popular club! Juggling career, family, relationships, and volunteer activities often requires more than you can physically give, yet here you are trying to do just that. So how do you rein it in?  Here are some suggestions for simplifying and paring down to a manageable level:

• Eliminate anything that doesn't have to be done today. When we are overwhelmed, our usual inclination is to either shut down completely or go into overdrive trying to do a ridiculous number of things all at once. Really, will doing only two loads of laundry today instead of five cause irreparable long-term effects? Can one of your deadlines be pushed back without causing a crisis?

• Think outside the blocks. No, that isn't a typo. Humans, by nature, tend to think in terms of timeframes, or blocks of time. When you feel overwhelmed by life and its to-do lists, try thinking in different "blocks" than you normally do. If you are used to planning your life by weeks, try looking at one-day or two-day blocks. A shorter timeframe will shorten your list. Conversely, a longer one (say, two weeks or a month) may help you give yourself permission to relax and not feel pressured to do everything right now.

• Look at each item on your full plate and ask yourself, "If I tackle this right now, will it immediately move me forward?" Will "getting it done" necessarily move you ahead in your life goals? If the answer is no, move it to the bottom of the list or eliminate it all together.

• Look at the source of the overwhelm. Does the pressure you feel come from outside or do you tend to place unrealistic standards upon yourself? If you're the only one who will be disappointed that you are not a superhero, then you are also the only one who can lighten up. Again, ask yourself what will immediately move you forward in your life.

• Get help! Delegate, pay someone else to do it, assign it to a responsible family member, etc. and don't feel guilty about not doing it yourself. Sometimes allowing someone else to help you will teach them a new skill and will often make them feel honored that you trust them enough to share the load. And certainly if you're paying someone to do a job there should be no guilt involved! You are supporting the economy!

• An on the same line, trust that someone else can do the job as well as you! It is very easy to fall into the trap of feeling like you're the only one who can do things right. And in some cases this will be true. However, there is also the possibility that someone else will do it better (maybe that is the fear?) or that even if they don't do it as well as you, it will be good enough.

Parting thought:  At then end of your life, will it matter the most to you that you did a lot, or that you lived well?